Microsoft Dynamics NAV – the Right Solution for Company Development and Growth

“We recognized RECRO-NET as a reliable company to efficiently implement Microsoft® Dynamics NAV® in an extremely short time we had at our disposal. The experience has shown that it was a good judgment. A highly demanding project was successfully carried out in a fairly short time.” 

Prior to the implementation of the Microsoft® Dynamics NAV® solution, Alphacan LLC. used to operate in a local financial and accounting system, whereas a set of Excel tables were used for inventory records and sales documentation. Given the company’s development, the existing solution could no longer fulfill the needs of Alphacan as it was difficult to track business processes with an incompletely integrated solution. In addition, production tracking was entirely excluded from this system. The overseas Group reporting was complicated and pretty time-consuming. To resolve these problems and establish conditions for further company growth and Croatian business operations, the Company Management decided to have a new business system implemented.

Since one Group Member had already started to use Microsoft® Dynamics NAV®, the Management Board opted for this solution. The company began to look for an experienced implementer with sufficient resources, who would be able to implement the new business system in a short time. Since the company required tracking of business processes in the context of inventory, production and export-import, the company Board decided to entrust the implementation to RECRO-NET, as a Partner with sufficient resources and experiences in production and export-import implementations. The system accelerated business processes and enabled production and export-import tracking.

Business Situation

Alphacan LLC. is a member of French and Italian Group Arkema which operates Europe-wide. The company has been present in the Croatian market for ten years. It imports PVC profiles from for window and door production. It has also organized its production in , in which colored film (wood imitation) is applied to imported PVC profiles. The company employs 45 persons. The Customer used to operate in the local financial and accounting software, whereas a set of Excel tables were used for inventory records and sales and documentation. There was a lack of production tracking through the system, a lack of integration between operational tools, and it was getting more difficult to manage a host of different data. It was impossible to have an insight into the company’s business activities. It was also difficult to imagine production tracking without a well integrated system, as well as any serious business process management. Moreover, it was also difficult and time-consuming to report to the Group’s Board.

To resolve this problem, the company started to seek for an integrated, functional and scalable solution that would fulfill its current needs and facilitate further company development monitoring. One Group Member with its headquarters in the had already implemented Microsoft® Dynamics NAV® and it was certainly one of the factors that contributed to the implementation of this business system.

RECRO-NET was chosen due to its reputation in the business community, and also due to the fact that RECRO-NET has experience with business system implementation in this business segment, and with a specific number of productions.

The fact that RECRO-NET has a set of its own add-ons was also important, and in this specific case RECRO-NET export-import module was particularly interesting.

“We recognized RECRO-NET as a reliable company to efficiently implement Microsoft® Dynamics NAV® in an extremely short time we had at our disposal. The experience has shown that it was a good judgment. A highly demanding project was successfully carried out in a fairly short time,” said Miro Anesi, Director of Alphacan LLC.

Solution

“Even during the implementation, we had an opportunity to recognize all advantages of using an integrated business system like Microsoft® Dynamics NAV® in everyday operations. Due to efforts invested by Alphacan LLC. Employees and RECRO-NET Consultants during the implementation, we managed to achieve total functionality of all standard  Microsoft® Dynamics NAV® modules in a fairly short time, and after the go live operation specific business processes became considerably shorter, and everyday operations turned out to be more enjoyable,” said Josip Klasić, Project Manager fro Microsoft® Dynamics NAV® Implementation, Alphacan LLC.

Since the Group the company belongs to had already had some experience with the Microsoft® Dynamics NAV® solution, it was not difficult to opt for this global and reliable system. Given the planned company development and its introduction of production in , and a corresponding sizeable volume of export and import (the Croatian company produces for the needs of other overseas Group Members), it was also required to implement both production and export-import modules. In compliance with the technical guidelines of the Consultants and strong Management support, Alphacan Employees were quickly able to acquire all necessary know-how to work independently in the business system.

The implementation of the solution began in September 2008, the new go live solution became operational on January 1, 2009, whereas the delivery log was signed in early February 2009.

Alphacan implemented nearly all standard Microsoft® Dynamics NAV® 4.00 modules: General Ledger, Fixed Assets, Sales and Receivables, Production, Relationship Management, Procurement and Payables, Inventory, Warehouse Management, Resources, Human Resources Records, and RECRO-NET add-ons: Payroll, Export-Import, Treasury and Travel Orders.

The basic reasons for the decision to implement Microsoft® Dynamics NAV® were the following:

- Centralized and integrated solution to enable tracking of all business processes and effective business operations;

- Simple, prompt and effective report development, particularly concerning corporate reports for the Group’s headquarters;

-  A better insight into business data and business processes, and particularly business process tracking in production and export-import.

The implementation process included a project team of four people from all lines of business. During the implementation there were also other persons involved in the project when needed. The implementer had two permanent consultants of its own, whereas software designers were engaged according to the scope and dynamics required in the project.

Alphacan expressed its satisfaction with the solution implemented and professional implementation project management by RECRO-NET. The implementation of Microsoft® Dynamics NAV® was entrusted to RECRO-NET irrespective of other competitors as the Board estimated that it was the only company able to implement such a complex business system successfully in a fairly short time at its disposal.

Business Advantages

The decision to implement the Microsoft® Dynamics NAV® business solution resolved the issue of Alphacan IT system, which included financial and accounting software and Excel tables. It facilitated effective tracking of all business processes, particularly of sales, procurement, production and export-import.

Due to the new business system, Alphacan can communicate more effectively with its Customers, whereas report development for the Group’s headquarters is no longer time-consuming.

The implementation instantly facilitated the following advantages:

Savings

There are noticeable direct and indirect savings due to business process acceleration in procurement and sales. Effective inventory tracking resulted in business cost reduction.

Insight into Business Activities

Simple and prompt reporting system provides the Management with faster operational decision-making, whereas the Group’s headquarters reporting is automated.

Business Flexibility Enhancement

The implementation of the Microsoft® Dynamics NAV® has improved workflow management quality and flexibility in all business segments of the company.

Software and Services

Microsoft® Dynamics NAV®

-  General ledger,

-  Fixed assets,

-  Sales and Receivables,

-  Relationship Management,

-  Procurement and Payables,

-  Inventory,

-  Warehouse Management,

-  Production,

-  Resources,

-  Export-import,

-  Human Resources Records,

-  Payroll,

-  Treasury,

-  Travel Orders.

Partner

RECRO-NET LLC.