Case Studies > SYSPRO Case Study: Daprano Delivers Sweet Service with SYSPRO

SYSPRO Case Study: Daprano Delivers Sweet Service with SYSPRO

Customer Company Size

Startup

Region

America

Country

United States

Product

SYSPRO ERP

Tech Stack

Windows XP

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Customer Satisfaction
Productivity Improvements
Brand Awareness

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)

Applicable Industries

Food & Beverage

Applicable Functions

Business Operation
Warehouse & Inventory Management

Use Cases

Inventory Management
Predictive Replenishment
Supply Chain Visibility

Services

System Integration
Software Design & Engineering Services

About The Customer

When Mick Sidari was looking to buy Daprano & Company in 2003, he wanted to bring something extra special to the specialty food business. The company was an importer and distributor of premium specialty chocolates, candies, and cakes from all over the world, and Sidari recognized the potential for Daprano to become a major player in the specialty food industry. Armed with an extensive background in premium food products and a passion for quality, Sidari knew that taking Daprano to the next level meant giving it a service facelift. The company had some really nice products, and he thought if he could improve the service and freshness of goods, that volume would increase and it would drive the overall revenue. Daprano carries a long list of elegant treats from across the sugar-coated globe. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based company sources 21 different lines of specialty foods from six different countries. They are known for Italian chocolates, Australian Jila gum and mints, and fine Italian pastilles. Daprano’s sophisticated victuals are on the shelves in high-end stores throughout the country, marketed through a national network of specialty food brokers, as well as at various specialty-food trade shows annually.

The Challenge

When Sidari bought the company, he was told that one of the challenges was going to be keeping track of inventory and actually ordering the products from the suppliers. The previous owner had a lot of trouble with the orders – he regularly had a 5- to 7-day lag and was usually carrying a disproportionate amount in back orders. Immediately, he looked at changing the software, thinking that it must have not been the right fit for the business and was causing some of the drag. Daprano had been using SYSPRO ERP, and Sidari figured that was part of the problem. He took pride in his service and wanted to fix it, so he began looking for a replacement system.

The Solution

However, Sidari continued to use SYSPRO in the meantime, and after about 9 months, he realized it actually did have the tools to improve the day-to-day operations, such as managing ordering and inventory, and that maybe they weren’t being applied properly in the past. Very quickly, he realized that SYSPRO could satisfy the business’s needs, and he decided to stay with it. Today, the six-person company runs a four-user system on Windows XP. As opposed to a manufacturer, a distributor like Daprano need not be concerned with the entire manufacturing-specific ERP suite. Rather, they use the software for basic day-to-day functions such as purchase orders, buying, inventory control, invoicing, and tracking sales history. SYSPRO helps Daprano manage the seasonal nature of their business by giving them a clear and accurate window into their history, enabling them to properly forecast sales and plan accordingly. The best offense against such heavily lopsided market share is superior customer service, Sidari’s specialty. By having total control over and visibility into its inventory, Daprano always knows exactly what it has on hand and what it needs to fulfill expected demand in the upcoming period.

Operational Impact

One of the undisputed features of the specialty food industry, whether a company is a manufacturer or distributor, is that business tends to be seasonal. It’s usually 4th quarter business, and most of it is gift-giving. Over 50% of the product offerings change each year to satisfy the consumers’ ever-changing needs. In this business of irregular sales patterns, having accurate history is critical to a company’s ability to project into the future, as they have one shot – that famed 4th quarter – to bring in the majority of the year’s revenue.
SYSPRO helps Daprano manage the seasonal nature of their business by giving them a clear and accurate window into their history, enabling them to properly forecast sales and plan accordingly.
With precision like that, if you place an order on an everyday item, and you place an order before 2 o’clock, it goes out the same day.
That kind of customer service has not gone unnoticed in the industry. One of Daprano’s brokers recently pulled Sidari aside to share with him some encouraging feedback. He told Sidari, ‘Every time I make a sale, one of the selling points to Daprano is service. You can’t believe how good the service is from Daprano!’
These successes have led to customer partnerships and business expansion in the last 24 months. It is great to be recognized as a solid supplier, and that all goes back to inventory control, ordering processes, and service, which is where the SYSPRO system helps out.

Quantitative Benefit

5- to 7-day delays in delivery reduced to same-day order shipment.
Over 50% of the product offerings change each year to satisfy the consumers’ ever-changing needs.