Exact Globe, Synergy, TruckVision, and WMS
Michelle joined Garage Verspui’s administrative department two and a half years ago. She describes the situation at the time: “We were already working with Exact Globe and Exact Synergy. By the time I joined, we were already starting to do a bit more with that. The warehouse was still running on the ‘old school’ AS400, which was set to be phased out. We were actually looking for a system that integrated directly with Exact—so that invoicing and inventory tracking could be combined with TruckVision. And that’s how we ended up with Exact and Alistar. We were already working with Relead for TruckVision, but now we could handle everything through them. We held off on that for a while at first, because we wanted to have the right people in-house for it, but when the AS400 was finally phased out, we went for it.”
Transition to a New System
“Michelle enthusiastically describes how the transition went: ‘After approving the proposal—for which, by the way, we brought in an outside party; I’m good with numbers, but I’m no IT expert—Bart Jager and Wim van Twillert from Alistar stopped by to introduce themselves. We discussed the project, and the plan was set. Everything warehouse-related has been updated. Inventory management is now fully handled in Exact, and WMS has been implemented. Our inventory write-offs are also linked to TruckVision, and we work with DAF. Alistar has implemented special modules so that our DAF invoices are linked correctly right away.’
Project Timeline
“How the project ultimately went can be summed up in one word: fast!” says Michelle. “If you ask me how the project went: at breakneck speed! We reached an agreement in December 2020, they got started in February, and we went live on March 15. In February, they first got everything set up behind the scenes; we didn’t have to do anything ourselves at that point. After that, the testing and training of our employees actually began. We really enjoyed those training sessions in particular. The consultant really took his time and was very clear and straightforward. Of course, we’re just a small team, but it was truly a great experience. Alistar had drawn up a project plan in advance, and based on that, my colleague and I also created our own schedule. That really helped us. So we were well prepared for the time it took.”
Collaboration Between Alistar and Verspui
To ensure the training sessions were effective, Michelle wrote the manuals herself so they would truly match the participants’ skill levels. She had an Alistar consultant review these manuals to make sure everything was correct. During the project, there was also a Microsoft Teams group where all important documents were shared and questions could be asked.
Michelle: “The Alistar project team and we were all in that Teams group. Everything was handled really well there. Because of the pandemic, we naturally did more via Teams than usual, but we never felt that this was an obstacle. The online meetings were also very pleasant.”
Michelle adds the following about the training sessions: “The training sessions were well-organized; there were many real-world examples, and for every bit of theory, we were given a practice assignment. This really made it tangible and clear what we needed to do.”
“I can do a lot more now—in terms of connections, calculating differences, and also working with the DAF couplings.”.
Michelle Leeuwis-Bouwman
Benefits After Implementation
Garage Verpui is up and running—the implementation is complete. What are the benefits? Michelle explains: “Everything! I can do so much more now—in terms of connections, calculating differences, and also with the DAF couplings— I have much better control over it, and the great thing is that if they run into a problem downstairs (in the warehouse/workshop), I can actually help them right away and resolve it. For example, if there’s an incorrect count, they know I can adjust it immediately. In terms of time savings, we still have a little way to go. The prices and items still need to be set up properly, so right now it actually takes a bit more time. This will be the case until the end of the year. Ultimately, it’ll pay off.”.
In total, two people in the warehouse work with the WMS, and three people in the administrative department—one of whom doesn’t use the WMS but does enter purchase orders and therefore deals extensively with inventory. Everyone is very happy with it.
Wishes for the Future and Tips
What stands out is the word ‘speed,’ which comes up several times. The project simply went very quickly and smoothly—Michelle is very clear about that. That’s what makes this project so special to her. To her, it makes sense that everyone internally contributed to the rapid go-live, but the implementation partner has to ‘cooperate.’ Mission accomplished.
She adds this tip: “We made a conscious decision to have the Alistar consultant train the guys on the shop floor as well. Invest in that. In the spirit of ‘fresh eyes bring new perspectives,’ this has really paid off. And we started with a small team; the rest eventually joined in. Another advantage is that I now know absolutely everything, from A to Z. I’ve been so involved, and I’ve learned so much from creating the manuals—that’s really great for me personally, but also for everyone else. And as for the future? Yes, I want to digitize the procurement process even further, but that’s really for later. For now, let’s just make sure we save time!”.
