NetSuite Case Studies Across Industries

Introduction

Oracle NetSuite’s cloud-based ERP platform has helped thousands of organizations streamline their operations and achieve strategic goals. The following is an in-depth collection of case studies across a wide range of industries – from SaaS startups to retail chains, manufacturers, distributors, and nonprofits. Each case outlines the company’s background, the business challenges they faced, why they chose NetSuite, how implementation was approached, the NetSuite modules utilized (ERP, CRM, SuiteCommerce, SuiteAnalytics, etc.), the outcomes achieved, and key lessons learned. This comprehensive overview is aimed at CFOs and NetSuite administrators, highlighting real-world success stories with a professional, factual tone.

We’ve organized the case studies by industry/use case, with structured summaries for each company. Key themes include the importance of unified systems for financial and operational visibility, scalable cloud infrastructure to support growth, and the tangible benefits (like faster closes, productivity gains, cost reductions) that NetSuite’s integrated suite delivers. All information is drawn from high-quality sources including Oracle NetSuite’s official testimonials, partner case studies, and industry publications (citations provided).

Software & SaaS Companies

Zendesk – Global SaaS for Customer Service

• Company Background: Zendesk is a software-as-a-service company offering customer support tools. By 2012, Zendesk was growing rapidly and preparing for an IPO. It needed an ERP that aligned with its philosophy of simple, beautifully designed software arin-innovation.com.

• Business Challenges: Prior to NetSuite, Zendesk used disparate financial tools that could not easily support international growth. The company had over 100,000 customers in 150+ countries, and needed to consolidate global financials in real-time arin-innovation.com. Ensuring regulatory compliance and transparency for investors was also critical threadgoldconsulting.comarin-innovation.com.

• Why NetSuite: In 2012, Zendesk embraced NetSuite OneWorld to provide a scalable financial infrastructure ahead of its 2014 IPO arin-innovation.com. NetSuite OneWorld was chosen for its support of multi-subsidiary operations, multi-currency transactions, and real-time global consolidation, all in a single cloud platform arin-innovation.com. This aligned with Zendesk’s focus on unified, intuitive systems.

• Implementation Approach: Zendesk implemented NetSuite OneWorld across its global entities, enabling standardized financial processes worldwide. The rollout provided near ** real-time financial consolidation** across all international subsidiaries arin-innovation.com. Self-service reporting tools in NetSuite meant the finance team and departmental users could generate reports without IT help, keeping IT focused on strategic projects arin-innovation.com.

• NetSuite Modules Used: NetSuite OneWorld (for multi-entity consolidation), Advanced Financials (GL, AP, AR, revenue recognition), and SuiteAnalytics (for self-service reporting) were core to the implementation arin-innovation.comarin-innovation.com. These, along with multi-currency and multi-tax capabilities, allowed Zendesk to manage financial operations across 150+ countries seamlessly.

• Outcomes Achieved: NetSuite’s unified platform supported Zendesk’s successful IPO and public company requirements. It delivered best-in-class financial processes, including fast global closes and improved accuracy in financial reporting arin-innovation.com. With efficiencies gained (e.g. automated reporting and consolidated views), IT and finance teams could focus on business-differentiating priorities rather than manual data management arin-innovation.com.

• Key Lessons: A high-growth SaaS company needs an ERP that can scale quickly and adapt to international expansion. Zendesk’s case demonstrates that choosing a cloud ERP early (pre-IPO) can facilitate transparency for investors and regulators threadgoldconsulting.comarin-innovation.com. NetSuite’s multi-tenant cloud architecture and rich financial features enabled Zendesk’s finance team to maintain control and insight during a period of explosive growth and globalization arin-innovation.comarin-innovation.com.

Canva – Scaling a Global Design Platform

• Company Background: Canva is an Australian online design platform (founded 2012) providing graphic design tools to millions of users. Headquartered in Sydney, Canva rapidly grew to over 200 employees and a $1B valuation as it expanded globally nolanbusinesssolutions.co.uk. By 2018, the company operated multiple entities and bank accounts across different countries.

• Business Challenges: Canva’s fast growth exposed limitations in its financial processes. The finance team dealt with decentralized accounting across offices, labor-intensive transaction entry, and slow month-end closes abvt.com.au. Handling multi-currency transactions and consolidating financials for multiple subsidiaries was cumbersome. Compliance and reporting were taking too long, and manual processes (e.g. reconciling bank statements via spreadsheets) were error-prone abvt.com.au.

• Why NetSuite: To support its rapid expansion, Canva adopted NetSuite OneWorld in January 2018 as a single, unified cloud solution for financial management nolanbusinesssolutions.co.uk. NetSuite was chosen for its ability to scale with growth, handle multi-entity and multi-currency consolidation, and automate key processes. Canva specifically wanted to streamline bank reconciliation, improve real-time visibility into cash across accounts, and enable better segmented reporting by department, project, and region abvt.com.aunolanbusinesssolutions.co.uk.

• Implementation Approach: Canva worked with a NetSuite Solution Provider (Nolan Business Solutions) to deploy NetSuite ERP Financials across all its global operations abvt.com.au. The implementation included configuring multi-currency accounting for each entity and setting up automation for bank feeds and reconciliation. Nolan’s team implemented an Advanced Bank Reconciliation (ABR) SuiteApp to automatically download bank statements and match transactions in NetSuite nolanbusinesssolutions.co.uk. The project was completed in a short timeframe, allowing go-live in 2018.

• NetSuite Modules Used: The core NetSuite ERP modules were used: General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, multi-currency and multi-company consolidation (via OneWorld) abvt.com.au. Canva also leveraged SuiteCloud for custom workflows and the ABR SuiteApp to handle bank statement integration nolanbusinesssolutions.co.uk. Additionally, NetSuite’s reporting and analytics capabilities were set up to deliver segmented financial reports by location and department, improving strategic insight abvt.com.au.

• Outcomes Achieved: With NetSuite in place, Canva’s finance team gained real-time visibility into its finances and cash positions across all entities nolanbusinesssolutions.co.uk. Financial reporting that used to be delayed by manual consolidation is now readily available on-demand. The month-end close process is significantly faster (multi-day reduction) and much of the bank reconciliation work that was manual is now automated. By eliminating spreadsheet-based tracking and decentralization, Canva can support its continuing global growth with confidence.

