Crusader Caravans – Award-winning manufacturing performance with Pronto Xi
Manufacturing excellence: Transforming operations through Pronto Xi
Crusader Caravans began operating in 2002, but it wasn’t until 2016 that a change in ownership raised the stakes for this local manufacturing business. From manufacturing eight caravans a week to 40, Crusader Caravans has become a leader in Australian caravan manufacturing — with the industry awards to prove it.
Rapid growth, however, highlighted the limitations of Crusader Caravans’ existing systems. For a business that thrives on innovation and excellence, it needed to unlock efficiencies in its manufacturing processes. And that’s where Pronto Software stepped in.
About our customer
An award-winning leader in Australian caravan manufacturing founded in 2002. They manufacture premium caravans, distributing through a dealer network across Australia and New Zealand.
Pain points
Rapid business growth highlighted the limitations of business’ existing systems. With the use of various spreadsheets, manual processes and challenges in cost accuracy and inventory management, the businesses needed to unlock efficiencies in their processes.
Benefits gained
The implementation of Pronto Xi has been a “game changer” for Crusader Caravans, helping the business to gain better control and visibility over its manufacturing processes; from quoting and payment to production, delivery and ongoing support.
The time for change
“In our previous environment, we had spreadsheets all over the place, and everyone was doing things in a dysfunctional manner,” says Andrew Gerardi, Crusader Caravans’ Chief Financial Officer. “And we simply outgrew the capability of MYOB.”
The business’s manual processes meant that the business faced significant challenges in relation to cost accuracy and inventory management – which led to frequent stock shortages or overstocking and, ultimately, line stoppages.
“We found that while we did have an 80% level of accuracy rate for bill of materials, 20% was problematic. We were always running out of stock, or had too much stock. That was one of the key objectives for why we needed an ERP.”
However, since the introduction of Pronto Xi, these challenges have noticeably reduced.
“We’ve seen significant gains in inventory management. I’d say we’ve seen a 30–40% reduction in those types of bottlenecks since the ERP implementation six months ago.” says Mr Gerardi. “And we’re still refining. With Pronto Xi, we’re going to get better at finding these things.”
Pronto Xi: the end-to-end solution
For Crusader Caravans, the need to enhance the efficiency of its manufacturing operations drove its decision to adopt an ERP. It selected Pronto Software after an extensive tendering process because, says Mr Gerardi, Pronto Xi offered the “end-to-end solution” Crusader Caravans required to take its manufacturing operations to the next level.
“Inventory, sales, ordering, financials. Purchasing, budgeting, forecasting. We needed all of those combined into the one system,” says Mr Gerardi. In the end, the decision to go with Pronto Software came down to “practicality, fit for purpose and price”.
“We liked the practicality of the system, and we thought it was probably the best fit for an organisation like us that came from no automation at all, everything done manually, to having something that everyone could use.”
Another element in the selection process was the Pronto Software’s ability to offer a customised solution that could integrate with Crusader Caravan’s bespoke in-house online ordering system.
The Pronto Software and Crusader Caravan teams collaborated closely over the implementation phase. Together, they built seamless integrations, eliminated manual data entry and duplicate workloads, and established a sophisticated parent–child relationship between the two systems.
“An integrated system delivers efficiency. It makes everyone’s job a lot easier and means we can make decisions with a greater degree of confidence,” says Mr Gerardi.
Data-driven decisions and operational excellence
The implementation of Pronto Xi has been a “game changer” for Crusader Caravans, says Mr Gerardi, helping it transform its operations. In addition to providing better control and visibility over its manufacturing processes, the ERP delivers significant benefits including:
- Improved cost accuracy: Crusader Caravans now has precise, real-time costs for every caravan it manufactures. This new insight has given the business a deeper understanding of costs and has improved the bottom line.
- Optimised inventory management: The Material Requirements Planning (MRP) system within Pronto Xi automates inventory calculations, factoring in existing stock, customer orders and supplier lead times. By tracking component inventory levels, the business has reduced its inventory from $6 million to around $5 million, and it expects continued improvements.
- Reduced line stoppages: There has been a 30–40% reduction in production bottlenecks, ensuring a smoother manufacturing flow.
- Waste tracking and efficiency: Pronto Xi enables the precise tracking of material wastage by linking waste to individual work orders. The system has uncovered $100,000 in previously hidden costs over three months.
- Enhanced user satisfaction: Crusader Caravan staff have embraced Pronto Xi. New processes – like receiving goods into the system – are now embedded in the business, leading to greater confidence and efficiency as staff go about their daily tasks.
Mr Gerardi admits Crusader Caravans still has a way to go but it’s on the right trajectory. Pronto Xi is providing Crusader Caravans with “a great degree of accuracy and efficiency” across the business, from quoting and payment to production, delivery and ongoing support. And, ultimately, that drives greater profitability.
Establishing a single source of truth
With sales, finance, purchasing, operations and warranty data all consolidated into one platform, Pronto Xi provides a holistic view of Crusader Caravans’ business. In turn, this means departments are working together cohesively using a “single source of truth”.
“Everyone can see the impact of what they’re doing and what the outcome of that is. Purchasing is more efficient. Bills of materials are more accurate. Warranty is fulfilled more efficiently. Vans are costed more accurately. Those are the types of things Pronto Xi excels at,” says Mr Gerardi.
Once upon a time, he says, everyone would be working in their own individual system. Now it’s not uncommon to see up to 18 staff in Pronto Xi at once. “The ERP was the tool to bring everyone together so we’re all talking to each other, as opposed to our previous environment where we had spreadsheets all over the place.”
The result? Pronto Xi can provide real-time tracking, helping to minimise errors and ensure transactions are accurate.
““An integrated system delivers efficiency. It makes everyone’s job a lot easier and means we can make decisions with a greater degree of confidence.”
Andrew Gerardi, Chief Financial Officer
Award-winning excellence
In 2022, Crusader Caravans opened a state-of-the-art production plant. It heralded a new era in manufacturing excellence – one based on dedicated process controls and high-quality standards.
The business has also won a number of awards, including Manufacturer of the Year in 2019, 2021 and 2024. Pronto Software, says Mr Gerardi, provided an edge, showing the judges that Crusader Caravans had to the tools to efficiently run its production.
Speaking to the importance of winning Manufacturer of the Year, Mr Gerardi says, “It’s validation in the way we’re doing things now, as well as recognition in the marketplace that we’re providing a quality product.
“It’s also a pat on the back for all Crusader Caravan employees. They’ve worked hard and are very passionate about what they do. It creates a culture that we always want to improve.”
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