Customer Stories

Koko Black and BioPak show the future is sky-high

Jason Toshack, Vice President and General Manager ANZ, Oracle NetSuite
October 19, 2021

Ask any business leader their top pain points and you’re likely to find that a lack of time is high on the list. And they’re right, it often seems like there are never enough hours in the day when you are running a business.

That’s why two Australian companies — gourmet chocolatier Koko Black, and sustainable packaging manufacturer, BioPak — have benefited so much from embracing modern cloud business platform: It has given them more time to focus on business priorities and providing exceptional customer service.

A Partnership in the Cloud

These two businesses have been working together for some time and were looking for ways to streamline their ordering and procurement processes. Until recently, they had relied on standard practices — the team at Koko Black would determine how much stock is needed and place an order with BioPak, which it would then fulfil and invoice. However, with the cloud, both businesses found a better way.

For example, BioPak uses NetSuite to share supply planning data with Koko Black directly. This has helped both businesses accurately forecast demand and delivered immense benefits — the team at Koko Black can be assured they will always have the stock they need, as and when required. At the same time, BioPak can coordinate production and shipping well in advance to meet customer needs.

Taking things a step further, BioPak also uses NetSuite to automate Recipient Created Tax Invoices (RCTIs), simplifying reconciliation and reducing human error.

“NetSuite provides a cloud-based platform that allows us to easily plug in our systems and supporting modules,” says Alex Xuereb, CFO at Koko Black. “Automation already reaches quite deep into the finance operation, and without a doubt, technology will continue to replace repetitive tasks.”

“Sharing operational information builds trust between our respective businesses, and NetSuite has been key to making this happen,” says Kim Jeanneret, CFO at BioPak. “For example, Koko Black receives automated updates on when they can expect shipment. This demonstrates how well we are working together as a team,” says Jeanneret.

NetSuite Changes the Game

The possibilities created by NetSuite don’t end here for the two companies.

The team at Koko Black have embarked on an important modernisation project, updating their internal processes to boost visibility across the board. When Xuereb started, Koko Black only had a handful of loosely connected applications. It now boasts numerous integrations encompassing everything from point of sale and CRM to financials.

“I think NetSuite is underhyped — it certainly allows our business to deliver an exceptional experience for our customers and employees,” says Xuereb.

Likewise, Jeanneret shares these sentiments. “I believe in cloud-based everything, and it does get a lot of hype, and it should get a lot of hype,” she says. “This is why when COVID hit, it was a non-event for us from an operational standpoint — everyone at BioPak started working from home, no log-ins, no VPNS, just business as usual.”

NetSuite empowers the team at BioPak to cater to their customers’ bespoke needs, customising everything from ordering portals to analytics — like the carbon calculator the team developed that allows customers to understand their environmental footprint.

Both businesses are excited to continue their modernisation efforts, reducing manual processes and errors so they can focus on creating amazing customer experiences. We are excited to see what they accomplish next with the help of NetSuite.

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