Overview

Location:

• Burwood, Victoria 
• East Brisbane, Queensland 
• Rydalmere, New South Wales 

Industry: Manufacturing
Services:

• Equipment and system sales 
• Consultative product support  
• Repairs, maintenance, and preventive maintenance 

Product Lines

• Sheet metal machinery 
• CNC machinery for complex shapes 
• Additive manufacturing systems 
• Metal fabrication systems 
• Automated warehouse storage 
• Waterjet cutting machines 
• Power tools 

Technicians Using Next Service: 45

About Headland Technology

Headland Technology provides advanced machinery technology, software, and services for manufacturers in Australia and New Zealand.  

The family business has one of the largest machine tool support teams in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Headland’s staff of 80 includes 45 factory-trained service engineers and application experts who help customers optimize their production processes and get the most out of their machinery.   

Founded in 1949, Headland Technologies represents more than twenty global brands of leading-edge products propelling the “smart factory” trend.  Smart factories combine the power of artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things, and additive manufacturing technology to create an integrated ecosystem of devices and manufacturing equipment.  

Headland Technologies has almost doubled in size since implementing NetSuite and Next Service. According to Nigel Kelly, Manager of Headland’s Advanced Manufacturing Division, the platform has been a cornerstone of the company’s growth. The field service team, he noted, has grown from 25 service technicians in 2011 to 45 in 2023.

More than a decade of great results! 

Headland Technology launched Next Service in 2012. Shortly after its implementation, Next Technik interviewed Richard Kloé, Managing Director, and published a case history of the results that had then been achieved.  

In 2023, Nigel Kelly—who was part of Headland’s original team that installed Next Service—gave us an update on the impacts Next Service has made over the years at Headland Technology. 

Business Challenges

Nigel Kelly recalled the difficulties that led the company to scrap its legacy systems. Work processes, he said, were laden with inefficiencies, causing errors and lost profits.  

Headland struggled with more than half a dozen applications. These siloed systems made it difficult to manage inventory for three warehouses and invoice customers in a timely manner. Headland also needed an efficient way to schedule service calls and manage field service engineers, many of whom worked remotely across Australia and New Zealand. 

In the field, technicians were hampered by a lack of information. Often, they needed to find out who had last served the account, what work had been performed, what repairs had been made to a client’s equipment, and whether key parts were available for crucial repairs.  

Managers and office personnel struggled with information obstacles and cumbersome processes, too. Data entered in one system often had to be re-entered in others. Duplicated tasks led to delays in reporting.  

“With disparate systems for finance, service, and sales, there was no continuity of insightful information,” Kelly said. “We had no easy way to get an overall view of our customers—and indeed, our entire business.” 

“With disparate systems for finance, service, and sales, there was no continuity of insightful information. We had no easy way to get an overall view of our customers—and indeed, our entire business.”  – Nigel Kelly, Manager, Advanced Manufacturing Division

Why Headland Chose Next Service + NetSuite

Kelly was part of Headland’s team that evaluated major ERP platforms. “NetSuite was our platform of choice,” said Kelly.  “It was flexible, intuitive, and could easily be adapted to the many facets of our business. The other systems we considered could not deliver the 360-degree view of our business and our customers that we were looking for.” 

The decision to go with Next Service was easy, he added. “Next Service is focused on the needs of service businesses, where remote connectivity is vital.  Field technicians need access to historical records. They need to see spare parts availability. And they need to enter on-location service reports with an easy-to-use mobile application. Like NetSuite, Next Service ticked all the right boxes for us.” 

According to Kelly, the implementation of both systems was very smooth. “With NetSuite and Next Service, we quickly gained a single source of truth for all divisions in the company. They operated seamlessly from day one.” 

“Next Service’s ongoing support has been excellent,” Kelly said. “Business processes evolve and the Next Technik team understands this. They appreciate the high importance we place on time, so they are very responsive to our needs.”  

“With NetSuite and Next Service, we quickly gained a single source of truth for all divisions in the company. They operated seamlessly from day one.” – Nigel Kelly 

Business Impact

Because Next Service is natively integrated with NetSuite, Headland employees gain a single view of the customer. The platform has eradicated redundant data entry, field paperwork, multiple handling and filing of activities, and manual data manipulation.  

“NetSuite and Next Service facilitate timely, high-quality communications, and this has empowered employees throughout the company,” Kelly noted.  “With less pressure to do paperwork, they can concentrate on applying their knowledge and skills.”  

“NetSuite and Next Service facilitate timely, high-quality communications, and this has empowered employees throughout the company.”  – Nigel Kelly 

Field Service Benefits

“We’re now providing superior support for our field engineers,” Kelly said. “They can see where all resources are at any given time. They can work more efficiently and provide significantly improved service to our customers.”  

Kelly gave these additional examples of benefits achieved in field service management: 

• Planning and scheduling service calls is more efficient, so Headland is more responsive to customer service requests. 
• Next Service and NetSuite give field personnel complete, real-time visibility into customer service histories. As a result, technicians are more organized and better prepared to satisfy customer needs.  
• The mobile app eliminates technicians’ paperwork and gives them access to a wealth of information on their mobile app. These benefits mean technicians can work more productively at job sites.  

• With better planning of what spare parts will be needed on service calls, first-time fix rates have improved.  
• A quotation program is linked to Next Service. This enables field technicians and sales representatives to give customers prices for service, spare parts, and machinery sales. Technicians can also send their customers an invoice at the completion of a service call. 
• With better of warehouse and field inventory, Headland has seen a 98% reduction in lost stock and tools. 

“We’re now providing superior support for our field engineers. They can work more efficiently and provide significantly improved service to our customers.” – Nigel Kelly 

Office and management benefits 

According to Kelly, the transformation to NetSuite and Next Service has also triggered major improvements in administrative and reporting processes.  He listed these examples:  

• Within months of implementation, management saw huge reductions in clerical work and administrative costs.  
• Financial reporting is much easier and faster. Management can also quickly create customized reports whenever needed. Dashboards give users a single view of the customer, real-time analytics, and KPI reporting. 
• Cash flow has improved because invoices can be produced on the same day as the service call, with fewer disputed invoices. 
• With better record-keeping, Headland spends less time working on compliance with government regulations. 

• Better reporting, easy information access, fast invoicing, and automatic email notices have led to improved customer satisfaction. 
• With greater visibility into service histories, management of internal and external assets has greatly improved. Headland’s sales force and customers use predictive maintenance models to determine equipment replacement dates. 
• Integrated information systems enable employees to manage their time better. They get automated notices to follow up on scheduled tasks.   

“The efficiency gains we’re seeing are tremendous. With fully integrated systems and processes, we now have seamless management of information through multiple divisions of the entire company.” – Nigel Kelly

Kelly summarized the overarching benefits Headland has achieved with Next Service and NetSuite:  

“The efficiency gains we’re seeing are tremendous. With fully integrated systems and processes, we now have seamless management of information through multiple divisions of the entire company. Field and office personnel can focus and concentrate on their most important tasks. They can fully utilize their skillsets.  

“Having information from all parts of our business on one platform is like having an extra team on your side. It’s definitely a competitive advantage.” 

“Having information from all parts of our business on one platform is like having an extra team on your side. It’s definitely a competitive advantage.” – Nigel Kelly 

Key Business Outcomes

Implementing NetSuite and Next Service has enabled Headland Technology to support its excellent industry reputation with excellence in its internal operations and field service.  

This table summarizes the challenges Headland faced before and the profound changes the company has achieved with Next Service and NetSuite.