Sunny Queen

“Sunny Queen and Professional Advantage have combined their experience and knowledge to ensure that our business processes and the solution work as one.”

Stuart Allan, Project Manager, Sunny Queen

The Organisation

Sunny Queen Farms is an Australian farmer owned organisation that have been producing eggs for over 80 years. They began life in 1930 as the Queensland Egg Board and have since grown in to one of the most well-known and loved food brands in Australia.

The business operates multiple farms as well as two manufacturing facilities. In addition to this, they have sales and distribution offices in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia, and employ over 700 people across the states.

The Need

Sunny Queen were experiencing significant business growth, but it was identified within the team that they did not have the appropriate systems to support this. As discussions surrounding an upgrade began, it was highlighted that a cloud-based solution would be preferable as it would facilitate continuous improvement and give the team access to enhanced features.

"In the past, we had used an array of systems, so when it came to upgrading this time, we wanted to combine as many processes as possible into one solution."

Stuart Allan, Project Manager, Sunny Queen.

Sunny Queen had been using Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009, but not only did they feel that they were not using AX 2009 to its full potential—their AX environment had reached a point of being heavily customised, and they were not using all the functionalities of certain modules—it had also been announced that Microsoft would be ending their support for this version of AX.

The Solution

When it came to Sunny Queen making a decision about the right solution for them, it was a relatively simple choice: whilst they looked at other solutions, they were already using AX, so staying with the Microsoft family made sense. Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (Dynamics 365) was deemed as the best solution for their size of business, with good structures and flexibility for customisations if needed, and meeting their supply chain, production, manufacturing, and distribution requirements.

"The easy integration with other systems and Microsoft products is definitely a plus; it is very user friendly, and we really love that you can build your own workspaces and make it user specific based on different security roles."

Stuart Allan, Project Manager, Sunny Queen.

The choice of Professional Advantage (PA) as their implementation partner was also an easy one; while price, expertise, and methodology were similar between potential partners, the connection with PA was what prevailed.

"It came down to which individuals did we want to spend a year working and brainstorming with, and we felt we had a really good connection with PA."

Stuart Allan, Project Manager, Sunny Queen.

A key objective of the implementation of Dynamics 365 was to, initially at least, maintain current performance with minimal-to-no disruption to the day-to-day operations.

"We did not want to end up in a situation where trucks were lining up at our warehouses and there were delays on deliveries to our customers."

Stacey Storch-Tyson, National Inventory & Systems Manager, Sunny Queen.

Dynamics 365 needed to meet what the team already had in a solution, and it needed to be fully operating at the go-live point. While these may seem like relatively standard expectations, the importance of ensuring business continuity throughout the transition was vital, and something that PA was dedicated to delivering.

The Results

Sunny Queen are already experiencing, and anticipate further, productivity gains and production increases, and a major benefit at this early stage is the reduction of risk attributed to product traceability. The team are already able to notice advances in the warehouse, and anticipate further quantifiable benefits.

"After only two days we noticed improved operational efficiencies when compared to the old system."

Stacey Storch-Tyson, National Inventory & Systems Manager, Sunny Queen.

The flexibility of Dynamics 365 to allow employees to work online from home has also been advantageous. They have experienced improved analysis and reporting as a result of improved links between modules (GL, AR, AP), and an approval system inside the systems instead of outside creates more visibility within the organisation, and processes faster.

Dynamics 365 has quickly become an integral part of Sunny Queen, being heavily used for their day-to-day operations.

"It is a lot more user-friendly, for example, it is so easy to log in by simply going to a browser; it’s effortless!"

Stuart Allan, Project Manager, Sunny Queen.

Dynamics 365 offers more functionality for Sunny Queen than what they had had before. They can approve invoices in the system, whereas previously this was a paper-based task that took physical effort to get the relevant invoices signed. Now, their employees are in control of their processes, with the freedom to build their own workspaces and follow up on several tasks.

"The exciting part is that as the solution is cloud-based and receives regular updates, we have access to continual future improvements."

Oliver Meilak, Project IT Lead, Sunny Queen.

This aspect means that Sunny Queen do not need to customise their systems, instead embracing the new functionality and features that Microsoft add with each new release.

Continued Success and Expansion

With the successful implementation of Microsoft Dynamics 365 and the significant improvements delivered over the old system, Sunny Queen have continued to build on this foundation for ongoing development and growth.

Following the initial go-live, the organisation rolled out their planned CRM solution, providing greater visibility across their sales and customer service operations. This has further enhanced customer relationship management capabilities and given teams a clearer, more connected view of their client base.

Expanding Integration Capabilities

Sunny Queen have also extended their Dynamics 365 ecosystem with a number of powerful integrations that have transformed their operations:

• Egg Grading System Integration: Dynamics 365 now integrates directly with this specialist egg grading MES (Manufacturing Execution System), providing real-time visibility and control across egg processing operations, from grading through to packaging. Purchase orders are generated automatically in Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, significantly streamlining procurement.
• Supply Chain Optimisation System Integration: By adopting this advanced platform for supply chain planning, Sunny Queen now enjoy more accurate demand forecasting, improved inventory optimisation, and more sophisticated production planning.
• Azure Data Factory: With Microsoft Azure Data Factory, Sunny Queen have simplified data integration, enabling a seamless flow of information between systems and unlocking richer analytics capabilities.

"The integration capabilities we've achieved have been transformative. We now have real-time visibility across our entire operation, from egg grading through to customer delivery, all seamlessly connected through our Dynamics 365 platform."

Oliver Meilak, Project IT Lead, Sunny Queen.

Driving Continuous Improvement

By continually optimising these interconnected systems, Sunny Queen have achieved significant efficiency gains across multiple areas of the business. The combination of ERP, CRM, and integrated best-of-breed applications has created a truly connected ecosystem that powers data-driven decision-making and supports future growth.

The organisation has also deployed Asset Management capabilities, further leveraging the Dynamics 365 platform to maximise the lifecycle value of critical equipment and assets.

"Our business systems are now future-proofed and work for us; we no longer have to work around the system. The integrations have created a seamless operational environment that continues to drive efficiency gains."

Oliver Meilak, Project IT Lead, Sunny Queen.

A Model for Modern Agricultural Operations

Sunny Queen’s journey demonstrates how a robust, integrated ERP platform like Microsoft Dynamics 365 can deliver long-term business value well beyond the initial implementation. What began as a move away from legacy systems has now evolved into a comprehensive technology transformation; streamlining processes, providing real-time visibility, and supporting continuous improvement.

By working closely with Professional Advantage, Sunny Queen have created a future-ready business system that supports their ongoing growth, ensures operational resilience, and provides a competitive edge in modern agricultural operations.

"Sunny Queen and Professional Advantage have combined their experience and knowledge to ensure that our business processes and the solution work as one."

Stuart Allan, Project Manager, Sunny Queen.