• Key Lessons: High-growth software companies benefit from implementing a scalable ERP early in their lifecycle. Canva’s case shows that a cloud ERP like NetSuite can centralize and automate complex financial processes (multi-entity, multi-currency, bank rec) even for a relatively young company abvt.com.auabvt.com.au. This positions the finance team to support rapid expansion and strategic decision-making, rather than getting bogged down in manual tasks. The use of SuiteApps and custom workflows also highlights NetSuite’s flexibility to meet specific needs (such as automated bank transaction matching) nolanbusinesssolutions.co.uk.

Retail & E-Commerce

Charlotte Tilbury – Global Beauty Retailer

• Company Background: Charlotte Tilbury is a luxury beauty and cosmetics brand that experienced explosive growth, becoming one of the world’s leading makeup brands threadgoldconsulting.com. It sells products online and through retailers internationally. As the company expanded into new markets, its back-end systems struggled to keep up.

• Business Challenges: The incumbent ERP and commerce systems at Charlotte Tilbury were outdated and fragmented, creating data silos that couldn’t support the company’s scale of operations threadgoldconsulting.com. Multi-country expansion meant dealing with multiple currencies, local tax regulations, and a rapid increase in transaction volume. The existing system lacked real-time visibility into global inventory and sales, hampering the company’s ability to monitor product launches and marketing campaign performance across regions threadgoldconsulting.com. In short, the legacy environment was a bottleneck for further growth.

• Why NetSuite: Charlotte Tilbury needed a modern, unified platform to handle its multi-entity, multi-currency operations and provide instant insight into business performance. The company selected NetSuite OneWorld as the “perfect answer” to these challenges threadgoldconsulting.com. NetSuite OneWorld offered the ability to manage multiple legal entities and subsidiaries on one system, accommodate different currencies and tax requirements, and consolidate financials globally. Additionally, Charlotte Tilbury implemented NetSuite’s advanced financials, CRM, and inventory management modules, and utilized SuiteCloud for integrating third-party systems (e.g. e-commerce platforms) threadgoldconsulting.com.

• Implementation Approach: The implementation was focused on enabling real-time, unified operations. Charlotte Tilbury rolled out NetSuite OneWorld across its international subsidiaries, migrating financial data and item master records from the old system. Inventory management was unified to NetSuite’s platform to improve stock visibility. The project also leveraged NetSuite’s SuiteCloud Development Network to integrate with external systems (likely e-commerce storefronts, logistics providers, etc.), ensuring a seamless flow of order and customer data into NetSuite threadgoldconsulting.comthreadgoldconsulting.com. End-user training was conducted to help teams take advantage of NetSuite’s dashboards and reporting for their specific market.

• NetSuite Modules Used: Key modules included NetSuite OneWorld (global financials and multi-currency), Advanced Financials (for multi-book accounting, revenue recognition as needed), CRM (to manage customer data and marketing campaigns), and Inventory Management (to track products across warehouses and stores) threadgoldconsulting.com. SuiteAnalytics provided the reporting framework to monitor each product launch, event, or ad campaign in real time across different markets threadgoldconsulting.com. The implementation likely also involved Order Management and SuiteCommerce or an integration to the web store to tie online orders into NetSuite.

• Outcomes Achieved: With NetSuite, Charlotte Tilbury can now “quickly and easily seize new market opportunities” without technology constraints threadgoldconsulting.com. The company is able to manage complex financial processes in multiple currencies and languages while adhering to various countries’ tax laws threadgoldconsulting.com – all within one unified system, greatly simplifying compliance. Operationally, the retailer gained the ability to closely monitor and analyze the performance of each product launch and marketing campaign in real time, using NetSuite’s dashboards and analytics threadgoldconsulting.com. Overall, Charlotte Tilbury streamlined its end-to-end operations – from supply chain to sales – increasing efficiency and supporting its continued global growth threadgoldconsulting.com.

• Key Lessons: For a fast-growing retail brand, an integrated cloud ERP is critical to support international expansion. Charlotte Tilbury’s experience shows that NetSuite OneWorld can handle the complexity of multi-national retail (multiple currencies, taxes, channels) while providing management with real-time visibility into the business threadgoldconsulting.comthreadgoldconsulting.com. The case also underlines the importance of integration – by leveraging SuiteCloud, companies can connect e-commerce and other specialized systems into NetSuite, ensuring data flows seamlessly. Ultimately, modernizing to a scalable ERP enabled Charlotte Tilbury’s agility in launching products globally and responding to market trends, a key competitive advantage in retail.

Lovesac – Omnichannel Furniture Retailer

• Company Background: Lovesac started as a niche furniture company (famous for its modular couches and foam-filled “sacs”) and grew from a small startup into a nationwide retailer with an omnichannel presence. The company evolved from a garage startup to a public company, operating dozens of brick-and-mortar stores alongside an e-commerce site arin-innovation.comarin-innovation.com.

• Business Challenges: As Lovesac expanded to 60+ retail stores and a growing online channel, its legacy systems led to process inefficiencies and poor visibility arin-innovation.com. Customer, order, and inventory data were siloed across in-store POS systems, the website, and back-office software. This made it difficult to get a single view of the business, hampering decision-making and customer service. The company needed to handle spikes in demand and ensure inventory could meet the significant increases in market demand, but its old environment lacked real-time inventory tracking and coordination across channels arin-innovation.com.

• Why NetSuite: Lovesac sought a cloud-based unified solution that could provide a single view of all customer, order, and inventory data across every touchpoint (stores, online, and call center) arin-innovation.com. NetSuite was chosen to replace the patchwork of legacy systems, largely because of its robust omnichannel retail capabilities. NetSuite’s ability to scale with rising demand, while delivering real-time visibility at headquarters for all 60+ stores, was a key factor arin-innovation.com. Lovesac also valued NetSuite’s flexibility to implement custom workflows unique to its operations.

• Implementation Approach: The implementation likely involved deploying NetSuite ERP with SuiteCommerce (or integration to the e-commerce platform) and a unified Point-of-Sale (POS) integration. Data from all retail stores’ sales and inventory was migrated into NetSuite to enable centralized tracking. Custom workflows were created via SuiteFlow to support Lovesac’s unique processes (possibly customizing order fulfillment workflows for custom furniture configurations, etc.) threadgoldconsulting.com. The go-live was planned to minimize disruption, possibly using a phased approach by region or by system (financials first, then inventory and order management).

