A world-first aquaculture business
Australian Bay Lobster Producers (ABLP) is a pioneering Australian biotechnology company and the world’s first commercial producer of soft-shell bay lobsters using Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) technology. Operating north of Byron Bay on repurposed cane land, ABLP are committed to sustainably producing unique lobster products in an environment that provides the highest levels of quality control, and risk management.
From humble beginnings as a proprietary company with a small research team and family shareholding, ABLP has grown significantly over the past 30 years to now a team of over 80 staff. As an innovative and rapidly evolving business, ABLP required a system which could support their operational efficiency, financial control and long-term growth.
John Bryant
CFO, ABLP
A platform holding growth back
Before implementing MYOB Acumatica, ABLP operated on two different ERP systems. Whilst the earlier platform was abandoned due to growth restrictions the second platform failed in its design within 6 months despite being marketed as an ERP solution, the system increasingly struggled to support the company’s operational requirements and long-term vision. The company discovered the underlying platform was in fact written in Cobol with and SQL overlay.
Daily processes, reporting and productivity were being impacted across the organisation. According to CFO John Bryant, the business faced challenges at every level, from routine operational tasks through to management reporting. Staff were spending significant time working around system limitations, resulting in productivity losses across the organisation
“Changing was not an option. It was survival.”
Without a modern ERP platform, growth plans would have been increasingly difficult to achieve. The business needed a solution that was fully integrated, scalable and capable of delivering advanced analytics and predictive insights.
Selecting MYOB Acumatica
Having been familiar with the MYOB brand since 2000, ABLP conducted its own evaluation process and identified MYOB Acumatica as the platform best suited to its future requirements. Key requirements included scalability, integration across business functions and the ability to support long-term growth.
Momentum Software Solutions played a key role throughout the evaluation process, providing clear expectations and transparent guidance around outcomes and implementation.
A rapid and successful implementation
The implementation was completed in just five months and was underpinned by a collaborative approach between ABLP and Momentum Software Solutions. Through detailed discussions, process reviews and ongoing communication, the project remained focused on delivering outcomes that aligned with the way the business operated. John described the implementation as “excellent and achieved in five months,” highlighting the success of the project and the smooth transition to MYOB Acumatica. Importantly Momentum’s approach and clarity around fees was excellent. This resulted in the installation being ahead of time and under budget.
John went on to praise Momentum’s consultative approach, noting that…
“the consultants listened, understood our business requirements and adapted the solution to suit our processes rather than forcing us to change.”
Delivering measurable business outcomes
Since adopting MYOB Acumatica, ABLP has achieved significant improvements in productivity, reporting efficiency and visibility across the business. Tasks that previously required hours of effort can now be completed in minutes.
One of the most compelling examples is financial reporting. General Ledger, Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss reporting which has been reduced from approximately four hours to just ten minutes.
The productivity gains are being felt across the business, with some processes now saving days of effort rather than just hours. This has reduced operational disruption and freed staff to focus on higher-value work.
Before
- Legacy ERP environment limiting productivity
- Time-consuming reporting processes
- Operational inefficiencies across daily activities
- Limited scalability for future growth
After
- Fully integrated cloud ERP platform
- Reporting reduced from 4 hours to 10 minutes
- Significant time and productivity gains
- Greater visibility and operational efficiency
- Scalable foundation for future expansion
An investment that paid for itself
The staff capacity freed up through MYOB Acumatica effectively paid for the investment within the first year.
“The savings in time have paid for itself in the first year.”
Ready for the future
While ABLP’s vision for growth remains unchanged, the company now has confidence that its systems can scale alongside the business. MYOB Acumatica has provided a foundation that supports future expansion while enabling management to focus on innovation and operational excellence rather than system limitations.
With additional opportunities to leverage more functionality in the future, ABLP sees MYOB Acumatica as a strategic platform that will continue supporting the next phase of its growth journey.
“MYOB Acumatica transformed reporting from hours to minutes and gave ABLP the scalable platform it needed to support growth, productivity and innovation.”