Crane rental company makes the natural move forward from Dynamics NAV to Business Central with ODT Rentals

• Product

  Jet Reports, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, ODT Rentals

• Company

  Bigfoot Crane Company Inc.

• Name & Job Title

  Rolando Cardeno, Financial Controller, Bigfoot Crane Company Inc.

• Industry

  Crane & hoist equipment sales & rental

Problem/Challenge

Well-established Crane Rental Business Requires More Mobility & Better Visibility from Their Software System

Based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Bigfoot Crane Company Inc. has provided clients in Western Canada with quality products and remarkable customer experiences for 30 years. With the goal of being a leader in the high-angle materials handling industry, Bigfoot Crane offers a diverse fleet of tower cranes, hoists, generators, wind and zoning systems, and under-hook accessories, as well as equipment maintenance and repairs, project advising, and safety training.

Bigfoot Crane had been using Dynamics NAV for many years to manage day-to-day business operations. As this outdated software system began to age and slow down in functionality, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“At that time, we had many workers working remotely and needed better remote access capabilities,” explains Rolando Cardeno, Financial Controller at Bigfoot Crane. “We also needed more timely access to our business data and increased visibility on the financial management reporting front.”

The company’s management team determined it was time for a change and that it made sense to take the natural leap forward to a new, subscription-based program on the cloud to save on time and costs in the long run.

Solution(s)

A Natural Move Forward to a New Microsoft-focused System

After following a due diligence process and looking at multiple comparisons in ERP products, the Bigfoot Crane team landed on a fresh Dynamics 365 Business Central implementation, with ODT Rentals and Jet Reports to compliment the new system.

The new system, including the software for equipment rental business, was live and fully operational in February 2022. The team appreciated Open Door’s prompt response time throughout the implementation process. Open Door provided helpful guidance and employee training, being careful to calibrate the system as they went to fit the unique needs of the company.

“One main reason we went with that choice is that Business Central is Microsoft focused, which would be very familiar to us coming from Navision,” says Cardeno. “It seemed like a natural move forward in ERP systems. I wasn’t directly involved with the implementation process at the time, but from my interactions with Open Door, I’m not surprised that the implementation process went relatively smoothly.”

“Overall, we’ve seen better visibility on Financials, more effective management reporting, and improved user experience with the added rental module… To have an accounting software that’s compatible with massive journal entry and budget uploads is a huge benefit.”

– Rolando Cardeno, Financial Controller, Bigfoot Crane Company Inc.

Results

Bigfoot Crane Enjoys More Efficiency & Better Visibility on Financials

Now that Business Central, ODT Rentals, and Jet Reports have been implemented for a couple years, the Bigfoot Crane team is enjoying more day-to-day efficiency and visibility on data. Cardeno says he would recommend Open Door to other companies looking for a new software partner.

“Overall, we’ve seen better visibility on Financials, more effective management reporting through the application of various dimensions, and improved user experience with the added rental module,” he says. “I really like this new system’s compatibility with Excel spreadsheets. I’m a heavy user of Excel spreadsheets, so to have an accounting software that’s compatible with massive journal entry and budget uploads is a huge benefit.”

Cardeno says the team may seek more guidance or training in future to further understand some reporting functions, specifically with cash flow projections, and dimensional reporting and analysis to maximize the full power of Business Central’s expansive functions.