• NetSuite Modules Used: Lovesac implemented NetSuite OneWorld (to manage multiple store locations as separate business units under one umbrella) and modules for Order Management and Inventory Management to unify inventory across warehouses and stores arin-innovation.com. The company also utilized NetSuite CRM to capture a 360° view of customers (both in-store and online). A key part of the solution was likely SuiteCommerce Advanced or a similar e-commerce integration, ensuring online orders flow into NetSuite. Additionally, Lovesac took advantage of SuiteFlow (workflow engine) to create custom workflows supporting unique operational and financial processes threadgoldconsulting.com.

• Outcomes Achieved: By moving to NetSuite’s unified cloud platform, Lovesac achieved real-time visibility of all customer, order, and inventory data across its business arin-innovation.com. Headquarters can now see up-to-the-minute sales and stock levels for every store and the online channel, enabling better demand forecasting and inventory allocation. The company delivered “rich functionality and real-time visibility” to the whole organization, improving decision-making and responsiveness arin-innovation.com. Operational efficiency saw major gains: processes that were previously manual or disconnected (like transferring inventory between stores, or tracking special orders) became streamlined within NetSuite. Notably, Lovesac was recognized with industry awards – the NetSuite implementation helped it earn accolades such as “Best In Class Manufacturer” and a spot in the “Top 100 Great Supply Chain Projects” threadgoldconsulting.com, highlighting the successful overhaul of its supply chain and retail operations.

• Key Lessons: A modern retailer needs unified omnichannel systems to meet customer expectations and scale efficiently. Lovesac’s story shows how NetSuite’s SuiteCommerce + ERP capabilities can replace a legacy retail environment and provide a single source of truth for orders and inventory arin-innovation.com. For CFOs and retail operations leaders, the ability to monitor all sales channels in real time and implement custom workflows for unique business needs is invaluable. This case also demonstrates the scalability of NetSuite – Lovesac could handle significant market demand increases without system constraints, and the agility provided by cloud ERP enabled innovation (custom processes) and recognition for operational excellence threadgoldconsulting.comarin-innovation.com.

Food & Beverage / Hospitality

TGI Fridays – Global Restaurant Chain

• Company Background: TGI Fridays is a prominent casual dining restaurant chain with over 700 locations worldwide threadgoldconsulting.com. Founded in the USA, it expanded both through corporate-owned restaurants and a network of franchise partners across the globe. As a large food & beverage business, TGI Fridays must manage complex operations including supply chain for ingredients, in-restaurant sales, and franchise financial management.

• Business Challenges: Over decades of growth, TGI Fridays’ existing systems became strained. The company’s expansion into international markets and franchises introduced complex accounting and reporting requirements – consolidating financials across corporate stores and franchisees was challenging. TGI Fridays needed real-time data on business performance to stay competitive in the fast-paced restaurant industry, but its legacy systems did not easily provide up-to-date insights on sales, costs, and trends threadgoldconsulting.com. Changing customer behaviors (like the rise of online ordering, delivery, etc.) also demanded more agile technology. In short, TGI lacked a unified view and timely reporting to make swift decisions in a highly competitive space threadgoldconsulting.com.

• Why NetSuite: TGI Fridays selected NetSuite to modernize its financial and operational management, largely due to NetSuite’s ability to provide real-time dashboards and reporting across the entire business. Jeff Moran, TGI Fridays’ Vice President of Accounting, emphasized the need for timely data: “The restaurant industry is highly competitive. That’s why we need real-time data on our business performance to respond to changing customer behaviors.” threadgoldconsulting.com NetSuite’s cloud platform was attractive for its scalability (adding new restaurants or franchise entities easily) and its support for multi-currency, multi-subsidiary financials – critical for a global chain. Moreover, NetSuite’s flexibility allowed integrating restaurant POS and other systems for a complete view.

• Implementation Approach: Working likely with Oracle NetSuite’s professional services or a partner, TGI Fridays implemented NetSuite’s financial modules (General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable) to handle core accounting threadgoldconsulting.com. They configured the system to consolidate financial data from both company-owned and franchise locations. This may have involved setting up separate subsidiaries in NetSuite for each major franchise region or corporate entity. TGI also integrated NetSuite with their point-of-sale (POS) systems to import daily sales data automatically, enabling up-to-date revenue tracking. The rollout was global, so change management and training were key – ensuring that finance teams in various countries could use the unified system effectively.

• NetSuite Modules Used: TGI Fridays deployed NetSuite OneWorld for multi-subsidiary management (to handle both corporate units and franchise reporting). They made extensive use of Advanced Financials – including accounts receivable, accounts payable, general ledger and multi-book accounting – to manage restaurant finances and royalty income from franchisees threadgoldconsulting.com. SuiteAnalytics (Real-time dashboards and reports) were configured to deliver KPI tracking (like daily sales per store, food cost percentages, labor costs, etc.) to management in real time. TGI may also have used modules like Inventory Management (for tracking food and beverage inventory across locations) and Order Management (for their growing online orders segment), though the primary focus communicated was on financial visibility threadgoldconsulting.comthreadgoldconsulting.com.

• Outcomes Achieved: After NetSuite implementation, TGI Fridays gained the real-time performance visibility it sought. Executives and managers can now access up-to-date dashboards on sales and costs, allowing them to respond quickly to trends (for example, adjusting menu items or promotions based on what’s selling) threadgoldconsulting.com. Financial consolidation across international operations became much more efficient – month-end and quarter-end closing processes were accelerated significantly, since data from all entities is unified in NetSuite. This timely consolidation and reporting capability helps TGI’s finance team provide strategic guidance rather than just historical reports. The improved data also aids franchise relations: TGI can easily analyze and share performance metrics with franchise owners, driving a consistent focus on improvement. Overall, NetSuite has helped TGI Fridays become a more data-driven organization, agile in decision-making within the competitive restaurant sector.

