UnieKaas signs agreement with Schouw Informatisering to implement Microsoft DynamicsTM NAV and SI Foodware
Etten-Leur, 3 April 2006 - On Friday 24 March Mr Bikker, general manager of UnieKaas, and Mr Schouw, general manager of Schouw Informatisering, signed the contract for the implementation of Microsoft DynamicsTM NAV (before Navision) and the standard food add-on, SI Foodware®. The project’s primary objective is to replace the variety of systems now in use with a single integrated system. By integrating all departments and systems the efficiency and in particular the quality of the management information will be greatly improved.
Packaging 50,000 cheeses per hour
The primary activity of UnieKaas is cutting and packaging cheese. The cheese is manufactured in two specialised factories in the Netherlands. Each hour the packaging plant can process 50,000 units of cheese which are destined for tens of thousands of cheese lovers each day. The implementation of Dynamics NAV will involve a total of 90 users and will cover the complete business process. The system will completely replace the bespoke applications that UnieKaas had developed in the past for financials and warehouse management. Schouw Informatisering will carry out the implementation and besides Dynamics NAV will also supply the standard food software, SI Foodware.
Sector specific cheese maturing module
Cheese manufacturing has it own specific process, known as maturing. UnieKaas purchases young cheeses and places them in the cheese warehouse to mature or ripen. During the ripening process the cheeses have to be turned periodically and at UnieKaas this is fully automated. In the new situation, the processing instructions for the cheese will be generated by Dynamics NAV and sent to the robot controller through an interface. Because the cheese looses weight while maturing and at the same its cost price increases, a periodic revaluation will also be carried out automatically. When the cheese is issued from the warehouse it is weighed and the actual drying out is compared to the standard. Based on this information the efficiency of the maturing process can be ascertained and adjusted if necessary. All the information gathered during this process is stored in the cheese maturing module, which has been developed by Schouw Informatisering and is fully integrated in Dynamics NAV.
Interface Dynamics NAV and Pick-to-light system
At UnieKaas when the cheese has been issued from the warehouse it is cut into pieces or slices. The rind has to be removed before a cheese can be sliced. When it has been cut, the cheese is packaged immediately and stored as labelled or unlabelled semi-finished products. Unlabelled semi-finished products are labelled with UnieKaas or private labels based on customer orders. The cheese is picked semi-automatically by means of a ’Pick-to-light’ (PTL) system. In this PTL system a lamp is switched on at the shelf where the items have to be picked. The picker sees the number of items to be picked on his display and confirms this. Dynamics NAV will be interfaced to this PTL system so that all relevant administrative data can be updated immediately in Dynamics NAV. The other warehouse processes will be managed using Radio Frequency (RF). The software for the RF terminals will also be supplied by Schouw Informatisering.
Selection process
The selection process was carried out by Capgemini and this resulted in Dynamics NAV in combination with SI Foodware being chosen as the best solution for UnieKaas. SI Foodware is the standard Food add-on developed by Schouw Informatisering. With this add-on Schouw Informatisering makes 8 years experience in the Food & Beverage sector available to its clients. Dynamics NAV version 4.0 will be implemented at UnieKaas and the system is expected to go live in 2007.
About UnieKaas
UnieKaas, a leading player in the Dutch cheese market, has 200 employees in the Netherlands who work at two sites. It is an independent, private company with a well developed marketing strategy. With its knowledge and experience built up over many years UnieKaas markets well-known leading brands of cheese and regularly launches new and original products. The UnieKaas products are successful at home and abroad, and it manages the entire logistics process itself. The success of UnieKaas is mainly due to its specific marketing campaigns in local markets. You can find more information about UnieKaas and Schouw Informatisering by visiting www.uniekaas.nl.