How Scaffidi Group Saves $25k+ Every Year on AP Costs
Scaffidi Group is a privately owned pharmacy group operating 50 stores across Australia. With over 900 staff at pharmacy level and a 30-strong support office in Adelaide, they provide pharmacy services under the United Chemists brand, and run all finance functions centrally — from payroll and cash flow to supplier payments and bookkeeping — across a portfolio that extends beyond pharmacies into a range of associated businesses.
Before Lightyear, the team used Hubdoc to manage 4000+ invoices per month across the group. The biggest pressure point was supplier statement reconciliation, which alone consumed 1 whole week each month. Add in the broader AP workload, and the team was spending around 50% of the month on accounts payable. Since implementing Lightyear, the team has cut AP work in half. With capacity freed up, the finance team has been able to take on more strategic and project-based work without adding headcount, saving $500–$750 per week.
50% of the Month Spent on AP Tasks
“We were using Hubdoc prior to rolling out Lightyear. In terms of the pharmacies receiving the invoice and sending them through, they would send all invoices through to their store inbox.” — Nathan, CFO.
For a centrally run finance team managing AP across 50 entities, the manual workload compounded quickly, and statement reconciliation was the breaking point.
“Statement checking was a real pain point. We were doing it manually. When you combine everybody's hours, it would usually take 1 whole week, just on statements alone.”
With the group expanding rapidly, it was clear the existing setup wouldn't scale.
“We were growing quite fast, but the team was spending at least 2 weeks of every month on accounts payable. We needed something more robust. Something that was going to grow with us and allow us to bring on more entities.”
Scaffidi Group needed a solution that could save them time, automate statement reconciliation, integrate cleanly with Xero, and scale without adding headcount.
“Once we found Lightyear, we were pretty excited by its capabilities and how that could save our team some time for those tasks.”
Statement reconciliation alone took 1 week per month when we were doing it manually.
AP Time Reduced From 2 Weeks to 1 Week
For Bianca, Finance Officer at Scaffidi Group, the day-to-day difference was immediate.
“Statement checking is number one for me. Lightyear automatically brings up the missing invoices. I can also just press the email supplier statement button in Lightyear, and it saves writing out an email to each supplier.” Bianca Smith, Finance Officer.
The Xero integration also removed friction that had previously slowed the team down across routine tasks.
“When you're adding suppliers into Xero, you just press the import button, and everything is instant. That time saving is really good.”
With rules that can be updated on the fly and data flowing accurately into Xero, the team gained both speed and confidence in their numbers.
“It's really easy if we have to change a rule. We've got that ability, and I'm quite confident that the data from Lightyear going to Xero is correct.”
Nathan further added:
“Now that we utilise Lightyear, our AP time has reduced by half — from 2 weeks down to 1.”
Along with Lightyear’s automated statement reconciliation, the notes and the activity features are really handy.
$25k+ Savings Annually on Staffing Costs
For Nathan, the clearest measure of Lightyear's value isn't just time saved; it's the capacity it creates across the team.
“It allows us to grow as a group without needing to bring on another headcount. It's pure savings, around $500 to $750 a week, which is $26k - $39k annually. This is from not having to bring somebody else on, and all the costs that come with that.”
That shift in capacity shows up in how Nathan thinks about his team's workload.
“I often ask my team what percentage they believe they're at in terms of capacity. Bringing in Lightyear brought everybody down from 100% of their capacity to the high 80s or low 90s. The key point for me is that there's more we could take on, particularly as we grow. It's freed the team up to concentrate on other strategic work.”
When we asked Nathan what he'd say to a CFO or Head of Finance still managing AP manually or on a system not built for scale, his advice was:
“Look at your pain points and understand what solution can solve your problems best. There are lots of solutions out there, and not every one is specific to your needs. Take the time to do demos, talk to people who can guide you through it, and once you've identified something, test it across one or two entities first. Take your time, research, and find the right thing for you. Once you're happy, full steam ahead.”
When we asked Bianca what she'd tell another Finance Officer considering Lightyear, her answer was straightforward:
“The time saving and the accuracy; that's what stands out. Lightyear is pretty close to perfect when it comes to AI reading, and it eliminates any problems caused by manual error. For us, just being able to check it and approve it is really handy. If anyone was asking, I'd definitely recommend Lightyear.”
Ready to cut your team’s AP workload by 50%?