In this customer story
At a glance
$50K+ saved annually by shifting from air freight to sea freight through better forecasting
35 hours saved weekly from automated processes, equivalent to one full-time employee
Shipment claims reduced from 10% to under 1% with automated tracking and notifications
Real-time visibility across finance, inventory, sales, and supply chain in one unified system
A scalable ERP foundation ready to support ambitious growth to $10M+ revenue
From Swiss import to national distribution
The Stellmann journey began in 2019 with a focused mission: to introduce European-made non-slip floor coatings for the commercial and residential Australian markets. What started as a single product import in Melbourne has evolved into a national supplier of CSIRO-certified P3/P4/P5 floor coating systems, serving major clients including ANZ, Coles, Four Seasons Hotels, and Nando's across residential, NDIS, and large commercial projects.
With the help of MYOB Acumatica, Stellmann has been able to analyse profit margin data and streamline customer communications to enable the expansion.
The company now operates with offices in South Melbourne and Sydney, supplying coatings through National Tiles, Amber Tiles, and regional installer networks.
But behind this impressive growth, the business's operational systems were struggling to keep pace.
The challenge: manual processes limiting growth
When Director and Partner Dano Estermann joined Stellmann, he immediately identified a critical barrier to sustainable growth: the company’s complete lack of operational visibility.
"When I joined properly and bought shares in the company, one of my missions was to systemise everything. There was zero visibility on shipments, margins, or purchases. It was a bit of a mess," shares Dano Estermann, Co-Owner at Stellmann.
When previously running on Xero, Stellmann could handle basic accounting but lacked the integrated capabilities needed for their complex wholesale distribution operation. The challenges were multifaceted:
Inventory blind spots: Not having live stock visibility meant frequent overselling and emergency procurement decisions. Without automated purchasing workflows, the team couldn't proactively manage inventory levels or anticipate shortages.
Expensive logistics decisions: Without proper forecasting data, Stellmann relied heavily on urgent air freight, costing more than $50,000 annually in unnecessary shipping expenses.
Hidden costs undermining profitability: Landed costs were nearly impossible to calculate accurately. Import duties, third-party handling fees, and freight costs weren't properly tracked, making it difficult to understand true per-item margins or make informed pricing decisions.
Customer service gaps: Tradespeople and commercial clients had no visibility into order status or delivery timing. This uncertainty disrupted their project planning and led to frequent inquiries that consumed staff time.
For Estermann, the lack of data-driven insights was the most significant obstacle: "I'm a data guy. I want to make decisions on facts, not by gut feeling. And we simply didn't have the visibility we needed."
As the business expanded nationally, these limitations weren't just inefficient; they were becoming unsustainable. The team needed a system that could unify their operations while scaling with their ambitions.
The solution: a strategic ERP to power sustainable growth
After evaluating multiple options, Stellmann selected MYOB Acumatica, implemented in partnership with Turnaround Services Global. The decision was driven by MYOB Acumatica's ability to integrate finance, inventory, and supply chain operations into one platform while offering the scalability needed for long-term growth.
I wanted to change systems once. I didn't want to outgrow it in five years. MYOB Acumatica felt like a system we could grow into, not out of.
Beyond software installation, Turnaround Services Global helped redesign operational workflows to maximise MYOB Acumatica's capabilities. Manual processes like landed cost tracking and shipment reconciliation were automated, while reporting became more accurate.
From day one, we could see Stellmann’s growth potential. Our goal was to give them a scalable foundation, not just a software setup. MYOB Acumatica’s flexibility means Stellmann can expand, automate, and add new capabilities over time without needing to start over.
Transforming operations for lasting impact
The benefits of MYOB Acumatica were realised in a short period of time across multiple operational areas:
Financial visibility and control
Every cost component, from import duties to third-party logistics fees, is now captured automatically. Management can drill down into per-SKU margins, evaluate profitability by client or product line, and make strategic decisions backed by comprehensive data rather than estimates.
Supply chain optimisation
Real-time inventory visibility and automated purchasing workflows eliminated the need for emergency procurement. This included costly air freight to sea freight for international imports, saving tens of thousands annually while improving inventory planning.
Enhanced customer experience
Tradespeople and commercial clients now receive automated notifications with accurate tracking information, giving them the certainty needed for project planning.
If tradespeople know where their order is, they can plan. Even if it's delayed, as long as they're kept in the loop, it works. That's been a huge improvement.
The knock-on effect was that shipment claims dropped from 10% to under 1%, while customer inquiries about order status virtually disappeared.
Operational efficiency gains
Approximately 35 hours per week, nearly equivalent to one full-time employee, were freed from repetitive administrative tasks. This time is now redirected to higher-value activities like refining pricing strategies, building customer relationships, and planning expansion initiatives.
Meanwhile, invoicing, inventory reconciliation, and shipment tracking now run on autopilot in the background.
Building for future growth
As Stellmann expands its coating solutions across Australia, they now have the operational foundation to scale efficiently while maintaining the service quality that has driven their successful growth from a single Swiss import to expanding the product range and distribution channels country-wide.
For us, it wasn't just about saving money. It was about building the backbone for growth. MYOB Acumatica gives us the visibility and scalability we need, so we can focus on customers and expansion instead of wrestling with systems.
Key benefits achieved
Eliminated manual inventory reconciliation through automated stock tracking and purchasing workflows.
Transformed customer communication, with proactive notifications replacing reactive inquiry management.
Enabled data-driven pricing decisions through comprehensive landed cost visibility and margin analysis.
Streamlined import operations with integrated duty and freight cost tracking across all shipments.
Reduced emergency procurement by 90%+ through predictive inventory management.
Improved cash flow management with accurate forecasting and automated financial reconciliation.
Achieved a single source of truth connecting previously siloed finance, inventory, and sales data.
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