Customer Solution Case Study
/ Packaging Company Rolls Out Strategic Business Solution in Just 10 Days
Overview
Country or region:Germany
Industry:Packaging
Customer Profile
German company Stegemann is a packaging, stock, and logistic service provider for large cosmetics and pharmaceutical organizations as well as food industries.
Business Situation
Stegemann’s customers were demanding new services such as better tracking of manufacturing, sales, purchasing, and inventory information. The company’s existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) system was not flexible enough to handle these requirements.
Solution
Microsoft® partner Tectura rolled out Microsoft Business Solutions—Navision® technology at Stegemann. The organization’s users can trace orders and inventory quickly and easily, and its customers can also access data online.
Benefits
System rolled out in just 10 days
Business can choose the features it needs, keeping costs down
Flexible technology is scalable for future growth
Information is available from one place
Better access to information boosts customer service / “The implementation process was uncomplicated. Tectura responded quickly to our needs and worked with tools and processes, such as the Data Setup Tool, which made the support of our information easier.”
Reinhard Stegemann Managing Director, Stegemann
German packaging organization Stegemann provides a valuable service to organizations in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry. Until 2004, the organization had a bespoke enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution in place. But as customer demands grew, Stegemann realized this technology would not support its needs in future. Stegemann approached Microsoft partner Tectura to roll out an ERP solution based on Microsoft® Business Solutions—Navision®. Using this technology, users can track and trace manufacturing, ordering, and invoicing data in detail throughout the business, and Stegemann’s customers can access information online. As Stegemann’s business continues to expand the software will grow with the company and Stegemann aims to gradually double the number of Navision users from five to 20. The solution was implemented using the Microsoft® Business Solutions—Navision® Rapid Implementation Methodology, which provides tools and resources for fast and cost-effective rollouts. Using this model, Tectura implementeda solution in just 10 days, with minimum disruption to the business, and has helped boost customer service levels significantly.
Situation
German company Stegemann is a packaging, stock, and logistic service provider for large cosmetics and pharmaceutical organizations as well as food industries.
Stegemann has a workforce of approximately 120 and the organization takes pride in delivering a valuable service to its customers.
But in 2004, Stegemann was facing new industry challenges. Reinhard Stegemann Managing Director, Stegemann, says: “Our food industry and cosmetics customers were demanding additional services. These included better visibility of business information and statistics, such as order tracking, manufacturing data, and batch tracing.”
In addition, customers required direct access to this information online. Stegemann’s existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution had provided a good service up until this point, but Stegemann realized the technology was not equipped to handle additional flexibility. “Our existing system, which was based on local software, offered insufficient visibility of data. Breaking down batch and inventory information was very difficult to achieve quickly and efficiently,” says Stegemann.
To remain competitive and meet these customer needs, the organization considered implementing a new ERP system that simplified and automated processes and reduced IT complexity. Stegemann was determined that any new technology implemented provided an infrastructure on which the organization could grow and develop, without the associated spiraling IT costs. “Any new implementation had to fit the business as it was, but still offer the potential to scale in future,” says Stegemann.
Solution
After researching the market, Stegemann became interested in Microsoft® Business Solutions—Navision® and contacted Microsoft partner Tectura in October 2004. “We chose Microsoft Navision because it is a flexible and highly-integrated solution that suits our growing needs. On top of this, Tectura offered special knowledge and customer support,” says Stegemann.
To accelerate the implementation of Microsoft Navision at Stegemann, Tectura tapped into shared knowledge, best practices, and industry experience of similar rollouts, using a Microsoft toolset called the Microsoft Business Solutions-Navision Rapid Implementation Methodology. To start, Tectura thoroughly researched the company’s needs. Andreas Voss, Product Manager, Tectura, says: “We looked at the company processes to decide what tools Stegemann needed to use in an ERP solution, to streamline its manufacturing, sales, purchasing, and inventory processes.”
In three days, Tectura combined Stegemann’s answers to prepared questions, with checklists and basic data and set up a project plan for the company. Based on this information, Tectura built a database and inserted the basic data that had been captured.
“We built the company’s sales and purchase report functionality using templates. We only need five to 10 minutes to implement a template with a logo, which the company can use for order fulfillment and so on,” says Voss. “Building up a basic ERP system in this way means that decisions are made quickly and efficiently, with a lot less pressure.”
Tectura trained Stegemann’s users on the system and incorporated their suggestions. In just 10 days, a fully automated ERP solution went live. Now, up to 12 employees use this system at any one time to automate order and fulfillment, track products through manufacturing, invoicing and delivery, and streamline sales.
Stegemann’s customers also have online access to the solution. Through a secure Web link, they can query the database and locate the information they require. In turn, Stegemann has greater visibility of its data and can provide customers with statistical reports quickly and easily on request.
Benefits
Rapid Implementation at Low Cost
Using the Microsoft Business Solutions-Navision Rapid Implementation Methodology has not only provided Stegemann with an ERP system in just 10 days, the model also dramatically reduces the costs that are associated with implementation time and development. This is because Tectura used a toolset, which draws on information that is captured from worldwide customer implementations.
“We gain an early understanding of industry problems from other, similar implementations,” says Voss. “We draw on this knowledge to speed up the development time.”
Stegemann says: “The implementation process was uncomplicated. Tectura responded quickly to our needs and worked with tools and processes, such as a Data Setup Tool, which made the support of our information easier.”
Voss says the flexibility of Microsoft Navision plays a large part in cost-effective rollouts. “Stegemann has special functionality requirements but we can adapt to these using Microsoft Navision. Quality of software is extremely important. It means that fewer mistakes are made, and is the reason we can install a software solution in 10 days.”
Scale to Meet Future Growth
Stegemann’s business is already expanding, and the company aims to gradually double the number of Navision users from nine to 20 in the near future. By using Microsoft Navision, Stegemann can start off with the modules it needs, and add new features, which can be adapted to suit the business as it grows. “We build and implement a basic solution to get the organization up and running quickly. We then customize any additions later,” says Voss.
“Microsoft Navision gives businesses an infrastructure on which they can base their business processes, which can be added to cost-effectively in future.”
Meet Customer Demands
Through the implementation, Stegemann has enhanced its service to customers with online access to statistical information, which means that business relationships can be managed more efficiently.
The organization has automated and streamlined many of its internal processes, which were previously time-consuming and error prone. As a result, it has significantly improved data accuracy and employee efficiency. All of Stegemann’s ERP data is now available in one place, which gives users far greater visibility for tracing orders and invoices, and responding quickly to customer queries.
Stegemann says: “Our customers have higher expectations, which we can now meet. The solution gives us the competitive edge we need to maintain our existing customers and attract new business.”
Microsoft® Business Solutions offers financial management, customer relationship management, supply chain management, and analytics applications for small and mid-sized companies and divisions of large enterprises. Delivered through a network of channel partners providing specialized services, these integrated business applications work with Microsoft products such as Office and Windows® to streamline processes across an entire business.
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