Since the launch of eGreenwoods in 2003, the number of registered users benefiting from increased efficiency and visibility has grown to 1,500. Users can utilise the system to view past and present orders as well as compile future orders, as there is the functionality to view and manage past product lists and reuse them, as well as build new product lists and request an up to date quotation from our internal sales team.

The system benefits all links in the supply chain, from the engineer in the field through to Purchasing and Finance, ensuring supply chain excellence. Engineers can minimise the likelihood of the wrong consumable being ordered, which prevents delays to maintenance work. They are also able to order the consumables they require while onsite and can track the order until it is delivered. Managers can use the portal to monitor what engineers are buying. They can assign levels of access to different engineers, and limit the amount they are permitted to spend.

Purchasing departments use eGreenwoods to identify spending levels on product lines, helping them to benefit from economies of scale by bulk buying consumables ordered frequently by engineers. This also helps to prevent spending by engineers spiralling out of control.

With eGreenwoods, finance departments are able to monitor and analyse the company’s overall spend on consumables. They can also export data to their own reports and integrate them into internal reports. Invoicing to Greenwoods can be managed online using the portal, reducing the need to produce invoices manually.

Orange have benefited in all these areas by utilising the functionality offered by eGreenwoods. After consolidating their stores locations from six down to one, Orange required a more efficient ordering process and eGreenwoods offered it. eGreenwoods allowed them to reduce costs and improve efficiency; as identified by Raymond Reid, Operations Technical Manager with Orange.

“Greenwoods have worked with us to introduce e-procurement across the UK. We have introduced Greenwoods system to our national engineering field force and Greenwoods has supported this initiative with training and continued support. We have achieved increased control of consumables and everything purchased is 100% visible.”