120+ STAFF ON SITE | 20-HECTARE NURSERY | 6 MILLION+ PLANTS PRODUCED ANNUALLY | 1,000+ PLANT VARIETIES
About
Mansfield’s Propagation Nursery
Established in 1951, Mansfield’s Propagation Nursery is a third-generation wholesale nursery run by brother and sister Matt and Simone Mansfield on a 20-hectare site in Skye, Victoria, with around 60,000 m² under cultivation. It has grown into one of Australia’s leading propagation nurseries, producing more than 6 million plants a year across 1,000+ varieties — natives, exotics, trees, shrubs, grasses, succulents, crops and rhizomes.
Mansfield’s supplies landscapers, councils, retail nurseries and revegetation projects across Australia, and works with breeders and marketers both locally and overseas to bring new varieties to market. An on-site wetland recycles around 20 megalitres of water, and the nursery holds NIASA, EcoHort and BioSecure HACCP accreditation. Matt is also a director of Green Life Industry Australia, the sector’s peak national body.
With 120+ staff on site, the operation runs at serious scale. But as it grew, the systems behind it couldn’t keep up: Mansfield’s was running the business on an ageing Microsoft Access database and too many Excel spreadsheets that could no longer support the demands of a nursery this size.
THE PROBLEM
RUNNING A 6-MILLION-PLANT NURSERY ON ACCESS, EXCEL AND PAPER
Mansfield’s was running a 6-million-plant operation on an ageing Microsoft Access database, too many Excel spreadsheets, and paper job sheets. Inventory wasn’t live, so time-sensitive stock could be lost before anyone knew it was ready to sell. Managers were chasing information instead of managing their teams.
inventory management
Nursery plant management is dynamic. What is not ready to sell this week may be ready for next week. Mansfield’s needed a solution that would account for the time between plants being checked on so that the team would know when a plant was likely to be ready.
A digital whiteboard, not a database
An ageing Microsoft Access database, built for one user years ago, was slow, occasionally broke, and was effectively run like a whiteboard.
Too Many Excel spreadsheets
Operational data lived across dozens of disconnected Excel spreadsheets — none of them talking to each other.
Paper-based scheduling
Every day’s jobs went out on paper sheets. Managers spent their time compiling and distributing job lists rather than working with their teams.
No batch history
As the nursery increased it size, quality assurance has become more important. Being able to track a batch through the entire production cycle has enabled much better quality assurance.
quality improvement
Record batch progress enables Mansfield to now be more precise in planning, with accurate data that is easily accessible about plant growing times and yields.
SEE IT IN ACTION
HEAR DIRECTLY FROM MANSFIELD’S
THE SOLUTION
FROM MICROSOFT ACCESS AND EXCEL TO A REAL-TIME WEB APP BUILT AROUND THE NURSERY
We migrated Mansfield’s off their ageing Microsoft Access database and Excel spreadsheets, rebuilding the operation as a fast, secure PHP/MySQL web application designed around how the nursery actually runs. From live inventory and production planning to workforce scheduling and real-time reporting, managers and staff now get the information they need the moment they need it.
From inventory visibility and production planning to workforce coordination and live operational reporting, the system gives managers and staff access to the information they need in real time across the entire operation.
Real-time inventory visibility
Live stock levels, plant age and availability across the nursery so the team always knows what’s ready to sell and when.
Schedule from the nursery flooR
Instead of planning in the office, managers now walk the nursery with a tablet – scheduling jobs, monitoring performance and coordinating 120+ staff on the spot.
Live reporting & smarter decisions
Managers get real-time reporting at a glance, and can trace any batch back through its full history – making Mansfield’s a more secure supply partner for customers across Australia.
Migrated off Access & Excel
Every record moved out of Mansfield’s ageing Microsoft Access database and Excel spreadsheets into one fast PHP/MySQL web application, a single source of truth for the whole nursery.
Interactive jobs board
Staff can view, claim, and complete operational tasks directly through the platform.
10× faster, more secure
The new app runs roughly 10× faster than the old Access database, is far more secure, and is easy to maintain and extend as the operation grows.
STILL RUNNING YOUR BUSINESS ON AN OLD ACCESS DATABASE OR EXCEL SPREADSHEETS?
We migrate ageing Microsoft Access databases and Excel spreadsheets into fast, modern web applications. Tell us how your operation works and where the bottlenecks are, and we’ll show you what’s possible.
No obligations. We’ll reach out within 24 hours.
REAL-TIME VISIBILITY ACROSS THE NURSERY
What was once managed through multiple spreadsheets and legacy databases is now handled through a single integrated system. The result is better visibility across nursery operations, more efficient workflows, improved planning, and faster access to the information managers and staff need to keep the business running smoothly.
REAL-TIME OPERATIONAL SALES REPORTING
“
Our old Access database couldn’t keep up with the scale of the nursery anymore. We were relying heavily on spreadsheets, and critical operational information was becoming harder to track across the business.
The new system has given us real-time visibility across production, scheduling, inventory, and day-to-day operations. It’s made managing a large-scale nursery operation significantly easier for our team.
Matt, General Manager