The Challenge
ILS was operating on a stack of disconnected tools. Odoo handled core ERP but required costly customisations to keep pace with how the business actually worked. MYOB EXO Payroll sat in its own silo, completely separate from finance. Spreadsheets filled every gap in between.
The day-to-day impact was significant:
- Disparate systems created duplication, manual rekeying, and a real risk of error across finance, payroll, sales, and operations.
- Reporting was not trusted. Numbers required validation before they could be used in decisions, and that validation work was a tax on every team.
- Inventory management was limited. There was no clean way to combine demand-driven replenishment with traditional Min/Max stock levels, leading to stockouts and overstocking.
- Sales had little visibility of pipeline, win/loss reasons, or activity KPIs, which made coaching and forecasting difficult.
- Purchasing, accounts, and payroll were heavy on manual handling, which slowed month-end and stretched the team thin.
Sally and Martin, ILS's executive sponsors, made a clear call. The business needed one system that could scale with them, deliver trusted numbers, and free the team from chasing spreadsheets.
Why MYOB Acumatica - and Why Stratus
ILS evaluated their options against a clear set of priorities. They selected MYOB Acumatica because it offered:
- An Australian-supported cloud ERP, with a roadmap aligned to local compliance, tax, and payroll requirements.
- A future-proof platform that delivered the functionality they needed out of the box, without heavy customisation.
- Real-time insights and reporting they could rely on, replacing the cycle of validating numbers before using them.
- Demand-based replenishment combined with stronger stock control across kits, BOMs, expiry tracking, and customs codes.
- Native payroll integration, creating a single source of truth between people, time, and finance.
- Cloud scalability that could absorb new users, warehouses, currencies, and entities as ILS grew.
Stratus Group was chosen as the implementation partner. With deep MYOB Acumatica expertise and a delivery approach focused on adoption rather than just configuration, Stratus assigned a dedicated team: Diego Torres as Project Manager, with Leanne and Matt leading consulting and solution design.
The Solution: one integrated platform across the business
Stratus Group delivered an enterprise-level, fully integrated ERP platform covering every part of the ILS operation. The table below sets out the seven motivations that shaped the project, the MYOB Acumatica functionality Stratus mapped to each, and the business benefit ILS now realises.
The Solution: one integrated platform across the business
Stratus Group delivered an enterprise-level, fully integrated ERP platform covering every part of the ILS operation. The table below sets out the seven motivations that shaped the project, the MYOB Acumatica functionality Stratus mapped to each, and the business benefit ILS now realises.
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Motivation
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MYOB Acumatica functionality
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Business benefit
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Unified, future-proof platform
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Cloud ERP covering Financials, Inventory, Projects, Payroll, and CRM with minimal need for customisation
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Single source of truth, reduced IT complexity, lower long-term cost of ownership
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Operational efficiency and standardisation
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Automated purchasing, AP, AR, and GL workflows; ABA bank file payments; full audit trail on transactions
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Less manual handling, improved compliance, faster month-end close
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Inventory management and forecasting
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Demand-based replenishment (sales order driven and Min/Max), BOMs and kits, expiry date tracking, HS and customs codes
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Reduced stockouts and overstocking, compliance for chemicals, more accurate purchasing
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Sales growth and efficiency
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CRM for leads and opportunities, quote probability tracking, lost-reason codes, 30-day quote reminders, standing and blanket orders
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Stronger sales pipeline visibility, improved win rates, measurable sales team targets
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Usability and adoption
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Role-based dashboards, drag-and-drop Outlook and email integration, secure user controls
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Faster onboarding, higher staff adoption, reduced training overhead
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Data visibility and reporting
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Standard reports (P&L, Balance Sheet, Budget vs Actuals), dashboards, Velixo for Excel-based live reporting
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Real-time insights, better decision-making, board-ready analytics
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Scalability and growth
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Cloud licensing that scales with users; multi-entity, multi-warehouse, and multi-currency; ISV ecosystem including Velixo and Phocas
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Future-ready system, supports expansion, protects investment over time
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Implementation approach
Stratus Group ran the project with a focus on three things: a clean cutover, confident users on day one, and a platform that ILS could grow into. Key elements of the approach included:
- A dedicated Stratus team (Diego as PM, with Leanne and Matt as consultants) working closely with Martin and Sally as executive sponsors.