• Key Lessons: For hospitality businesses, access to real-time data is a game-changer. TGI Fridays’ case underscores that implementing a unified cloud ERP can break down information delays and silos, which in turn enables quicker responses to changing market conditions threadgoldconsulting.com. The ability to consolidate financials across multiple entities (corporate and franchise) on NetSuite OneWorld demonstrates how a cloud ERP handles complexity with ease. CFOs in the restaurant industry should note the importance of integrating front-of-house systems (POS) with back-office ERP to get a full picture of operations. TGI’s success with NetSuite shows that even large, distributed organizations can achieve single-source-of-truth reporting and thereby drive efficiency and strategic insights in a competitive environment.

Manufacturing

Bailey Hydraulics – Industrial Manufacturer Scaling Globally

• Company Background: Bailey International (Bailey Hydraulics) is a U.S.-based manufacturer and distributor of hydraulic components, with over 45 years in the industry threadgoldconsulting.com. It supplies hydraulic and electronic control systems for mobile equipment to customers worldwide. As a leader in its field, Bailey Hydraulics had grown substantially, including expanding operations into multiple countries.

• Business Challenges: Bailey was running on an aging, highly customized AS/400 on-premise system that caused numerous headaches threadgoldconsulting.com. The legacy system was slow, inefficient, and lacked needed functionality for a modern business. Data was siloed by department (supply chain, IT, manufacturing, sales each had separate info), making it very difficult to extract data or perform any kind of analysis threadgoldconsulting.comthreadgoldconsulting.com. This lack of visibility meant management couldn’t get the insights needed for continuous improvement. As the company experienced substantial growth, the old system became a bottleneck that could not scale or support new requirements. Key pain points included an extremely long financial close process, inability to easily generate reports, and the high cost and effort of maintaining custom code and multiple IT tools.

• Why NetSuite: After evaluating multiple ERP options, Bailey Hydraulics chose Oracle NetSuite as its new platform threadgoldconsulting.com. NetSuite’s cloud-based solution promised to unify all core business functions on one platform, eliminating the data silos. Bailey implemented NetSuite OneWorld to handle its multi-subsidiary structure (including operations in India and Canada) and SuiteCommerce Advanced to power its online sales channel threadgoldconsulting.com. NetSuite’s breadth of modules (financials, inventory, CRM, manufacturing, supply chain) could replace the patchwork of legacy systems with a single integrated suite threadgoldconsulting.com. The draw was also improved data visibility – with NetSuite, Bailey expected to get real-time reporting and easier analysis, something that was nearly impossible on their old AS/400 setup.

• Implementation Approach: The NetSuite implementation was comprehensive: Bailey migrated its financials, supply chain management, inventory control, manufacturing processes, and CRM data into NetSuite threadgoldconsulting.com. They also stood up SuiteCommerce Advanced to integrate their e-commerce/web sales with the same system. To ensure success, Bailey likely followed SuiteSuccess best practices or a phased rollout, first consolidating financials and inventory, then adding advanced manufacturing modules. A key part of the approach was retiring the custom code and manual processes, replacing them with NetSuite’s built-in workflows and automated routines. Employees were trained to use NetSuite’s dashboards and saved searches to access data, replacing the old method of asking IT for reports.

• NetSuite Modules Used: Bailey Hydraulics took advantage of a wide range of NetSuite functionality: Financials (GL, AR, AP) for core accounting, Inventory Management for stock control, Order Management for sales orders, CRM for managing customer relationships and sales pipeline, Manufacturing (Work Orders & Assemblies) to support production, and Supply Chain Management for procurement and fulfillment threadgoldconsulting.com. The use of NetSuite OneWorld allowed Bailey to manage multiple subsidiaries and perform consolidated financial reporting across them threadgoldconsulting.comthreadgoldconsulting.com. With SuiteCommerce Advanced, their B2B/B2C e-commerce storefront was tied directly into NetSuite’s inventory and order management, providing a seamless omnichannel experience.

• Outcomes Achieved: The results for Bailey Hydraulics have been dramatic. With NetSuite, they were able to cut their financial close process from 20 days down to just 3 days threadgoldconsulting.com. Reporting that used to take weeks can now be created in minutes, giving real-time insight into operations threadgoldconsulting.com. The unified data eliminated the need for several full-time IT developer positions that were previously dedicated to maintaining and extracting data from the old system – Bailey reduced three full-time developer roles, refocusing those resources on higher-value data and system administration tasks threadgoldconsulting.com. Scalability has improved as well: Bailey successfully expanded into new subsidiaries overseas, and NetSuite easily handles the multi-country setup (with support for local currencies and accounting rules) threadgoldconsulting.com. Overall, with everyone accessing one integrated system, “everyone now has easy access to data and it has made us a better company,” said Bailey’s team threadgoldconsulting.com.

• Key Lessons: Even long-established manufacturers must modernize their IT systems to stay competitive. Bailey Hydraulics illustrates how moving from a siloed, on-premise legacy ERP to a unified cloud ERP can yield enormous efficiency gains and cost savings threadgoldconsulting.com. Key lessons include the value of real-time visibility – when data is accessible to all departments, decision-making improves significantly. Additionally, the case shows that NetSuite’s modular, subscription-based approach can replace a host of custom solutions with one platform threadgoldconsulting.comthreadgoldconsulting.com, simplifying IT management and enabling scalability. Reducing the financial close from 20 days to 3 is a stark reminder that automated workflows and integrated data can dramatically accelerate finance operations. For CFOs, the takeaway is that an investment in cloud ERP can transform finance from a backward-looking, report-generating function into a forward-looking strategic partner by freeing up time and resources.

Wholesale Distribution & Logistics

N&N Moving Supplies – Multi-Location Distributor

• Company Background: N&N Moving Supplies is a family-run distributor specializing in moving equipment and supplies (e.g. dollies, hand trucks, packing materials). The company started with one location in Georgia and expanded to three locations across multiple states, more than quadrupling its workforce during that growth netsuite.com. This rapid expansion strained their existing processes for managing inventory, time tracking, and payroll.

• Business Challenges: Running on QuickBooks for accounting and a separate third-party payroll provider, N&N struggled with fragmented systems netsuite.com. Basic tasks like keeping accurate time records for employees across locations and reconciling payroll with the general ledger were nearly impossible with the old setup netsuite.com. The manual, disconnected processes led to errors and inefficiencies: payroll processing was slow and labor-intensive, tracking vacation/sick time was inaccurate, and management lacked visibility into labor costs and productivity across the three warehouses. As the business grew, these issues only intensified, threatening to undermine customer service and financial control.

