“In 1999, I took the helm of what was then still called Metaalconstructie Vancoillie,” says manager Michel Verbrugge. “The year 2000 was just around the corner, and the risk of a total shutdown of IT systems due to the so-called ‘millennium bug” was on the minds of many business leaders. One of my first concerns? Checking whether Vancoillie’s IT system would survive the turn of the century. It soon became clear that our IT partner at the time couldn’t guarantee that.”
A flawlessly functioning IT system is the backbone of any healthy and growing business. That is why the IT infrastructure has been a top priority ever since I became the manager.
Michel Verbrugge, Manager
“It was a good decision, judging by our growth figures. In 2003, we moved the company from Zillebeke to the Ypres industrial zone and expanded our facility from 1,600 to 6,900 square meters. Revenue rose from 1 million euros in 1999 to 6 million euros in 2018.”
In addition to a reliable IT system, effective follow-up is also a crucial factor in securing the future of U-Parts. With the arrival of Céderic Windels in 2012, that piece of the puzzle has also fallen into place.
Succession Guaranteed
“After completing my studies in Business Administration, a job at a metalworking company wasn’t immediately an obvious choice,” Céderic adds. “But with a self-employed welder as a father, I caught the metalworking bug early on. So I was eager to find a job in the world of building and construction. At U-Parts, it was a perfect fit right away.”
The combination of Michel’s experience and Céderic’s youthful enthusiasm quickly proved to be a winning team. “Céderic immediately found his footing as production manager and grew into a key figure at U-Parts. That’s why I gave him the opportunity to become a shareholder in the company. Céderic accepted the challenge, and in doing so, I achieved a personal goal. Because at age 55, I succeeded in securing the future of my company.”
MetalManager and Business Central: One Centralized System
“We’re now working together to further grow our business. Céderic is in charge of production, and I handle administration, sales, and accounting. Together with Alistar, we’re working hard on the future of U-Parts. Our first joint achievement: a new server setup.” “After the hardware, we’re now tackling our software,” Michel continues. “We definitely want both hardware and software from the same IT partner. There’s no better way to avoid compatibility issues. So our two separate software packages for production and accounting have been replaced by a single, centralized system: MetalManager, integrated into Microsoft Dynamics Business Central.”
Céderic: “As SME business owners, we’re deeply rooted in the metal industry. As IT novices, we therefore place almost blind trust in our IT partner. Alistar quickly proved to be completely worthy of that trust. Over the course of nine months, we worked with Alistar’s experts to implement MetalManager. It was an intensive period that required significant effort from both sides. That’s where Alistar’s greatest strength lies. Their staff takes the time to conduct a thorough analysis and is fully committed to a long-term strategy—a vision we share with them. And that creates a strong bond.”
Special add-on modules – fully customized
“Our ERP system is now live and is truly revolutionizing our business operations. Order information and production data are now stored in a single, centralized system. This makes it easy for us to track our orders from purchase to delivery. We also use MetalManager to access other data, such as material consumption.”
Michel: “Alistar develops specialized modules for the metal industry. This is no luxury when you consider that we produce about a thousand orders every month. From small metal parts to large welded assemblies—so this is by no means standard production. And we do this for an extremely diverse customer base. Multinationals, machine manufacturers, or the local farmer who urgently needs replacement parts. They all have one thing in common: they demand fast and efficient delivery. The big challenge for Alistar? Understanding what we do, knowing how we work, and sensing what our customers want. Metal Manager—the specialized module integrated into Microsoft Dynamics Business Central—meets that requirement.”
From Industrial Requirements to IT Language
Michel: “Alistar is an IT partner that grows alongside its clients. That’s an ambition I really appreciate. That’s why I recommend Alistar to others. The worst thing that can happen to a company? An IT partner that keeps treading water without a vision or drops out overnight and leaves you high and dry. Our negative experiences with our previous partner have made me realize more than ever just how important this partnership is.”.
“We recently had to deal with a severe thunderstorm, which caused our IT system to crash. When I called Alistar’s help desk early in the morning, I actually got the big boss himself on the line. He listened to my story and reassured me with the words ’consider it done.‘ In no time at all, we were up and running again. And that’s how it should be. This is what we expect from a reliable IT partner.’.
In addition to improving efficiency, Business Central also saves us time. That's because its many automation features have eliminated a great deal of manual work.
Céderic continues: “So our path forward is clear. Together with Alistar, we will roll out our ERP system even further and use it more extensively across the various departments. Currently, our accounting, order processing, and production are all running on the system.”.
”Tomorrow, we also want to integrate purchasing, supply chain, and warehouse management. And that will only be possible if Alistar continues to expertly translate our industrial needs into strategic IT solutions—a task it has so far accomplished with flying colors.”
