Within six months, Fresh Mushroom Europe (FME) changed from a company in which processes were driven by paper orders, into a company in which all processes are supported by and registered in Microsoft Dynamics with SI Foodware AGF. Quite a change for the international cultivation and trade company for mushrooms, but also quite a change for Schouw Informatisering, which took the job.
“Previously, not everyone worked with the software,” says Nick van Dun, financial controller for FME. Computers were hardly worked with, especially on the production floor. That has now completely changed. Everyone works with the new software daily now, and besides, RF scanners are now in use within the company, and these gather data that they load into the software to secure the logistical process. With a wide range of fresh mushrooms, FME supplies its products to retail and food service.
New system
“Mushrooms are a wonderful product,” says Els Verburg, quality manager for FME. Thanks to the growing number of flexitarians, sales of mushrooms are rising. The product is often used by people who “choose to go without meat for the day,” Els explains. Besides the cultivated mushrooms, FME also supplies wild mushrooms. The market for that product can be found in Europe. “The advantage is that the new software is quite obvious to me as quality manager,” Els says. “The system has many advantages from the point of view of food safety and traceability.”
About three years ago, the search for a new software package started. “We did not work with a complete ERP system, but we mostly used software for the financial administration,” Nick says. Because the company is growing, and the increasing importance of traceability, a new software package was searched for. Eventually, the implementation of complete solution Microsoft Dynamics with SI Foodware AGF was started during the first week of May 2016. In six months, the complete ERP system was installed and taken into use with very little customisation.
Persevering
“It went very well,” says Mats Jacobs, consultant for Schouw Informatisering. The project was done with a team of four permanent members. “To keep customisation to a minimum, it is important that everybody — both project team and managers — stays focused on good support of the company processes. You can then see that we can do a very successful implementation with our standard SI Foodware AGF solution. The project team met on fixed days to work on the project. This focus ensured a good speed and quick results.”
“When you start, you have to finish the entire process,” Mats continues. “Within the fresh produce sector we often have to deal with the seasons. You don’t want to interrupt the season and then pick it up again after a few months.” Despite the technical problems that would result in because everyone involved would put their focus elsewhere for a few months, it is also unwise from the customer point-of-view. “You have to implement the entire administration into the system. If you take a break from that, you have to start all over again,” