Case Study | Google Apps for Business

Tomcar Australia outmanoeuvres big competitors with Google Apps for Business

At a Glance What they wanted to do • Create a company-wide and integrated EMS ‘on the cloud’. Email integration and effective document collaboration tools were also required, all without building or purchasing an expensive in-house IT infrastructure. What they did • Selected Google Apps for Business for its cloud-based model for email, document sharing, intranet systems and collaboration tools. What they accomplished • Freed up time for business-generating activities. • Increased efficiency and collaboration for employees and partners. • Online storage of relevant data and information, accessible from anywhere.  “Google Apps allows Tomcar Australia to be competitive and make quick decisions. Bigger names in the industry are losing out on this because they have inherited outdated and slow IT systems.“ —David Brim, CEO and Co-Founder, Tomcar Australia

Organisation From the battlefields of Afghanistan to underground mines in Australia, The Tomcar has helped hundreds of soldiers and workers perform their duties more efficiently and safely. Conceived and built for military purposes, the two-wheel drive all-terrain Tomcar inspired its founders to extend its purpose beyond the battlefields. Today, Tomcar Australia plans to manufacture 5,000 vehicles per year in Melbourne, Australia, supplying the agricultural, security, tourism and mining industries. Challenge As an automobile manufacturer, Tomcar’s success is heavily reliant on its partnership with its dealers and manufacturers. In Australia, Tomcar must compete in an established and highly competitive market against large automotive players who already have extensive CRM and ERP systems across their vendor network that they use to create seamless supply chain collaboration and enhance customer service with their dealers. David Brim, CEO and Co-Founder of Tomcar Australia says, “We knew that dealers had to invest heavily in expensive IT infrastructure with large automotive players. Being a newcomer, we wanted to make sure it was easy for them to work with us and we needed a solution that would help us integrate our systems in a fuss-free manner.” Effective collaboration is a major undertaking for Tomcar Australia, with many of their employees, dealers and suppliers spread across Australia and overseas. In order to ensure a streamlined operation across their supply chain, Tomcar Australia needed reliable and easy-to-use communication and collaboration tools which their staff and external stakeholders could use. David explains, “We operate in a large geographical market and our dealers are spread across the Australia. Ensuring that we have seamless communication and collaboration with our dealers in real-time is critical if we are to keep ahead of competitors.” The goal for Tomcar Australia was to break through and compete effectively in the established automotive market through the use of technology – while at the same time minimising costs and maximising the value of services delivered. Solution When two brothers, David and Michael, alongside their father Joe, co-founded Tomcar Australia, they did not think twice about adopting Google Apps to run their business. “We were already familiar with Google and after some intense research in the products offered, we decided to move everyone to Google Apps,” says David Brim, “By then, the company was growing and we needed a system that was flexible and affordable, so we decided to adopt Google Apps to help us grow our business.” Google Apps for Business was set up throughout Tomcar Australia in a fastpaced manner with minimal training. Within a short period of time, staff and

About Google Apps

Google Apps is an enterprise-ready suite of applications that includes Gmail, Google Calendar (shared calendaring), Google Docs and Spreadsheets (online document hosting and collaboration), Google Sites (team site creation and publishing), and Google Video* (easy, secure sharing of video content). Google Video is not available in all countries.

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For more information visit www.google.com.au/a

external stakeholders were publishing materials and sharing project and product information on processes, documentation, designs and through online forms. Today, the entire Tomcar Australia business runs on Google Apps. Gmail, Google Sites, Google Calendar, and Google Drive have enabled Tomcar Australia’s employees to gain anytime, anywhere access to email, documents and relevant data. And by choosing Google Apps, Tomcar Australia has not needed to invest heavily in specialised business process management systems that the larger automotive players use. “Our decision to use Google Apps for Business has saved Tomcar Australia at least $300,000 on elaborate technology architecture solutions during these critical first years of business, giving us an added advantage as a newcomer to the industry,” says David. “Through Google Apps, we created a world class paperless office, and in the process, developed a system where relevant data needed to source, produce and manufacture the vehicles is all online and accessible from anywhere in the world. This allows us to involve all our stakeholders and partners – sharing the most up-to-date data in a very efficient way.” Results Google Apps for Business has empowered a small company like Tomcar Australia to gain first mover advantage in a highly competitive and traditional industry. “Google Apps allows Tomcar Australia to be competitive and make quick decisions. Bigger names in the industry are losing out on this because they have inherited outdated and slow IT systems.” With Google Apps, productivity gains are visible on a daily basis. With Tomcar Australia’s highly mobile workforce, web-based collaboration means that documents can be shared, edited and used in real-time, resulting in quicker project completion and deal closures even when everyone is in a different location. “With Google Apps for Business, we have seen massive productivity gains on any given day. Our business strategy requires us to move quickly and to build solid relationships with our dealers and suppliers,” says David. “The data on the Google apps that we use is stored in the highly secure Google cloud. Our engineering teams collaborate using Google Drive, and current drawings and designs are stored, tracked and collaborated on in real-time. We use the Google Form system in a very intuitive way, which results in all our company processes and data collection being managed in a very efficient way. We utilise Google Apps like no one else in the world – I am sure of that.” The benefits of Google Apps are also passed on to Tomcar’s business partners. Compared to the high costs of traditional web-based portals which large automotive players make compulsory for their dealers, Google Apps for Business is offered by Tomcar at zero cost to dealers. This gives Tomcar an edge, as their dealers avoid spending time and money on cumbersome technical processes, and focus on growing the business with Tomcar dealership instead. In addition, by positioning Google Apps as a cost and time advantage to dealers, Tomcar Australia managed to bring on board all of their current dealers.

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