• Why NetSuite: N&N Moving Supplies decided to implement NetSuite ERP to unify its accounting and payroll processes on one platform netsuite.com. NetSuite’s ability to integrate or incorporate payroll and time tracking (through either a native module or via partner solutions) was a key draw. In fact, during the NetSuite implementation, N&N also engaged a NetSuite partner (NOVAtime) to add a time-clock solution integrated with NetSuite netsuite.com. NetSuite’s cloud solution promised real-time synchronization between time keeping and financial books, eliminating the reconciliation nightmare. Additionally, NetSuite would allow each location to feed data into a centralized system, giving management a consolidated view of the whole business. The scalability of NetSuite meant that as N&N continued to grow (new locations, more products), the system could easily accommodate that expansion.

• Implementation Approach: With the help of a NetSuite implementation partner, N&N deployed NetSuite’s core financials and integrated a specialized time-tracking SuiteApp (from NOVAtime) for workforce management netsuite.com. The approach involved setting up NetSuite dashboards for employees at each site – N&N notably provided iPads at each location so staff could interact with NetSuite (e.g., clock in/out, enter data) via personalized dashboards netsuite.com. Data migration was performed to bring over accounting records from QuickBooks. The implementation team also likely configured custom roles and permissions so that each warehouse manager could see relevant data. By focusing on employee adoption and morale, N&N managed the change effectively – they communicated benefits of the new system to get buy-in and avoid the common ERP pitfall of user resistance netsuite.com. The go-live included training sessions to ensure everyone could use the new time clock and dashboard features.

• NetSuite Modules Used: NetSuite ERP Financials (General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable) formed the backbone, replacing QuickBooks netsuite.com. For payroll and time management, N&N used a third-party SuiteApp integration (NOVAtime’s solution) connected to NetSuite netsuite.com. They also leveraged SuiteAnalytics dashboards to give both managers and employees visibility into relevant metrics – for instance, each employee could access a dashboard showing their hours and time-off balances, while managers could see labor cost reports across locations netsuite.com. It’s likely N&N also utilized Inventory Management in NetSuite to track their moving equipment stock across three warehouses, though the case study emphasis was on financials and time tracking.

• Outcomes Achieved: The impact of NetSuite was significant and quantifiable. N&N was able to reduce payroll processing time by 84% after implementation netsuite.com. Tasks that used to take a full day or more each pay period were shortened dramatically, freeing up the accounting staff for more value-added work. They can now balance accounts faster and with greater confidence because the payroll entries flow directly into NetSuite’s ledgers netsuite.com. The accuracy of hours worked and vacation time tracking improved, solving a major pain point netsuite.com. Management gained the ability to see labor cost trends across all three locations in real time, which helps in budgeting and identifying any inefficiencies netsuite.com. By giving employees personalized NetSuite dashboards on iPads, N&N also increased transparency and engagement – employees can see their hours and performance metrics, which boosts buy-in and morale netsuite.com. In summary, N&N Moving Supplies now runs a much more efficient operation, with integrated payroll and accounting, better employee accountability, and actionable analytics on workforce productivity.

• Key Lessons: N&N’s story highlights a few critical success factors for ERP projects. First, employee buy-in and change management are vital – N&N avoided implementation failure by involving employees and demonstrating the personal benefits of the new system (e.g., easy access to their own data) netsuite.com. Second, it shows the power of extending NetSuite with partner solutions: if a particular functionality (like advanced time clocks) is needed, the NetSuite ecosystem likely has a SuiteApp that can be integrated netsuite.com. From a CFO’s perspective, the case provides a clear ROI example – an 84% reduction in payroll processing time is a tangible efficiency gain netsuite.com. This frees up financial personnel and reduces errors, directly contributing to the bottom line. Lastly, even mid-sized distributors with multiple locations can benefit from real-time dashboards and data visibility; having everyone on one system breaks down silos and improves decision-making at all levels.

Green Rabbit – Fast-Growing Perishable Logistics Provider

• Company Background: Green Rabbit (formerly known for a candy wholesale business) is a logistics and supply chain provider specializing in the fast delivery of perishable goods (candy, snacks, temperature-sensitive foods). The company’s origins were humble – two friends started by shipping melt-prone chocolate bars, then built a heat-sensitive supply chain solution for summer shipping netsuite.com. This success led other food companies to seek their expertise, and the business rebranded as Green Rabbit, now operating three distribution warehouses across the U.S. netsuite.com. With tens of thousands of orders to fulfill daily, Green Rabbit needed robust systems to scale.

• Business Challenges: Green Rabbit’s pivot from a small wholesale operation to a full-scale logistics provider quickly outstripped its basic software tools. The team was using QuickBooks for finances, plus spreadsheets and email to manage other aspects of operations netsuite.com. Data was spread across multiple databases that couldn’t communicate with each other, eliminating any chance at real-time analysis netsuite.com. The warehouse staff often had to wait on the IT team for information or support, indicating that processes were not user-friendly or automated. As order volumes grew and the company expanded to multiple warehouses, the lack of an integrated system became a serious liability – risking delays, errors in inventory, and an inability to scale further. Green Rabbit needed a single system to unify financials, inventory management, and order fulfillment, with real-time visibility across all operations.

• Why NetSuite: Green Rabbit chose NetSuite ERP to support its complex supply chain and aggressive growth plans netsuite.com. Key reasons included NetSuite’s capability to handle end-to-end order management and inventory control in one platform, and its reputation for rapid implementation. In fact, Oracle NetSuite’s professional services team got Green Rabbit up and running in just three months netsuite.com – a critical factor given how fast the business was moving. NetSuite’s scalable cloud infrastructure meant Green Rabbit could triple order volume without worrying about outgrowing the system netsuite.com. Additionally, NetSuite would provide real-time, error-free data by eliminating manual data entry and consolidating Green Rabbit’s previously siloed databases netsuite.com. The expectation was that NetSuite could improve accuracy (reducing costly shipping errors or delays) and efficiency (automating tasks that were manual).

