Van de Leur
More work with the same number of people
Van de Leur Confectionary Specialities is ready for the future
For more than five years Van de Leur Confectionary Specialities in Bolsward, the Netherlands, has been looking for suitable software to support its business. "Not all the products offered on the ERP market are equally good", the general manager Robert van de Leur says. "And anyway, sometimes there is just not enough expertise available for a package. Lots of consultants with neat business cards and even school-leavers described as ’senior’. But if you ask a few more questions about the functionality and possibilities offered by the package, they are often at a loss for words. In the last five years we have seen a lot of packages and consultants. Either the package was not suitable or the expertise of the dealer was substandard."
Van de Leur’s search for a new package was not because the old system didn’t function properly, but the operating system was the problem. "We used to build all our software ourselves in DOS Clipper. But these days almost all companies work with Windows, Word and Excel, and to be able to work together we had to migrate. So that was the reason why we were looking for a new package and not necessarily the ERP requirements, because we had already met these ourselves."
Convincing presentation
Eventually Van de Leur found Microsoft Dynamics® NAV and Microsoft Gold Certified Business Solutions Partner Schouw Informatisering. "Our accountants are involved with other companies using ERP software and they advised us to talk to Schouw Informatisering. Schouw gave us a convincing presentation and arranged a number of demos in a very short space of time. I was enthusiastic right from the start. The people at Schouw Informatisering knew exactly what they were talking about. What I also liked was that if they didn’t know something, they had the nerve to admit it. And they also told me there were certain things that the package couldn’t do. That was straight talking and that’s what I wanted to hear. The worst is when someone promises something they know they can’t achieve. Schouw has met almost all its commitments."
Savings
The production of high-quality confectionery products places exacting demands on the management quality of the organisation. It is important to have the right management information at the right time and to be able to take decisions quickly. "With our old system only a few employees could run reports and analyse data. Because much of the information in the new package is available to all employees, more people can run reports and analyse data without having to ask colleagues for information. So managers get more information about the running of the business and they get it quicker. And because we can now work with the same database in more than one location, we are faster and more flexible. There is also a considerable reduction in the number of errors. This is also helped by the integration of various files. Thanks to the flexibility of Microsoft DynamicsTM NAV there is not an awful lot that the system can’t do. I think that we can make savings, especially because we can get through more work with the same number of employees, thus the same overheads.
Brilliant
Dynamics NAV offers Van de Leur clear insight into the inventory administration. "That is something we hardly had in our previous package. The inventory module in Dynamics NAV is easy to use and it works well and the bill of material structure is also excellent. The powerful computer we have means that when we change a recipe we can see the consequences immediately. Dynamics NAV enables our business to keep up-to-date. The average software package lasts for about three years, but I am under the impression that we will be able to work with Dynamics NAV for at least five years."
Fan club
During the implementation Van de Leur himself is in charge. "As always the start was a little sticky, there were some tough nuts to crack, but in the end, Schouw Informatisering managed a first-rate implementation. Normally this kind of IT project takes between six to nine months, but we implemented within three months and within budget. Before we started all our users followed a training course. A brilliant move. Our people were curious and wanted to work with the new package. Often you see just the opposite, people are a little afraid and reticent. We had a fan club for our new system instead of a load of opponents."
Tuned in
Robert van de Leur is very content with Schouw Informatisering who as Gold Certified Partner have largely fulfilled the promises made by Microsoft Business Solutions. "An excellent company. Schouw Informatisering speaks the language of entrepreneurs. It is also good that they are knowledgeable of our sector, but that is not the most important aspect for me. What I consider much more important is that a supplier can put himself in the client’s shoes and understand the problems he faces, pose the right questions and listen properly to the answers. If a supplier understands this you can go a long way together."