- Early decisions on scope and configuration to keep the build aligned to standard MYOB Acumatica functionality, protecting ILS from heavy and costly customisation.
- Migration and integration work across financials, inventory, procurement, CRM, and payroll, so that ILS went live on one connected platform rather than a phased patchwork.
- Hands-on enablement of the ILS team across each module, with role-based dashboards and Outlook integration making the system feel familiar from day one.
- A post go-live coaching cadence to lift confidence, refine dashboards, and lock in user adoption.
Outcomes: trusted data, faster decisions, stronger control
The implementation was seamless. ILS was live on time, with minimal disruption to daily operations. Eight weeks post go-live, the business is already seeing meaningful outcomes across operations, finance, and sales.
Operational impact
- Demand Replenishment Planning (DRP) in procurement has been a game changer, giving the team visibility of what was ordered, when, for whom, and at what cost.
- Automated procurement and financial processes have removed a large layer of manual handling.
- Improved control across bank accounts, debtors, and creditors, supported by bank feeds, ABA payments, and a full audit trail.
- Streamlined payroll processing through direct ERP integration, ending the previous double entry between EXO Payroll and finance.
Financial and reporting impact
- A major lift in the accuracy, trust, and integrity of data. The team no longer wastes time investigating errors or proving report accuracy.
- Real-time reporting provides leadership with a thorough picture for decision-making, replacing the previous cycle of validating numbers.
- Faster month-end close, supported by automated workflows and a clean general ledger.
Sales and CRM impact
- CRM now holds live data with KPI-driven results, including win and loss reasons, quote probability tracking, and 30-day quote reminders.
- Sales coaching is sharper, because managers can see real pipeline activity rather than relying on memory or spreadsheets.
- Standing and blanket orders are streamlining repeat business and reducing administrative overhead.
“DRP has been a game changer. We can see what was ordered, when, for whom, and at what cost. The biggest impact of all is data we trust. We are no longer spending time proving the numbers are right; we are using them.”
Martin, Executive Sponsor, Independent Laboratory Supplies
Lessons learned and what comes next
As with any ERP transformation, the eight weeks following go-live have surfaced a clear list of priorities to keep improving. The Stratus team is working with ILS on:
- Refining role-based dashboards across each department, so that every team has a view tailored to how they actually work.
- Designing a complementary Min/Max replenishment workflow to sit alongside DRP, completing the inventory planning picture.
- Continued user coaching to lift comfort and unlock more advanced functionality, including deeper use of CRM analytics and ISV add-ons such as Velixo.
These next steps reinforce the original reason ILS chose MYOB Acumatica: a platform that grows with the business, supported by a partner that stays alongside them after go-live.
Why it matters
ILS's story is a familiar one for fast-growing Australian businesses. The systems that get you to a certain size are rarely the systems that take you to the next stage. The challenge is not just choosing the right platform; it is choosing a partner who can deliver it on time, configure it without bloat, and stick around to make sure it lands with the team.
With Stratus Group and MYOB Acumatica, ILS has consolidated three platforms into one, replaced manual handling with automation, and turned reporting from a chore into a decision-making asset. The foundation is now in place for the next stage of growth.
About Stratus Group
Stratus Group is an Australian MYOB Acumatica implementation partner specialising in cloud ERP solutions for mid-market businesses. We combine deep product expertise with a delivery approach focused on adoption, so our clients go live on time, on budget, and ready to grow.
If you are weighing up an ERP change and want to talk to a partner who has done it before, we would love to hear from you.
Contact Stratus Group | stratusgroup.com.au