• Implementation Approach: The implementation was swift and focused. Over 90 days, Green Rabbit’s data from QuickBooks and various spreadsheets was migrated into NetSuite netsuite.com. The team likely implemented NetSuite’s Order Management module to handle high-volume order processing, integrated with their warehouse operations. Given the nature of perishable goods, the setup probably included Inventory Management with lot or expiration tracking, and possibly integration to specialized shipping/courier systems. NetSuite’s Warehouse Management features (or a SuiteApp) may have been deployed in the three fulfillment centers to manage picking, packing, and shipping in real-time. Employee training was done to ensure the warehouse teams and back-office users could use NetSuite’s interface effectively (this likely improved user experience since previously they relied on IT for data). Green Rabbit also collaborated with NetSuite’s team to tailor workflows to its unique processes (like handling temperature-sensitive shipment requirements).

• NetSuite Modules Used: Core modules for Financials (to replace QuickBooks), Inventory & Order Management (to manage tens of thousands of daily orders and track stock across three warehouses) were central netsuite.com. NetSuite’s inherent CRM capabilities might have been used to manage client orders and communications. Advanced fulfillment features were likely leveraged to ensure 24-hour turnarounds – for example, automated order prioritization and shipping label generation. Additionally, Green Rabbit would use SuiteAnalytics to monitor key metrics like orders per day, on-time shipment rate, and inventory accuracy in real time. The cloud nature of NetSuite meant all warehouses and the HQ were accessing the same, up-to-date data via dashboards, improving collaboration and responsiveness.

• Outcomes Achieved: With NetSuite in place, Green Rabbit achieved the ability to ship tens of thousands of orders per day, without delays or errors netsuite.com. The company can now promise customers across the country delivery of candy, snacks, and other perishables within 24 hours from one of its three warehouses, thanks to streamlined order processing and inventory management netsuite.com. Inventory errors – a critical issue when dealing with perishable goods – have been virtually eliminated, as NetSuite provides accurate, real-time inventory data (replacing the old spreadsheets) netsuite.com. Green Rabbit’s systems now offer error-free data, meaning manual data entry mistakes are no longer a concern netsuite.com. Importantly, the company has gained tremendous scalability: the ERP can handle triple the order volume with no performance issues, enabling Green Rabbit to grow without a major IT overhaul netsuite.com. In summary, NetSuite empowered Green Rabbit to manage a complicated cold-chain supply network with speed and precision, positioning it for further expansion.

• Key Lessons: Green Rabbit’s success demonstrates that a cloud ERP can be implemented quickly (in a matter of months) to rescue a company from the limits of spreadsheets and entry-level software netsuite.com. For companies in logistics and distribution, integration and real-time visibility are game changers – when all warehouses share one system, the business can ensure high service levels and optimize its supply chain. Another lesson is that ERP is pivotal to enabling growth netsuite.com. Green Rabbit only adopted NetSuite after experiencing substantial growth pains, but once in place, the ERP system allowed them to continue expanding without operational breakdowns netsuite.com. CFOs and operations leaders should note the importance of implementing robust systems ahead of (or at least by the time of) inflection points in growth. Finally, this case highlights how industry-specific needs (like perishable shipping requirements) can be met by NetSuite either natively or through rapid customization, ensuring even specialized businesses can leverage standard cloud ERP solutions.

Nonprofit Organizations

! https://erpnews.com/netsuite-helps-to-fight-childhood-hunger/

MANA Nutrition, a nonprofit that produces ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) for malnourished children (example pictured: a child being fed a packet of RUTF), uses NetSuite to streamline its production and supply chain.

MANA Nutrition – Humanitarian Manufacturing Nonprofit

• Organization Background: MANA Nutrition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to end severe acute malnutrition in children worldwide. Founded in 2009, MANA manufactures ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) – a peanut butter-based nutrient-dense paste – at scale, producing 425,000 lifesaving RUTF packets per day (enough to feed and save 3,500 children over a six-week treatment) erpnews.com. By 2019, MANA had provided treatment to nearly 3 million children in need erpnews.com. As a nonprofit that operates like a manufacturer, MANA must carefully manage production costs and prove efficiency to its donors and benefactors.

• Business Challenges: MANA’s noble mission came with significant operational challenges. To maximize impact, they needed to drive down the cost of producing RUTF and improve their supply chain efficiency erpnews.com. Initially, like many nonprofits, they likely used basic accounting tools and manual processes, which made it difficult to get a unified view of operations. MANA faced the task of scaling up production to meet global demand while maintaining transparency and accountability for donor funds. Additionally, as an organization with global reach (distribution in multiple countries), they needed to consolidate financial data across their operations for reporting to stakeholders. Prior to NetSuite, the lack of automation meant too much time was spent on administrative tasks instead of on strategic initiatives to further the mission erpnews.com.

• Why NetSuite: To support its growth and mission, MANA selected Oracle NetSuite through the Social Impact program (which offers discounted licensing and pro bono implementation support for nonprofits) threadgoldconsulting.comerpnews.com. NetSuite provided a single, unified cloud platform to run MANA’s entire business – from accounting and financial reporting to inventory, manufacturing, and distribution. Crucially, NetSuite enabled automation of manufacturing processes and better supply chain management, which would help reduce production costs per unit of RUTF erpnews.comerpnews.com. The choice of NetSuite was also driven by the need for real-time visibility into financial data for all of MANA’s operations, so that the CFO and team could measure outcomes and report to donors efficiently erpnews.com. The Social Impact team from NetSuite helped MANA implement the system early in its development, preserving more of the nonprofit’s resources for its program work threadgoldconsulting.com.

• Implementation Approach: NetSuite was implemented at MANA with a focus on quick wins in efficiency. The project likely started with core financials and inventory management. MANA automated key processes such as procurement of ingredients (peanuts, milk, vitamins), production scheduling, and product inventory tracking within NetSuite. The manufacturing module was set up to capture production data, giving visibility into yields and costs at each step. MANA’s team, guided by NetSuite’s pro bono experts, also configured custom reports tailored to nonprofit needs – for example, reports showing cost per case of RUTF over time, to demonstrate improvement. The implementation included integrating NetSuite with MANA’s shipping processes to manage distribution of the food packets. Notably, MANA leveraged NetSuite’s Social Impact Accelerators, which are best-practice configurations for nonprofits (like fund accounting features or KPI dashboards for program metrics). Training was provided to both the finance staff and production managers, ensuring they could fully utilize the new system.

