Dairygold Limited is an Irish dairy cooperative based in Mitchelstown, County Cork, Ireland. With 2,850 milk suppliers, Dairygold processes an annual volume of approximately 1.4 billion liters of grass-fed pastureland milk, making it Ireland’s largest dairy co-operative and the island’s second largest milk supplier.
With approximately 7,000 shareholders and a net asset value of €338 million, Dairygold reports an annual turnover of around €992 million. Employing more than 1,200 employees, Dairygold produces some of the world’s most advanced and innovative nutritional solutions. Dairygold exports to over 50 countries and has production facilities in Ireland and the UK, as well as sales offices in Germany, Spain, and China.
THE CHALLENGE
Dairygold approached TEKenable with the objective of designing a web-based platform to enable smooth and seamless engagement with their suppliers. At that time, suppliers did not have quick access to the Dairygold business information relevant to them. For instance, they had to keep a manual record of monthly milk sales, did not have quick access to milk sample tests, could not manage their finances with a single click, and had to go through a series of steps to access financial records and statements.
The suppliers’ relationship with Dairygold is one of bi-directional trading in which Dairygold was not only buying milk from farmers but also supplying them with products like feed and fertilizers. Dairygold needed a single marketplace to manage the business with milk suppliers and at the same time supply their own products to them.
Although Dairygold had a platform in place since 1998, it had become outdated creating technical costs and risks, lacked many innovative and unique features, was functionally inefficient, and was incompatible with the overall branding of Dairygold. The platform’s outlook and features completely contradicted Dairygold’s newly revamped website.
Suppliers also complained about the unfriendly user interface which made it difficult for them to understand and use certain features. Overall, the existing platform was in dire need of improvement. At a time when the market sector is investing heavily in online and mobile services, revamping the old platform was a key priority for Dairygold to enhance relationship management with suppliers.
THE SOLUTION
TEKenable replaced the existing Dairygold Supplier Extranet with a secure, state-of-the-art, high-performing portal connected to underlying ERP and trading platforms. TEKenable has worked with Dairygold previously, to deliver a mobile app ‘MyMilk’ for their suppliers providing access to real-time information about their milk quality, sales, forecasts, payments, and other financials. TEKenable integrated these mobile app features into the web portal as well. This new platform is mobile responsive and can be accessed with ease on mobile devices as well as PCs.
The platform helps suppliers easily access information specific to their business with Dairygold. This includes a monthly record of milk sold to Dairygold, milk volume forecast, milk sample tests, financial statements, and collection details.
It also helps suppliers place orders for the products they bought from Dairygold with a single click, maintain a record of purchase & delivery, gain information on the products like nitrates, view their payment history and balance scorecard at their convenience.
THE OUTCOME
This new dynamic platform provides Dairygold suppliers access to real-time information without any delays. The portal is easy to use, provides detailed reporting regarding every single order and purchase made by suppliers. It also enables Dairygold to forecast product (milk) purchase volumes and plan for future demands in advance, thus adding efficiency to the business.
The platform reduces overhead administrative expenses as many of the earlier manual processes have been automated. Access to timely information enhanced the productivity of Dairygold and improved customer perception and experience.
This robust and easily accessible platform reduced maintenance costs, improved supplier engagement, enabled Dairygold to optimize its processes and maximize its business outcomes.
