Ironbark Timber Industry Software - Case Study: Big Hammer

Company Profile

Big Hammer has been a customer of Ironbark Software for over 15 years.  Upon attending the Ironbark Software 25th Anniversary Gala celebration after a demonstration of the capabilities of C#, they decided it was time to upgrade to the latest Ironbark Timber Software system available.

Business Issues 

Big Hammer originally chose Ironbark Timber Software due to its timber specific features such as cubic and lineal conversions. The word of mouth also preceded the program. Big Hammer General Manager Carl Ward said "Ironbark Timber Software was (and still is) so well used in the timber industry, and our staff had used it in previous workplaces so we decided to go with it."

The Solution

Whilst many Ironbark Timber Software customers still run their original Cobol systems, Ironbark Timber Software in C# offers greater functionality and ledger traceability, better audit control and it integrates easier with third party software analysis tools.

There is no new training required for existing Ironbark Timber Software customers that wish to upgrade to C#, though it is highly recommended. Sacha Fahy, Ironbark Software's Development Manager says "The programs are more powerful and complex than people realize. By utilizing our training programs, customers can learn to make the most out of our programs and learn new ways to improve their business and run their operations more effectively."

Michele Slater, Ironbark Timber Software's Systems Consultant oversaw implementation of the system a week before hand, and was on-site when the system went live. Looking back, Carl Ward knows that the right decision was made to have an Ironbark team member on hand.

The Benefits

"We immediately noticed a difference in user friendliness.  C# looks better and is easier to use. It is also alot faster which means that we are able to look up information quicker and therefore provide speedy customer service."

"Previously, we had never used Ironbark Payroll... But we do now," said Carl.

There are less lock-ins and we think the multiple screen display is more user friendly. I don't think we have seen the full benefits of what our new program can give us."  Carl Ward, General Manager, Big Hammer