ERP Simplifies, and Supports Global Growth for Equipment Manufacturer

Jansen Poultry Equipment (JPE) updated its business systems by implementing and integrating several To-Increase solutions with the ERP system, Microsoft Dynamics Business Central (previously NAV). The solutions have made it possible to simplify the management of manufacturing projects, maintain consistency in running efficient processes, and make current project and financial information easily available. Today, Jansen Poultry Equipment is in a much better position to meet customer requirements, control costs, and manage the company’s global growth because of them.

Jansen Poultry Equipment (JPE), a manufacturer of poultry housing systems, breeder systems, and other equipment that serves customers worldwide, had run its business for ten years without updating its older version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV. As the company grew and won many more customers, the ERP system and other, disparate technologies were no longer efficient in managing the operation.

Working with To-Increase’s and one of its authorized resellers, JPE implemented Microsoft Dynamics Business Central in integration with several solutions from To-Increase:

• Advanced Job Management
• Manufacturing Integraton
• Resource Management
• To-Increase Connectivity Studio
• To-Increase BC Anywhere

Today, approximately 100 JPE employees use the Industrial Equipment Manufacturing solution

“For our people, the To-Increase solutions and Microsoft Dynamics = present a single, unified software environment with a consistent user interface and easy navigation,” says Martijn Haverkamp, Finance Director at JPE.

“With full control over all of our projects, we never have any failures anymore,” says Kees Achterberg, Production Manager at JPE. “That is a result of the workflows and the easy availability of all pertinent information. Today, we can perform reliable forecasting and budgeting in every project. The solution helps us generate the best returns from our investments.”

JPE managers use the ERP solution’s business intelligence capabilities in many areas, including helping maintain inventory at optimal levels. Haverkamp explains, “We can analyze all current business data and see which projects we will complete this month, what their margins are, how a quarter compares to the same quarter last year, and what our growth looks like by country. That also is a great help in planning our efforts in supporting dealers and driving sales worldwide.” JPE managers across the company’s business groups review all planning, financial, shipping, and customer contract information pertaining to manufacturing projects in a single resource. “From calculating costs, to planning materials, to looking up production updates and shipping status, all of us benefit from being able to see current, complete information,” Achterberg adds. “When we performed large projects with many scheduled deliveries in the past, it could take 10 to 12 hours to locate and correlate all the information. Today, employees save that time and can spend it more productively on other tasks.”

In addition, with complete and reliable information, JPE can make more realistic commitments to customers. By viewing information in the To-Increase and ERP solution, JPE’s sales associates can immediately resolve customers’ inquiries regarding order status, shipping, invoicing, and other information. “We can consistently fulfill our delivery promises to customers and, when they call, provide reliable updates without making them wait. That is a marked difference in customer conversations,” says Achterberg.