 DPS/Real-World Solutions: Fish Processor/Exporter
 Newfoundland-Based Company Nets Improved Fish Processing Payroll
The fishing industry in Canada’s Atlantic Provinces is a vital part of the area’s economy. In fact, many small coastal communities throughout the region are wholly or partially dependent on fishing. The Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans reports that total commercial landings for Atlantic Canada in 2003, the last year figures are available, were $1.87 billion, representing 83 percent of the total $2.23 billion in Canadian landings for that year. This noted, you could imagine the number of individuals involved in this huge trade.
Beothic Fish Processors Ltd., formed in 1967, is one of several Newfoundland-based companies who deal with the challenges of servicing the fishing industry on a daily basis. The company, with operations centered along the northeast cost of Newfoundland, purchases fish (including species such as snow crab, Atlantic crab, cod, halibut, turbot, lumproe, pelagics) from more than 1,000 fishermen per season from all over Newfoundland and Labrador. Beothic’s products are sold throughout the world under their Sea-licious brand. Keeping payroll for these fishermen has proven challenging, explained Beothic Fish Processors controller Cheryl Sturge. “Since we buy fish directly from the vessels and we pay fishermen every week, it’s not an easy task,” Sturge said.
After thoroughly evaluating the needs of a number of the area’s larger independent fish processors, DPS representative Jim Moore concluded that an enhanced Fishery Payroll software was required. Moore explained that making fish purchases and paying fishermen for their catch pose potential problems for many fish processors. Some of these include the need for keeping record of changes in the crew share splits; calculating the pay amounts and deductions; providing Record of Employment forms, general payroll reports, and controlling fishermen’s accounts receivable. “DPS Fishery Payroll virtually eliminates all those problems,” Moore said, “resulting in increased productivity.” Sturge adds, “With the old system, two or three employees were doing things in different departments with no way of sharing the information. The DPS system gives us more information at our fingertips on a daily basis and allows us to do more queries and reports that we couldn’t do before.”
A partial list of DPS Fishery Payroll features includes:
- Multi-plant and company support
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- Fully-integrated fisherman accounts receivable tracking
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- Auto calc of Employment Insurance amount
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- Automatic cheque printing
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- Fixed or percentage-based deductions
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- Automatic dockside monitoring deductions
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- Canada Custom and Revenue Agency Earnings reports
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- Fast and simplified recording of fish receipts
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- Automatic cheque printing
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- User-defined landings reports
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- Month-end deduction and purchase summaries
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- May be used by itself or as an integrated part of the DPS Extend Distribution and Financial Management System
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- Can be modified to meet special needs of individual processors
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