J.R. Steindorfer decided on implementing Microsoft Dynamics NAV thus automating logistics activities and removing problems with multiple data input and subsequent verification. Now the company is able to perform more operations over the same period of time thereby increasing its turnover without increasing the number of employees.

J.R. Steindorfer was established in 1993 with a single truck as the Slovak branch of an Austrian company. The main activity of the company is international and national road freight transportation with Volvo as a major contract partner. Currently, the company has one hundred trucks and can be seen not only in the Slovak Republic but also in most countries across continental Europe.

Situation

In 2001, the company decided, in order to support the dynamics of its growth, to improve the efficiency of management by introducing a detailed information system.

The company had been using six different systems, providing for secure but labor-intensive access to information. Updating data stored in multiple locations was complicated and any changes led to repeated, mostly manual data entry thus resulting in poor productivity and a higher probability of errors. Creating reports was not flexible and failed to meet the requirements for the creation of documents. The systems for dealing with received and placed orders and receivables were separate with data later unified by hand in Microsoft Excel.

The customer required that the different systems be replaced by a single, unified system with a central application collecting all data and providing on-line management of warehousing and services.

Business Aims

The aim during selection of a new information system was to fulfill a strategic business plan based on:

• Active customer relationship management
• Cost monitoring and reduction
• More efficient use of resources
• Creation of a logistics process for the maintenance of vehicles
• Optimizing the management of warehoused parts with a link to the Swedish head office
• Increased usability of vehicles (automated online generation of reports on vehicles providing for evaluation of vehicle efficiency)
• Providing access to individual parts of application on the basis of defined user roles and rights
• Increased labor productivity

From the viewpoint of IT technologies, the following main aims were defined:

• Comprehensiveness and integration of the entire solution into a single unit
• A single common database of goods and customers (zero redundancy)
• Reduction of the influence of human factors through proper workflow and verification

Solution

In the middle of 2001, Gratex International performed a detailed analysis of the existing status, including all corporate processes, and noted that a thorough information system was necessary to fulfill the intentions of the company.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV represented a solution which with its flexibility, functionality and excellent price/performance ratio best met the needs of J.R. Steindorfer. An important feature was the ability to easily and quickly modify the product so as to cater to specific user requirements plus the openness of the system provided for interlinking with existing specialized software applications.

The system was implemented in two months. The customer accepted the proposed solution in October 2001 and by December 2001 the solution was accepted for live operation. The implementation included setup, adjustment, testing of standard and added functionalities, training of key and final users and preparation for operation. In just three months, six software applications had been replaced by a single system covering the functionality of all areas of the company.

Microsoft Dynamics NAV in J.R.Steindorfer covers:

• Entire logistics system, including all invoicing and logistics messaging
• Complete Volvo contractual service
• Warehouse systems – linked to the Swedish head office
• Linking the fuel station to the central system
• Monitoring of maintenance of all vehicles
• Monitoring of travel orders and business trips

Gratex International manages all its Microsoft Dynamics NAV implementation projects according to the OnTarget methodology which is a standard for the implementation of ERP systems. The entire solution is built on a Microsoft platform with Microsoft SQL server, Microsoft Windows server, and Active Directory installed. Microsoft Terminal Services are providing safe access to the system for remote or mobile employees via the Internet.

The implementation included development of two modules, specific to the area of maintenance and transportation:

Maintenance

Since the company offers its customers all standard maintenance and repair works on Volvo trucks, the solution contains direct sale of spare parts and a warehouse with the most frequently used service materials. The system provides the company with an ideal and unlimited ability to work with a high number of stock cards, totaling more than 85,000. In the case of more demanding requests, all items from the Volvo Truck catalog of original spare parts and accessories can be ordered immediately.

Transportation

J.R. Steindorfer owns a fleet of 42 tractor units with semi-trailers. The new solution of the information system includes a module for these providing for monitoring of the entire business process from the moment of initial order up to the invoicing and payment of transportation by the customer. For individual orders, all costs related to vehicle opera-tion can be monitored. On the basis of this data, individual trips can then be evaluated on a number of business-defined metrics.

Benefits

The benefits of the solution appeared immediately after the implementation of the system.

• The system provided for monitoring and immediate evaluation of business activities in real time (on-line reporting), providing for increased labor productivity and use of resources
• Repeated inputting of data was removed with all data in a single database
• The company is able to perform substantially more operations with the same number of employees
• The data within orders received and receivables are all interconnected
• Customer relationship monitoring improved
• Establishing warehouse stock levels became more efficient thanks to automated monitoring of sales and stock

Since the installation of the system, J.R. Steindorfer has tripled the number of their vehicles without increasing the number of employees. The new system provides for on-line information (without manual pairing of data from multiple systems) for improved decision-making and assistance in management activities.

The advantages of an open system are clearly shown by allowing the simple modification of business processes in order to keep up with and to propel a growing company.

Products and Technologies

• Microsoft products:
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005
• Microsoft Dynamics NAV (former Navision 3.70)
• Windows Terminal Services
• Microsoft Office
• Third party products:
• NAFTA – application serving fuel stations

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