Flender Australia Enhances Operations with UniPhi Software

Overview

Flender is a leading international manufacturer of mechanical drive systems. They have a strong presence in the mining and wind turbine industries in Australia. Known for providing reliable gears, couplings and generators for mechanical drive systems. Their facilities set the industry standard for customer service, supporting the entire lifecycle of a product from installation to decommissioning and refurbishment. As their gearboxes and couplings powered some of Australian industries’ heaviest machines, they sought a software solution to streamline workshop operations including procurement and supply chain processes. Following an internal referral, Flender selected UniPhi, a cloud-based project and portfolio management system.

UniPhi is an award-winning system, known for an adaptable software configuration and a user-friendly interface. UniPhi provided a tailored software configuration, allowing for real-time data tracking, automated workflows, and comprehensive reporting.

During the initial demonstration, UniPhi’s Business Development Manager remarked:

“If and when we can solve the gap—because they’ve searched elsewhere and no one else could—it will eliminate the need for manual duplication.”

Challenges

Flender’s workshop operations had specific requirements, including the need to:

• Capture strip-and-assess reports directly from the workshop floor, without the need for office-based reporting.

• Streamline purchasing processes, from requisition to goods receipt, via an integration with accounting systems.

• Schedule work and maintain clear client and stakeholder communication regarding key dates and delivery timelines.

• Plan resources with visibility into capacity constraints and recruitment needs.

• Manage supplier performance and procurement of parts.

• Track non-conformance and job performance, including profit margins and cash flow forecasts.

UniPhi addressed all these requirements and made sure Flender was reaping the benefits of the deplpyment as soon as possible. Due to the busy nature of the industry, this was crucial for their overall operations.

“The collaboration between Flender and UniPhi has driven significant workflow improvements. The system is now integral to our automated workshop processes, ensuring work orders and parts tracking remain accountable. Expanding this platform nationally in 2020 supported our goal of achieving the largest market share in gears and services within Australia."

Flender's National Service Manager

Solutions

Working closely with UniPhi consultants, Flender leveraged the platform’s adaptability to implement tailored solutions across its operations. This included real-time workshop data capture, streamlined job scheduling, and automated purchasing and receipting. UniPhi’s powerful dashboards enabled management to track job progress, monitor workshop performance, and enhance communication across teams.

Quickly becoming essential to daily operations - from the shop floor to financial planning and reporting - UniPhi gave Flender a clear view of performance. So intuitive was the system that Flender’s Project Director created custom Power BI dashboards within just a few months of implementation.

As Flender continued to maximise its UniPhi deployment, weekly collaboration with UniPhi consultants ensured the system evolved to meet expanding business needs. Key outcomes included

• Strip-and-assess reports were logged directly from the workshop floor, eliminating manual re-entry.

• Integrated workflows improved requisition and goods receipting efficiency.

• Task scheduling provided visibility into capacity and recruitment needs.

• Supplier performance, job progress, and workshop operations were all centrally monitored.

• End-to-end project management centralised data and enabled real-time decision-making.

By 2023, five years after implementing UniPhi, Flender had expanded from a single workshop in Rockhampton to four locations across Australia, including Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth. UniPhi became the backbone of operations, streamlining workflows from the shop floor to back-office functions.

“UniPhi didn’t just upgrade our systems - it changed the way we work. We’re quicker, more organised, and more confident in our day-to-day decisions and operations. It’s the kind of software that grows with the business, adapts well and actually makes doing the job easier.”

Flender's National Service Manager

Conclusion

By working closely with UniPhi, Flender streamlined complex workflows and positioned itself well for scalable growth. UniPhi's powerful software capabilities were able to fully support even the most critical elements of operations in a competitive, service-driven industry. Flender’s story shows that with the right adaptable system, operational excellence is not just possible - it’s sustainable. UniPhi was glad to support this journey.