How upgrading to the MYOB business management platform transformed A&S Welding and Electrical
What happens when a younger family member joins an established family business? Modernisation, new technology and, if it all goes well, positive change. That’s what happened at A&S Welding and Electrical when son David Barkho came on board.
His decision to switch the company to the MYOB business management platform has transformed how it manages inventory, with easily accessible stock levels, automated re-ordering and significant time savings. For David and his dad, it’s a major win.
Meet the A&S team
Smithfield-based A&S Welding and Electrical sells a range of welding and electrical supplies, and also rents and repairs machinery. Established in 2001 by Ashur Barkho and his wife Shemiran, the business has built a reputation for reliable, trustworthy service and a customer base to match.
After Shemiran stepped back from the business, son David joined the team early in 2022.
His first move? Bringing the company up to speed with modern technology.
The 20-year-old business hadn’t updated its management systems in a while and didn’t have a website or online store.
For David, closing these gaps seemed an obvious way to bring in more revenue and save time. While Ashur had some reservations, he quickly came around to the potential benefits.
“Working as a father-son business can really have its heated moments,” David says.
“But at the end of the day, it allows us to have a common purpose to see where we want to grow the business in the future, and it means the business has a lot of meaning to me.”
We’ve been able to move our business forward using technology that, in the past, we thought was too daunting.
- David Barkho, Online Operations, A&S Welding Electrical
New tech, new capabilities
The A&S team had been selling in-store, over the phone and via email for more than two decades. While these channels worked well, they required a lot of input from staff.
That’s why David’s first step was to set up a website, complete with an eCommerce store. This let customers essentially serve themselves and was also a valuable point of contact for new customers.
With sales now processed online, manual stock checking and re-ordering were no longer up to scratch, so the inventory management system needed an urgent upgrade. That’s where MYOB came in.
After thorough research, David and Ashur picked MYOB as their preferred business management platform for their business.
Its flexibility and wide range of business tools made it a good fit for the size of the company, while the simple, accessible user interface appealed to the less tech-savvy members of the team.
Simple, streamlined and up-to-date
A&S chose MYOB to handle its stock management — but the platform does far more than that.
As a business management platform, MYOB integrates with the company’s eCommerce site allowing the team to monitor on-hand stock levels, the value of the stock at any one time and the price of each item. It also automates re-ordering as stock levels get low, so there’s no concern about running out of stock.
Built-in cost-tracking and price-setting flow through to the website, ensuring that fluctuating wholesale costs are reflected in pricing. Invoices are more straightforward — the team can create and send an invoice in just a few clicks, and customers can pay online in seconds. Access is easier too.
Team members can log in to the platform to check inventory, create an invoice or make a sale using smartphones or in-store computers. Data is updated in real-time, giving the team accurate stock and sales information, whatever the device.
Time savings and business building
The new setup is a game-changer for Ashur, David and the rest of the A&S team. They don’t worry about running out of stock or mispricing items, and business data is securely backed up through the MYOB business management platform, so there’s no chance of losing customer information or missing an order.
Because the team can log in through any device, they can work on the go. It all adds up to fantastic customer service and significant time savings.
That extra time, previously spent on tasks like data entry and manual stock checking, is now used to add value to the business and build stronger customer relationships.
“It saves us time every single day,” David says.
“With that free time, I can add to our website or talk with customers and give advice. And basically, by switching to MYOB, we’ve been able to do all that in one program.”
Set up for future growth
A&S Welding and Electrical has come a long way in under a year. A new team member, a new website and most importantly, a powerful new business management platform, have seen the company transform from a largely manual, in-person operation to a streamlined, automated business with a strong online presence.
It’s still a family business at heart, but Ashur and David are set up for efficiency and growth, no matter where the future takes them.
I would say to any business, if you're looking to modernise the way you handle inventory and keep it in one easy-to-access place, MYOB is the program of choice.
- David Barkho, Online Operations, A&S Welding Electrical
