Chinoh picks up the pace with Business Central as its new ERP platform

So the switch to a new ERP system wasn’t because the existing system had stopped working, but because Chinoh felt it was time to take the next step. “We’re certainly no strangers to digital progress, but we’d been stuck in the same rut with our ERP system for a very long time. At a certain point, you feel you have to make choices in order to move forward,” explains Josephine De Simpel, manager at Chinoh.

“The introduction of Peppol, the mandatory e-invoicing system, was a key catalyst,” explains Josephine, “but we also wanted to improve our reporting capabilities. We wanted quicker access to figures and reports, without having to rely on ad hoc searches or support from our ERP partner every time.”

Chinoh also faced an additional challenge: the migration to a new ERP system had a direct impact on Chinoh’s online shop. “As our online shop was directly linked to our current database, we had no choice but to migrate it as well in a single operation.” To this end, Chinoh opted for Marcando, an online shop platform that integrates seamlessly with Business Central. Today, the online shop and ERP are neatly connected:

• Orders are received directly in Business Central
• The origin of an order is always clear (online shop or sales representative)
• Manual work is significantly reduced

Josephine describes the migration itself as a “daunting and intense process” – and that should come as no surprise. An ERP migration affects every aspect of your organisation: from customer and product data to pricing, stock and accounting – everything had to be transferred correctly and synchronised.

“During the migration, we felt it was important to ensure that we transferred accurate data. That involved a great deal of manual work,” says Josephine. “We also had to regularly review our processes and consider whether we wanted to approach them differently and more effectively in the new system. In addition, testing, retesting and making adjustments took a great deal of time and effort. On top of that, there was the added challenge of the webshop, which also had to be migrated correctly straight away. Throughout this whole process, I tested a huge number of things myself and hunted for errors where necessary, but I also received a lot of help from the experts at Savaco.”

Step by step, the system evolved into a stable environment and the Chinoh team got to know it better. “Today – some six months after going live – we’re off to a good start with our new ERP system,” says Josephine, “and it’s becoming increasingly clear what benefits this intensive transition brings.” Chinoh is indeed seeing clear efficiency gains and greater control over operations.

• Faster order processing: the majority of orders are received automatically and simply need to be checked.
• Accurate pricing: customers and sales representatives immediately see the correct price in the webshop (including customer discounts and product discounts), thereby eliminating errors.
• Less administration: automatic reminders and smoother financial management save a great deal of time.
• Smarter product management: product data and photos are managed centrally and processed automatically.
• Invoicing via Peppol works and saves time.
• Smooth preparation in the warehouse: sales orders automatically generate an Excel export listing what needs to be dispatched in a given week.
• Better insights: reports are available more quickly and are practical to use.

A good example of this is: Josephine built a Power BI report herself, combining historical and current data. She linked this directly to Business Central, thereby creating a practical sales tool for the sales representatives. “This immediately highlights one of the major advantages of Business Central,” explains Josephine, “The system integrates seamlessly with the many other Microsoft tools we use.”

Today, Josephine looks back on the switch with satisfaction. The previous ERP system provided a solid foundation for Chinoh’s operations for many years. The move to Business Central is therefore not a radical change, but a logical evolution towards a platform that is ready for the company’s future. With integrations, automation and real-time insights, Chinoh now has a foundation on which to build further. “What are our future plans for our ERP system? Further digitising the warehouse is certainly on our wish list. It would be great to be able to reduce the number of manual tasks in the warehouse through scanning.” But even more important is the lesson Chinoh has taken away from the process: “Working step by step is the key to success, even if you think you have to do everything at once. First make sure your ERP and your data are fully under control, and build on that.”