Crimson Renewable Energy establishes a single comprehensive data source with WinMan’s enterprise resource planning software.
Company Size
200-1,000
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- WinMan ERP
- QuickBooks
Tech Stack
- ERP Software
- Data Management
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Cost Savings
- Customer Satisfaction
- Productivity Improvements
Technology Category
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
- Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
Applicable Industries
- Renewable Energy
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Inventory Management
- Predictive Maintenance
- Process Control & Optimization
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
Crimson Renewable Energy (CRE) is a leading producer of biodiesel on the West Coast of the United States. Established in 2006, the company specializes in converting used cooking oil and other feedstocks into cellulosic biodiesel, which is then supplied to retail gas stations. Over the years, CRE has experienced rapid growth, expanding its operations and increasing its production capacity. Despite its growth, the company faced challenges with its existing accounting software, QuickBooks, which was no longer sufficient to meet its needs. CRE required a more robust and comprehensive solution to manage its financial data, streamline production processes, and support its continued growth. The company operates across five legal entities, further complicating its financial management and reporting requirements.
The Challenge
Crimson Renewable Energy (CRE) is the largest producer of biodiesel on the West Coast of the United States. The company takes used cooking oil and other feedstocks and processes it into cellulosic biodiesel for retail gas stations. CRE grew quickly since it was founded in 2006. However, by 2016, the company was still using QuickBooks for its accounting software, despite having “outgrown [its] capabilities,” according to James Cowan, Controller at CRE. The unreliable data led to challenges when it came to making accurate projections and continuing to grow the company. There was also not a way to view consolidated financial information across its five legal entities; the CRE team had to manually search for and balance intercompany transactions in different locations. CRE needed an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that could replace QuickBooks, offer a more robust accounting and data management solution, streamline production, manage orders, and track inventory.
The Solution
In June 2020, CRE chose WinMan as its ERP software provider. The software eliminates the multiple redundant spreadsheets existing in parallel and serves as the single source of data that CRE needed. In addition to decreasing manual data entry efforts, the software also reduces reporting lag time. According to James, WinMan’s ERP software “will allow our senior leadership group better insight into how we are performing,” thanks to improved data capture on profit margins and pricing components. CRE also now relies on the functionality of WinMan’s software to automate transactions between companies. WinMan software also allows CRE to review consolidated financial information for its five legal entities. Furthermore, thanks to WinMan, CRE’s sales teams will have real-time access to their production numbers. The sales team will be able to sell based on the company’s actual production, so they are fully in sync.
Operational Impact
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