When you’re in the business of creating highly popular toys and selling them in more than 85 countries around the world, achieving success is anything but child’s play. At Moose Toys, it’s the focus of everything we do.

This Australian-based, family-owned company has grown to become the fourth largest toy company in the U.S. Its product range includes Collectibles, Arts and Crafts, Youth Electronics and Games. Key brands include Shopkins™ Little Live Pets™ and Beados™.

When people ask about the ingredient responsible for the company’s success, We put it doWn to innovation and living the WoW!

Innovation has been the focus of our entire business from the start and forms part of our corporate DNA. It drives everything from ideation, through product design and manufacturing, to marketing and sales.

About three years ago, our growth rate accelerated rapidly. We estab-lished direct relationships with retailers in the United States which led to a major increase in supply and demand. While this success was very welcome, it brought with it fresh challenges and opportunites.

Our existing systems, which had supported operations for years, came under considerable strain. A traditional reliance on spreadsheets and paper-based workflows proved unable to deal with the growth surge and we realised changes were required.

As well as operational functions, we needed a new way to support our creative processes. Fresh ideas can come from anyone, anywhere, at any time and we had to be sure we could capture the very best and evaluate their potential. Lost ideas represent missed opportunities.

After evaluating a range of options, we made a decision during 2015 to implement a new IT platform from Oracle. The company’s Product Lifecycle Management Cloud, Innovation Management Cloud,

JD Edwards ERP and Demantra planning are being deployed throughout our organisation.

Implementing a new technology platform that touches every facet of operations is a huge transitional step for any company, and this is certainly the case for Moose Toys. Existing workflows are being rethought and staff shown how a new approach would improve the way we deliver for our customers.

Now, 12 months into the project, the business benefits we’re identifying are significant. Staff in all our locations will have access to the same information and can share and communicate with ease.

From an innovation perspective, it’s been revolutionary. Rather than ideas being restricted by email trails and paper documents, they will be shared and progressed by teams in one location or around the world.

For the business, the new technology platform will assist to streamline forecasting and cost control, allowing us to better align manufacturing and distribution with market demands.

in toy retailing, trends can change quickly and being agile enough to change With them is crucial.

AUSSIE TOY COMPANY REACHES NEW HEIGHTS THROUGH INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

Indeed, Moose Toys releases a new product range every four to six months. Careful analysis of what is proving popular with customers allows the company to remain ahead of the curve and continue to grow in all our target markets.

Our new IT platform will continue to evolve with us, further enhancing areas such as accounting and financials, including key areas of reporting and compliance. We are also planning to deploy Human Capital Management to help manage our growing workforce.

Above all, the technology we now have in place assist in working environment that is energetic and fun.

Ensuring staff are not constrained by process, but free to focus on the goal of creating the most engaging and exciting toys on the planet. After all, we are in the business of making children happy!

It’s an incredibly exciting time at Moose Toys, the company has seen immense success and our innovation has really only just begun.

By Ben Dart, Chief Operating OffiCer, MOOse tOys

Above: Ben Dart, Chief Operating Officer at Moose Toys Global Head Quarters in Melbourne

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