Streamline Operations: Top Gun Cranes by EQUIPR Software

FROM IMPROVED CASH FLOW TO FASTER JOB ALLOCATION, TOPGUN CRANES HAS TURBOCHARGED ITS OPERATIONS SINCE IMPLEMENTING ALLOCATE AND OPERATOR.

With a fleet of 15 cranes and a team of highly skilled operators, TopGun Cranes has been providing cutting-edge crane hire solutions throughout Sydney and surrounding areas for close to 25 years. From small residential jobs to large-scale commercial projects, there isn’t a construction venture TopGun can’t handle.

The company’s wide range of cranes are equipped with the latest technology to handle even the most complex jobs. TopGun is trusted by some of Australia’s largest corporations and government agencies to get the job done on time and without a hitch.

So, how does one of the country’s most progressive crane hire companies keep its operations running so smoothly? Accounts and Administration Officer Katelyn Duffy admits that, until recently, it took a lot of blood, sweat and tears.

“We were using paper work dockets and Excel spreadsheets for scheduling and booking,” she explains. “It was very, very painful.”

EQUIPR SOFTWARE TO THE RESCUE

Desperate to streamline TopGun’s workflow and boost its efficiency as the contracts kept rolling in, Operations Manager Phill Martin spoke to other crane hire companies to find out what software they used.

EQUIPR Software came highly recommended, so Phill reached out to the team to find out if their software suite could solve TopGun’s pain points. He soon discovered that not only would Allocate and Operator help the company allocate jobs and get paid faster, but they also came with a range of extra features and on-demand support that exceeded his wildest expectations.

In July 2023, TopGun Cranes rolled out both software systems simultaneously with the EQUIPR Software team on hand to iron out any kinks.

“There were some teething issues, mainly because we were trying to make sure it was set up properly for our business and we would get the most out of it,” says Katelyn. “But the problems were easy to solve with the support team.”

Some of TopGun’s operators were initially resistant to adopting the app, but they soon got on board when they realised how user-friendly it was and that it made their lives easier.

SAVING VALUABLE TIME

Since EQUIPR’s software was implemented, TopGun Cranes’ Allocator Nathan McNeill has gotten his evenings back.

“It saves me a lot of time sending the jobs off,” he explains. “On the old system, it was all text messages, so I had to send 20 to 30 text messages each night. Now it’s just click, send – it’s done within 10 seconds.”

INCREASING CASH FLOW

The allocation department isn’t the only one to benefit from the industry-leading software. Within weeks of implementation, TopGun Cranes started to reap administrative and financial rewards.

“It’s taking a lot less time for me to do invoicing, which is great,” says Katelyn. “It used to take two to three days to get invoices costed, approved and sent out, but now that we’re doing it all on the computer, it’s only taking a day and a half. And once we can get our director to approve the invoice costings more regularly, we’ll be able to get them out the same day the jobs are done.”

Chasing missing dockets and paperwork has also become a breeze compared to the headache it was before.

“Rather than flicking through 50 pages of Excel spreadsheets that go in date range and scrolling through the pages of 30 jobs to find the missing ones, I just click on the green flag to see what hasn’t been invoiced or documented,” explains Katelyn. “Then, I can just chase the boys up to see where that’s gone or why they didn’t do it. It’s so much easier for me to find things that are missing now.”

All these time savings translate into a much-needed improvement in cash flow for TopGun Cranes. 

“We’re getting money in quicker than we used to because we’re getting the invoices out quicker, so that’s a big benefit for us,” Katelyn says. “It’s been great.”