• NetSuite Modules Used: MANA Nutrition uses NetSuite’s accounting/ERP capabilities for nonprofit financial management – this includes General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable (though as a nonprofit, revenue is mostly grants/donations). They also heavily use Inventory Management and Manufacturing modules: tracking raw materials (peanuts, etc.), work-in-process, and finished goods (RUTF packets) in NetSuite erpnews.comerpnews.com. The Sales Order functionality might be repurposed to manage fulfillment of RUTF orders to partner NGOs or governments. NetSuite’s Supply Chain features help coordinate shipping and logistics, ensuring the product gets to where it’s needed. Importantly, NetSuite provides real-time dashboards for monitoring key metrics like production volume, cost per unit, and inventory levels, which are essential for MANA to operate efficiently and demonstrate impact erpnews.comerpnews.com. The nonprofit likely also uses Grant/Fund Accounting features (available via SuiteSuccess for Nonprofits) to report expenditures by program.

• Outcomes Achieved: With NetSuite, MANA has achieved impressive improvements in operational efficiency and cost reduction. According to MANA’s CFO, “NetSuite has been great. It continues to give us ever increasing levels of visibility into our operations and enabled us to dramatically and consistently reduce costs by driving efficiencies across our organization.” erpnews.com. Specifically, MANA has been able to reduce the cost of a case of RUTF significantly (a Forbes piece noted it dropped from $60 to much lower, though exact figures from our sources are qualitative) erpnews.comerpnews.com. By reducing manufacturing costs and increasing supply chain efficiency, NetSuite helped MANA reallocate funds – money saved in operations is funneled into producing more food, effectively allowing them to “create more food and save more lives.” erpnews.com. NetSuite also gave MANA a single view of financial data across its growing organization, simplifying the reporting to benefactors and ensuring transparency erpnews.com. The improved measurement and reporting capability bolsters donor confidence and helps secure continued funding. On the production side, the integrated system likely contributed to maintaining high quality and safety standards, since every batch is tracked. Overall, NetSuite’s impact is that MANA can focus time and resources on its mission rather than administrative overhead, which ultimately means more children get lifesaving nutrition erpnews.comerpnews.com.

• Key Lessons: MANA Nutrition’s case is a powerful example for nonprofits and socially-driven organizations. It shows that nonprofits can greatly benefit from the same robust ERP systems used by for-profit companies erpnews.com. In particular, applying for-profit efficiency mindset and tools (like NetSuite) to a nonprofit can amplify the mission – reducing costs means a charity can deliver more impact for each dollar donated erpnews.com. For CFOs of nonprofits, the lesson is to invest in systems that improve visibility and efficiency, because it not only saves money but also strengthens your story to donors (demonstrating you’re a good steward of funds). This case also highlights the value of programs like Oracle NetSuite Social Impact, which make it feasible for nonprofits to access top-tier cloud ERP without diverting too much budget from program activities threadgoldconsulting.comerpnews.com. In terms of implementation, having a clear focus on the organization’s mission-critical metrics (cost per unit, etc.) ensured NetSuite was configured to deliver the needed insights. Lastly, MANA underscores that even a small organization can successfully implement an ERP early on – you don’t have to wait until systems break. In doing so, you position the nonprofit to scale its operations just like a high-growth business, which in MANA’s case translates directly into lives saved.

Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines – Grant-Funding Nonprofit

• Organization Background: The Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines is the social responsibility arm of Coca-Cola in the Philippines, focusing on community programs in areas like waste management, water stewardship, education, and disaster relief threadgoldconsulting.com. Though affiliated with a major corporation, this foundation operates with a modest staff and a nonprofit budget, aiming to maximize the impact of its grants and programs on Filipino communities.

• Business Challenges: Prior to NetSuite, the foundation was using QuickBooks for accounting, which limited its visibility and coordination capabilities threadgoldconsulting.com. As a nonprofit, the foundation needed to expand its outreach and improve how it measured program outcomes, but its existing software either lacked needed features or was too costly/complex to implement for a small team threadgoldconsulting.com. They faced issues with fragmented processes and limited functionality – for example, consolidating financial reports for board meetings or donor presentations took excessive manual effort, and tracking the finances of various programs (each potentially like a mini project) was difficult in QuickBooks. Additionally, many available solutions in the market were either too expensive or too resource-intensive to implement for a nonprofit of their size threadgoldconsulting.com. Essentially, the foundation aspired to professionalize its financial management and outcome tracking, but needed a solution that fit within its budget and staff capacity.

• Why NetSuite: After evaluating leading ERP and accounting systems, the Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines chose NetSuite as the best fit for its needs and budget threadgoldconsulting.com. Through Oracle NetSuite’s Social Impact program, they received a discounted license and a pro bono implementation team of three experts who configured NetSuite for the foundation’s use – effectively implementing NetSuite for free for the nonprofit (aside from the subsidized licensing) threadgoldconsulting.com. The foundation implemented modules for financials, CRM, and project management within NetSuite threadgoldconsulting.com. NetSuite was attractive because it could provide new visibility and control over financials, the ability to manage donor funds and vendor payments per project, and the scalability to support future growth in programs threadgoldconsulting.com. Importantly, the deployment was quick – go-live was achieved in only 2 months – meaning the small staff could start reaping benefits almost immediately without a long disruption threadgoldconsulting.com.

• Implementation Approach: A dedicated pro bono NetSuite team worked with the foundation’s staff to tailor the system. They focused on setting up core financial processes: general ledger structure suitable for fund accounting, accounts payable for handling grants and expenses, and basic accounts receivable (if needed for any incoming donations). NetSuite CRM was likely used to maintain a database of donors, partners, and beneficiaries, centralizing contact information and communication logs. The team also leveraged NetSuite Projects or SuiteProjects functionality to track financials by project (each community program could be treated as a project or “grant” in the system). This allows expenses to be tagged to specific programs, making it easier to report on how funds are utilized per program. During implementation, special attention was given to ease of use and training, since the foundation had a small staff who might not be ERP experts. Workflows were probably simplified to fit the foundation’s processes (e.g., a light approval flow for expenses). The entire process from kickoff to go-live was just 2 months, demonstrating an agile approach focusing on out-of-the-box capabilities and quick configuration over heavy customization threadgoldconsulting.com.

