Efficient Response to Requests for Quotes Creates Customer ...



Overview

Country or Region: Netherlands

Industry: Shipping

Customer Profile

Dutch company Verhoef Access Technology builds large access installations for international shipping. They are constructed for ports and jetties in oil and gas terminals. The company was founded in 1941 and employs 80 people.

Business Situation

Its existing IT system offered purchasing, stock-keeping, and bookkeeping functionality. But the company wanted a system that could actively translate information into quotations and, potentially, project development.

Solution

The company rolled out Microsoft® Business Solutions–Navision® with a configurator application called e-Con, and the Advanced Job Management module, both from To-Increase.

Benefits

■ Halves quotation time

■ Produces fast, more accurate reports

■ Reduces re-keying of information

■ Follows existing company processes

■ Helps control budgets and decision making

| | |“I have more visibility and control over the production process and can flag where projects might be unprofitable in advance or prevent problems before they occur.”

Michiel Soeters, Chief Operations Officer, Verhoef Access Technology

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| | | |Verhoef Access Technology relies on the delivery of fast, accurate quotations to clients based on |

| | | |complex data drawn from varied sources. The company used an aging proprietary solution to manage its |

| | | |business processes. It needed an integrated solution that accelerated the delivery of detailed |

| | | |quotations and efficiently managed the project process, from quotation to delivery. With the help of |

| | | |Watermark and To-Increase, Verhoef Access Technology rolled out Microsoft® Business |

| | | |Solutions–Navision®. To-Increase’s configurator application, e-Con—built on Microsoft Navision and |

| | | |Microsoft Business Solutions–Axapta®—helps users to preplan and calculate large projects based on |

| | | |typical variables held in the system. As a result, the company can quickly respond to client requests|

| | | |for quotations, re-use data from project models, and keep track of budgets and schedules. |

| | | | |

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Situation

Founded in 1941, Dutch company Verhoef Access Technology builds large access installations for international shipping. They are constructed for ports and jetties in oil and gas terminals. They consist of large steel structures with steps and gangways so that ships can be safely boarded. An optional crane on top of the installation provides lifting capacity for spares and stores. A proportion of the organisation’s revenue also comes from manufacturing and maintenance of lifeboats for offshore rigs.

Verhoef Access Technology bases quotations for new business on the results of previous projects. It used an IT solution called Improve, designed by a local Dutch software company and based on an Oracle database. Michiel Soeters, Chief Operations Officer, Verhoef Access Technology, says, “Improve was later taken over by Dutch company Foqus-ICT. But the technology was due to become unsupported and we needed to implement a new technology that would support our needs in future.”

The company’s existing IT system offered purchasing, stock-keeping, and bookkeeping functionality. But Verhoef Access Technology wanted a more integrated system that offered sales features. It also needed to be able to align product design information with the database of materials, so that information held in the system could be accurately translated into quotations, and used later for full-scale production.

“The old solution was rigid, with limited navigation and drill-down possibilities. If you were in the purchasing module and wanted information about a supplier, you had to close one module, and open a new one. We wanted a more flexible system with all supporting departments integrated, including production,” says Soeters.

Solution

In the beginning of 2003, Microsoft® partner Watermark took over Foqus-ICT. The software and development activities of the research and development (R&D) unit of Watermark are now part of independent software vendor (ISV) To-Increase B.V. Verhoef Access Technology was offered an opportunity to migrate its systems to the Microsoft Business Solutions–Navision® software. “Microsoft offered us a transfer deal. We received a refund on some of our existing IT investment and Microsoft Navision was rolled out extremely cost-effectively,” says Soeters.

The Microsoft Navision system at Verhoef Access Technology supports the entire process from sales to supply of products. Jaap Jan Verloop, Microsoft Navision Product Manager, To-Increase, says, “Microsoft Navision forms the best solution in the machine-building industry. It’s such a good fit because the job management possibilities are extensive and it offers budget calculation, financial project management, and logistics control features. The Advanced Job Management Module is made by To-Increase to fit the Industrial Equipment industries specific needs and requirements.

In addition, the organisation implemented To-Increase’s Web-based product and sales configuration solution e-Con, which is seamlessly integrated with Microsoft Navision and Microsoft Business Solutions–Axapta®. Using e-Con, employees, partners, and customers can transform custom requirements, business expertise, and business information into accurate quotations, product configurations, drawings, orders, and bills of materials. In minutes, users can precalculate large projects based on numerous typical variables.

Soeters says, “e-Con is a step above our traditional way of working. Using e-Con, we can produce product models that are specific to our business. For example, drawings of our installations and bills of materials are used to make models. From those models, a limited number of parameters are distilled, which gives sales the possibility to calculate complex installations based on a few key dimensions.

