Hortiplan, a supplier of greenhouse horticulture systems, switched at the time to Microsoft Dynamics NAV in combination with the Gservice solution from GMI, which is now part of Alistar. The result: a surge in growth that would not have been possible without the new system…
Thanks to our new software, tracking service requests now takes just 5 minutes instead of 2 hours, leaving more time for coordination. This improves the quality and efficiency of our 24/7 service.
Kristel Machtelinckx, Operations Manager
No more manual labor
At Hortiplan, internal business processes such as inventory management, purchasing, project planning, service management, and invoicing were handled in a non-integrated manner. Although there was an ERP system, employees also used various Excel files and spreadsheets, a separate scanning system, and a time-tracking system.
Furthermore, the various departments each operated in their own way. Not surprisingly, there was little oversight, and a great deal of time was wasted on manual administrative processes.
With Dynamics NAV (now Dynamics 365 Business Central) and Gservice, Hortiplan now has a centralized IT system where all knowledge and information is stored. Everyone follows the same standard processes, and manual work and duplication of effort have been eliminated.
Enabling Business Growth
“Hortiplan is an ambitious company that wants to continue growing. That was very difficult with the old way of working,” said Kristel Machtelinckx. She joined Hortiplan in 2015 as operations manager and conducted an audit of the existing IT operations. The audit report supported the decision to invest in a new ERP system and to seek an IT partner for that purpose.
“I already had experience implementing Dynamics at another company, so I was familiar with the benefits of the technology,” says Kristel Machtelinckx. “We also made a conscious decision to choose Microsoft technology and a Microsoft Partner because of the assurance of continuity. Moreover, every Microsoft technology partner focuses on one or more vertical markets, allowing them to build very in-depth knowledge in those areas. You don’t typically find that kind of expertise with other ERP systems. Finally, Dynamics is also an open system, which makes it possible to have customizations implemented if they’re truly necessary.” When selecting the most suitable IT partner, Kristel Machtelinckx searched within the Dynamics partner network for a specialist in project management and service management for installation companies.
“The team at Alistar (then known as the GMI Group) provided a realistic assessment of the project and its budget from the very beginning. That pragmatic approach instilled confidence in their expertise. Of the three potential partners, it was clear from their very first presentation that they could meet our organization’s needs because they are familiar with the nature of our activities. The project went very smoothly from there.”
Impact at all levels
The ERP project at Hortiplan was, however, quite complex. After all, the need for a new system came from various levels within the organization: management, which required accurate, readily available information and financial data, and the users themselves, who wanted an efficient system to quickly carry out their daily tasks. Moreover, all of these elements had to be integrated.
The results were quickly apparent: “With Dynamics combined with the Gservice solution, we can process our outgoing invoices much faster,” explains Kristel Machtelinckx. “That used to be a major pain point because customers sometimes had to wait up to six months for their invoices. Now we can process invoices very smoothly on a day-to-day basis because Gservice combines all the necessary information.”
Mobile ERP app
In terms of logistics, Hortiplan is saving a significant amount of time in the warehouse thanks to the integrated Dynamics solution: “In the warehouse, we use MobileNAV, the Dynamics app that Alistar implemented for us. Warehouse staff scan the materials so that the inventory information in our ERP system is always immediately up to date. We also use MobileNAV to track service hours abroad and to send service orders directly to technicians. This allows us to monitor our technicians” work hours on a daily basis and ensures very fast payroll processing.”
We now have a more accurate overview of our inventory, which allows us to pick items for new orders more quickly
Measurable results: more billable hours
The result of this increased efficiency is even measurable: the number of non-billable hours for service orders has dropped from 25% to 10%, and the goal is to reduce that figure even further to 5%. “Thanks to our new software, tracking service orders now takes just 5 minutes instead of 2 hours, leaving more time for coordination,” says Kristel Machtelinckx.
“This improves the quality and efficiency of our 24/7 service. Now that we’re spending less time on manual data entry and repetitive administrative tasks, every job has effectively been taken to the next level. For example, two of our purchasing staff can now focus on other tasks that add value. This allows them to better monitor suppliers and make more consolidated purchases. As a result, our purchase prices have decreased by 15%.”
IT Partner as Part of the Team
Alistar provided the basic training for Hortiplan’s employees; further training was then conducted in-house. Kristel Machtelinckx: “Alistar was on-site with us about one day a week for a year. During that time, they truly became part of the team. A financial bonus was that they came in well under budget. Implementing a software package naturally brings about a lot of change, but we were aware of that from the start. We therefore drew on their experience to create a very change ”to go through this process within Hortiplan and thus prepare ourselves for a new leap in growth."
Our collaboration with Alistar went very smoothly. We were grateful to be able to draw on their specialized expertise, especially within a complex organization like Hortiplan, which combines service, production, and projects.
We will now move on to a number of additional solutions, including a scheduling tool. Later, we also plan to develop a track-and-trace system to monitor our service team even more quickly.