• NetSuite Modules Used: The Foundation implemented NetSuite Financials – General Ledger (with multi-fund accounting segments perhaps), Accounts Payable (to manage grant disbursements and operational expenses), and Budgeting tools to oversee program budgets. They also used parts of NetSuite CRM to handle stakeholder contacts (community organizations, government partners, etc.) threadgoldconsulting.com. A basic Project Management module was set up to manage program-centric financial tracking threadgoldconsulting.com. SuiteAnalytics was utilized to create reports and save searches that aggregate expenses by project, compare budgets vs. actuals, and generate donor reports. They may not have needed inventory or order management modules, since the foundation’s activities are service/grant oriented. The system was configured to support Philippine Peso as the base currency and to handle local tax and regulatory reporting for nonprofits.

• Outcomes Achieved: As a result of implementing NetSuite, the Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines gained newfound visibility and control over its finances threadgoldconsulting.com. The team can now generate financial reports in a fraction of the time it used to take – saving an estimated 2 days per week that were previously spent manually preparing reports in QuickBooks and Excel threadgoldconsulting.com. Managing project financials (tracking each donor-funded program’s budget and expenses) was streamlined, saving roughly 2 weeks per month that were earlier lost in aggregating and reconciling data from multiple sources threadgoldconsulting.com. Additionally, by leveraging Oracle NetSuite Social Impact’s discounts and the pro bono implementation, the foundation saved about ₱2.5 million PHP in software and training costs threadgoldconsulting.com (this is roughly 50,000 USD), which is money that can be redirected to its community programs. The NetSuite platform has given the foundation the potential to scale and grow its programs without worrying about outgrowing the system threadgoldconsulting.com. It can confidently take on more projects or handle more donations, knowing NetSuite will accommodate the increased data. Furthermore, the improved transparency and reporting likely strengthens trust with Coca-Cola HQ and other donors, since they can easily see how funds are being used and what outcomes are being achieved.

• Key Lessons: Even small nonprofits can dramatically benefit from enterprise-grade cloud systems. The Coca-Cola Foundation PH learned that with the right partner support (in this case, NetSuite’s Social Impact team), they could implement a robust ERP quickly and within budget threadgoldconsulting.comthreadgoldconsulting.com. One major lesson is the value of real-time financial visibility: when a nonprofit can see its financial status any day (not just at month-end), it improves decision-making and agility in program management. The case also highlights how much manual effort can be saved – on the order of days per month – by eliminating spreadsheets and consolidating on NetSuite threadgoldconsulting.com. For CFOs or finance managers at nonprofits, this time saved means more capacity to focus on strategic planning or fundraising. Additionally, the foundation’s story emphasizes the importance of choosing a solution that fits the organizational size: NetSuite’s scalability and the availability of a Social Impact edition meant the solution was right-sized for a small team but could grow with them. Lastly, it’s a reminder that modern cloud ERP isn’t just for corporations; nonprofits should not shy away from these tools, especially when programs exist to make them accessible. By embracing NetSuite, the Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines set itself up for greater impact and demonstrated forward-thinking financial stewardship in the nonprofit sector threadgoldconsulting.com.

Conclusion

From Silicon Valley SaaS firms to global nonprofits, these case studies collectively demonstrate how NetSuite’s cloud ERP platform adapts to virtually any industry and scale. The common thread is that integrating core business processes (financials, inventory, sales, etc.) into a single source of truth yields substantial benefits: better visibility for CFOs, streamlined operations for administrators, and agility to pursue new opportunities. Software companies like Zendesk and Canva leveraged NetSuite to support rapid growth and international expansion, achieving real-time consolidation and process automation. Retailers like Charlotte Tilbury and Lovesac unified their omnichannel operations and scaled to meet customer demand across markets. In food & beverage, TGI Fridays gained timely insights to navigate a competitive landscape. Manufacturers such as Bailey Hydraulics reinvented their operations with improved efficiency and data-driven decision-making, while distributors like N&N and Green Rabbit attained new levels of productivity and scalability through integration and automation. Nonprofits including MANA Nutrition and the Coca-Cola Foundation harnessed the power of NetSuite (via Social Impact programs) to maximize mission impact, cutting costs and improving accountability.

Key lessons for CFOs and NetSuite administrators from these cases include the importance of executive sponsorship and user buy-in (ensuring successful adoption of the system), the value of leveraging NetSuite’s modularity and partner ecosystem (to tailor the system to specific needs, from time clocks to bank rec to e-commerce), and the strategic advantage gained by moving off siloed, legacy systems to a modern cloud suite. Many of the companies saw dramatic improvements – e.g. financial close cycles reduced from weeks to days, payroll processing times cut by 84%, sales growing by 200% with minimal staff increases, or real-time metrics replacing monthly reports threadgoldconsulting.comnetsuite.com curiousrubik.com. Such outcomes highlight why NetSuite remains a popular choice for mid-market and enterprise organizations alike.

Finally, these diverse case studies underscore that industry best practices are built into NetSuite. Whether it’s multi-currency consolidation for a global firm, omnichannel inventory for a retailer, project accounting for a services company, or fund accounting for a nonprofit, NetSuite’s breadth and depth support a wide range of requirements out of the box. This allows CFOs to focus on strategy and growth, knowing the operational details are handled by a reliable system. For NetSuite administrators, the stories illustrate how configuration (and occasional customization) can meet unique business challenges – from implementing SuiteCommerce for a better customer experience to using SuiteAnalytics for unlocking insights that drive continuous improvement.

In summary, the success of these organizations with NetSuite provides a compelling roadmap for any business leader considering a cloud ERP transition. By studying these cases, CFOs and admins can gain confidence that with the right planning and partner support, a NetSuite implementation can not only solve immediate pains (financial consolidation, inventory tracking, etc.) but also position the company for long-term success, innovation, and scalability across all facets of the enterprise threadgoldconsulting.comthreadgoldconsulting.com.

Sources: The information and outcomes above are documented in official Oracle NetSuite customer success stories, case study publications by NetSuite solution provider partners, and reputable business tech sources, as cited throughout the text. Each cited source provides additional details for readers seeking to delve deeper into a particular case or industry application.