“e-Con then delivers an automated precalculation, which we can provide to the customer quickly and efficiently. And we can re-use these models to deliver faster quotes in future.”

In addition, Verhoef Access Technology uses Microsoft Navision to help it manage projects better to reduce risks and costs associated with project development. Soeters says, “Microsoft Navision gives us a consistent view of data across the organisation and allows us to better manage stock and inventory based on the information we gather from project calculations.”

Microsoft Navision and e-Con went live in July 2004 and is used across the company. Verhoef Access Technology also aims to integrate the Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management Solution to deliver daily updates and refine project planning.

Benefits

Streamlines Business Processes

Verhoef Access Technology has accelerated turnaround for quotations significantly. “We can respond to clients’ requests for quotations on the same day, where previously, we’d have to prepare up to two days’ worth of calculations,” says Soeters. “This saves us half the time, helps us win more cases, and gives the organisation more credibility in the industry.”

When a quotation becomes an order, the company can use the information already compiled in the sales package to develop the product. This information can be tracked using the To-Increase Advanced Job Management module, helping the organisation to begin production quickly and efficiently. Verloop says, “Verhoef Access Technology uses the same set of data that was used in the quotation to speed up the construction itself.”

Up-to-date, consistent data leads to the delivery of fast, more accurate reports. “Any management report I need is ready the next day. The system provides a lot of standard reports that are very valuable, and some we have customised ourselves. All the information in the system can now be extracted very easily,” says Soeters.

More Accurate Data Boosts Productivity

With all users working from the same set of data that’s available across the business, there is a significant reduction in the need for data input, also decreasing the scope for errors. Previously, a bill of materials was handwritten or transferred into a spreadsheet by an engineer. It would then be re-keyed into the system by the purchasing department.

“This not only created twice as many opportunities for mistakes, but cost a lot in time,” says Soeters. “We have now made our administrative processes a lot more efficient as information is only entered into the system once, and frees up users to concentrate on more productive work.”

Fits in with Organisational Methods

Verhoef Access Technology buys up to 80 percent of its materials based on project-specific information such as product design and the project precalculation. The company now uses the Advanced Job Management module and e-Con in Microsoft Navision to create bills of materials automatically. “As far as we can see, only this vertical solution based on Microsoft Navision gives us this degree of flexibility,” says Soeters.

Unlike the previous solution, Microsoft Navision can accommodate the company’s own project numbering system. “Every ship or installation is allocated a yard number and we can now use our own four-digit system. For production staff, that’s a big improvement because previously they had to work with a 10-digit number, which bore no correlation to the yard number,” says Soeters. “That is one of the reasons why users accepted the system very quickly. It fits in with how we operate, rather than the other way around.”

Improves Management Decision Making

Rollout was so efficient that the solution was live one-and-a-half months ahead of schedule. Now, Verhoef Access Technology is reaping the benefits of more streamlined quotation processes, projects, reports, and product delivery.

“Our management is better. I can make a calculation at any time in the production process. For example, if the building phase is finished and the materials are booked, I verify if the project is on budget at the click of a mouse,” says Soeters. “I have more visibility and control over the production process and can flag where projects might be unprofitable in advance or prevent problems before they occur.”

Microsoft Business Solutions offer integrated business applications and services that allow small and midsize organizations and divisions of large enterprises to connect employees, customers, and suppliers for improved efficiency. The financial management, customer relationship management, supply chain management, and analytics applications work with other Microsoft software, including the Microsoft Office System and the Windows® operating system, to streamline processes across an entire organization. This gives businesses insight to respond rapidly, plan strategically, and execute quickly. Microsoft Business Solutions are delivered through a worldwide network of channel partners that provide specialized services and local support tailored to a company’s needs.

For more information about Microsoft Business Solutions, go to:

BusinessSolutions

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| |Software and Services

■ Solutions |Microsoft Business Solutions–Axapta | |

© 2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Microsoft, Axapta, Navision, and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation or Microsoft Business Solutions ApS in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft Business Solutions ApS is a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Document published May 2005 | | |

For More Information

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For more information about Watermark Netherlands products and services, visit the Web site at:

watermark-

For more information about To-Increase products and services, visit the Web site at:

to-

For more information about Verhoef Access Technology products and services, visit the Web site at:

verhoef-alu.nl

“e-Con then delivers an automated precalculation, which we can provide to the customer quickly and efficiently. And we can re-use these models to deliver faster quotes in future.”

Michiel Soeters, Chief Operations Officer, Verhoef Access Technology | |

“The old solution was rigid, with limited navigation and drill-down possibilities. If you were in the purchasing module and wanted information about a supplier, you had to close one module, and open a new one."

Michiel Soeters, Chief Operations Officer, Verhoef Access Technology | |

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