Introduction
EnviroStik is a Staffordshire-based manufacturer of specialist adhesive systems for synthetic grass installations. From its site in Stone, the company formulates and supplies one-part and two-part polyurethane adhesives for sports surfaces and artificial landscaping projects worldwide. Its products have supported high-profile developments, including Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Leicester City Football Club’s training ground.
The company’s day-to-day commercial and financial operations are overseen by Jane Healey, Company Accountant, whose wide-ranging responsibilities also cover HR, payroll, health and safety, production and general management.
Jane has worked with Synergy Technology for around 12 years, first encountering its support services while working for related-company Sandmaster. Recalling the beginning of the relationship, Jane explains: “When I joined the business 12 years ago, I actually joined Sandmaster. We were using Pegasus then and Synergy were our support. So, Synergy Technology have supported me since then. I think Sandmaster chose to work with Synergy 12 months before I joined, so we’ve stayed with Synergy for a long time.”
Over that time, Jane has seen EnviroStik’s use of Pegasus software develop alongside the business. As Jane recalls, “When I started, we didn’t even have cash book. We just used it as a sales and purchase ledger. For me, it was much easier to have all the functionality in one place.”
The Challenge
EnviroStik processes approximately 200 purchase invoices each month. Manually checking and matching them against purchase orders took time away from Jane’s wider responsibilities. She explains: “We upgraded to SE because we wanted to start using the purchase ledger integration and it wasn’t available on Opera 3. We process about 200 purchase invoices a month, and it’s just a tedious job. Tying them up with purchase orders and processing them is not a great use of my time.”
The business was also working with an established Pegasus Opera environment that had evolved to support its specific processes. EnviroStik needed a system that could bring more accounting functionality together while retaining the processes on which its team relied. These included product mapping, delivery-site information, additional fields and tailored reporting requirements.
The company therefore decided to move to Opera SE and introduce AP Automation, with the aim of reducing manual work, improving control and freeing up time for higher-value responsibilities.
The Solution
Rather than replacing established processes with an inflexible standard setup, Synergy Technology helped the company modernise its accounting environment while preserving the bespoke functionality that remained important to its operations.
The project was delivered in stages. Synergy Technology first supported the migration to Opera SE, including installation and training. This was followed by the introduction of AP Automation and further work to retain and refine EnviroStik’s established functionality.
The resulting system combines Opera SE with AP Automation to support the capture, checking and approval of purchase invoices. It matches invoice information against purchase orders and prices, verifies supplier bank details and highlights discrepancies that need attention. Supporting documentation, including delivery notes and packing lists, can also be retained with the relevant invoice, giving users a more complete digital record of each transaction.
The implementation required some fine-tuning. Early issues primarily involved configuration and supplier mapping. Jane explains: “We have one supplier that invoices in sterling but is actually overseas. The system didn’t cope with that mapping at all. It just completely confused itself and it mapped a couple of the suppliers incorrectly, but we couldn’t undo it. So, Synergy got involved and fixed that for us.”
Synergy Technology worked with the software developers to resolve the issue and used EnviroStik’s feedback to refine the solution. Jane highlights this collaborative approach, saying: “There are things that we’ve flagged up that we wanted changing that Synergy Technology have been able to get changed for us.”
Synergy Technology’s support team remained closely involved, responding promptly and escalating more complex software issues when developer input was required. Reflecting on the support she received, Jane says: “Casey’s been great. I am currently querying something that’s not working properly, and they’ve all been brilliant. Mark’s great; he always welcomes me sending emails asking for help.”
The Results
AP Automation has substantially reduced the manual effort involved in processing purchase invoices. Jane describes the difference it has made, Jane says: “It prevents that human error. It speeds up the process incredibly. I come in in the morning and there’s probably 10 or 15 for me to approve. With the click of a button, it’s straight through, so we don’t have to manually tie it up.”
The system provides greater confidence and control by checking supplier bank details, purchase orders and prices. Jane explains: “I think it’s a much safer, more secure system. It’s less open to human error. It’s very clever. It matches bank details to make sure they’re correct. It matches purchase orders against the invoices and prices, then flags any differences.”
Document visibility has improved too. Invoices, delivery notes, packing lists and other supporting records can be accessed together, making it easier to find the complete information associated with each transaction. As Jane explains, “We can now go and have a look at an invoice and its supporting documentation, delivery notes, packing lists, things like that. We’re not having to store them. Things like that are a massive bonus to a business.”
Invoices and supporting records can now be accessed together, improving document visibility and reducing physical storage. As Jane explains, “We’re saving the planet. There’s no paper, and I’ve no longer got files and files’ worth of purchase invoices taking up space. The ability to have all the documents together is really useful.”
For Jane, the overall outcome is clear: “It is just a great benefit to a business.”
The Future
EnviroStik plans to continue using Opera SE and AP Automation, refining its processes further as the software develops. Future priorities include improved handling of foreign-currency invoices and greater flexibility for invoices with more complex VAT treatments. This includes leased vehicle invoices for which VAT elements need to be split and currently require some manual processing.
Synergy Technology will continue to support EnviroStik as its requirements evolve, helping the business retain important processes and gain greater value from its systems.
Want More Information on Pegasus Opera?
The Synergy Technology team is proud to be an official partner of Pegasus Software and to offer Pegasus Opera solutions throughout the UK. We also offer integration with a number of other platforms. Find out more by visiting our add-ons and integrations page.
To learn more about anything in this case study, or to book a demo, please contact the Synergy team today. You can call us on or send us an email via our contact page at any time and we will be delighted to assist you.
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“When I started, we didn’t even have cash book. We just used it as a sales and purchase ledger. For me, it was much easier to have all the functionality in one place.”
“There are things that we’ve flagged up that we wanted changing that Synergy Technology have been able to get changed for us.”
“Casey’s been great. I am currently querying something that’s not working properly, and they’ve all been brilliant. Mark’s great; he always welcomes me sending emails asking for help.”