Full-service provider
Globetrade focuses on the creation, development, production and distribution in the field of ‘Collectible Toys and Games’ across various business areas (promotions, loyalty, and retail), while offering a wide range of additional services. Vertommen explains: “We offer a ‘turnkey’ solution for all promotional campaigns, where we set ourselves apart by adding extra value at the campaign and/or product level. We develop complete concepts, handle the storytelling, and prototype the products ourselves. To do this, we have in-house designers and equipment such as 3D printers and laser cutters. In addition, we offer a comprehensive logistics solution and manage all ‘Safety & Quality’ aspects. In this way, we provide service and build trust with our clients from the very start of a project.”
Facing Challenges Head-On
Vertommen admits that the past few years have been full of challenges: “Agility was key here. The political situation, declining purchasing power, wars, and the COVID-19 pandemic have posed challenges to our business. Fortunately, we responded well by tapping into new markets and focusing on sustainability. We are now expanding our sourcing efforts, both in the Far East and in Europe, and we are shifting more production from China to Europe.”
”In addition, professionalizing, digitizing, and automating our internal work processes was essential. Digitization was a challenge, especially internally, but it was necessary to improve our efficiency. With a An ERP system that is suitable for our business We wanted to centralize all our activities, integrate data, and automate processes. This allows us to work more efficiently and better meet our customers” needs. However, we knew that implementing an ERP system would be a real challenge, given the flexibility required to meet our customers’ diverse expectations.”
The Bible
Marie Baert, CFO and head of the group's financial management, was one of the driving forces behind the rollout of Business Central.
“This project began several years ago with the question: ‘How can we optimize our internal organization, and how can we gain greater insight into our business performance?’ We then mapped out all our business processes and analyzed them—both ‘as is’ and ‘to be.’ These findings were compiled into a document we refer to internally as ‘the Bible.’ This document served as a guide to determine which ERP package best aligned with our processes and needs. The decision to choose Microsoft Business Central was made quickly, since, as an ERP system, it offers us a modular approach. This allowed us to customize and configure the system based on our specific needs.”
BC from start to finish
“Our goal was to build an IT ecosystem that includes the optimal combination of various tools, such as ERP, add-ons, Power Apps, CRM, and SharePoint. “Keep it lean and mean” and maximum automation were always our focus.” We have now integrated everything we need into Business Central—including CRM, project management, and finance—and set up reporting via PowerBI. We have since implemented Business Central in six of our companies: Globetrade Deluco, three foreign entities, ISPS, and Jacob Company.”
We have now integrated everything we need into Business Central, including CRM, project management, and finance, and we have set up reporting through PowerBI.
Finance
A key objective for the group was to optimize financial processes, Baert explains: “We used to use a standalone accounting program. Now everything is integrated and automated. This starts with the sales team, which enters and manages opportunities in the system. Once a sales opportunity is confirmed by the customer, that won opportunity is converted into a project. Based on this information on the project card, purchase orders and sales orders are created, and logistics are coordinated accordingly. From a financial perspective, it’s a major advantage that everything is integrated and that our cash flow is automated. Because all information and data are now centralized in a single system, we have complete insight into the figures and can perform project analyses.”
Project Management
The products and services that Globetrade offers and develops are fully customized to the client’s needs; there is no set product line. Project management is very important in this regard, and it is essential to be able to effectively monitor all projects.
“In Business Central, we do this using project cards, where all the data for each project is collected. Based on that, we create purchase orders for suppliers and sales orders for customers. These project cards provide a single, comprehensive overview of all the information in Business Central. This is incredibly useful for centralizing all revenue and costs and tracking them analytically. We now have much greater insight into profitability.”
Contract Module/Licenses
“As a partner of Disney, Hasbro, Mattel, and others, it’s important that we can easily manage our current licenses. All the information is compiled on the item card and is automatically included in sales orders and sales invoices, among other things. We then extract this data from the system using Power BI, which allows us to accurately prepare our royalty reports and create forecasts for our licensors. This way, everything is easy to track.”
Prepayment Module
“In the past, foreign non-SEPA payments were entered manually into ISABEL. This manual process increased the risk of errors and was not ideal from a security standpoint. To solve this problem, Alistar designed a ‘Prepayment Module’ in Business Central for Globetrade.
This module allows payments to be initiated directly from the project card. As a result, payment batches are generated from Business Central and loaded into ISABEL, eliminating the need for manual entry.
Since all payments are now recorded via this module on the project cards, reporting is easy, and we always have an automatically updated cash flow through PowerBI. This gives us insight at all times into advance payments, balance payments, outstanding invoices, and more—all broken down by project and by supplier.”
Power BI
At Globetrade, Business Central is combined with Power BI, which gives users access to extensive reporting and analysis capabilities. “Thanks to Power BI, we now have a much better understanding of our performance. We’re working hard to make business information accessible to all employees. We want everyone in the company to be able to use it, which is why we’re strongly committed to Power BI end-user training.”
Advanced SharePoint Integration
SharePoint is also seamlessly integrated into Business Central at Globetrade. “In the past, all project information was stored on the server. By using SharePoint, there is now a link between the project information in Business Central and additional documents such as contracts, supplementary logistics information, etc. When a new project is created in BC, a SharePoint site is automatically generated based on the project type, where all documents are stored, shared, and edited. Version control can be easily managed on SharePoint.”
Integration M365 apps
“Teams, Excel, and Outlook are also integrated, allowing us to work seamlessly in Teams without leaving Business Central, and to easily export information to Excel when needed. Sales invoicing is fully electronic, as sales invoices are created in BC and sent electronically to the customer via Outlook. All communication with the customer regarding the sales invoice takes place via a separate Outlook mailbox. This streamlined process also helps speed up the payment process, which benefits cash flow.”
The Importance of the Right Partner
Implementing an ERP system is often a challenging process. That is why it is crucial to work with a reliable and experienced partner. Baert emphasizes: “Above all, a partner must understand our business operations and how we work. Alistar fully understood our needs and the solutions we were looking for. All shortcomings were identified and resolved. Moreover, we were able to count on a skilled implementation team that worked closely with our key users.”
“We’ve been live for two years now, but an ERP system remains an ongoing process. Using the ERP software has shown us that some work processes or workflows need to be adjusted. Similarly, when our business operations change or when we respond to new opportunities that affect our ERP system, Alistar remains our ‘go-to guide’ to support us with such challenges.”
At Globetrade, great importance is also placed on internal training for employees, because ultimately they need to feel comfortable using the software. “With comprehensive training sessions and manuals, everyone is brought on board with this process. We take many matters into our own hands and work hard to optimize our user experience.”
Our team is here to help you!
With extensive experience in the wholesale/VAD sector, we’re happy to help you find the right solution.
Alistar is a Microsoft Certified Partner and has a team of experienced business consultants, engineers, and experts who are happy to guide you every step of the way. Our goal is to ensure that your ERP project runs as smoothly as possible.
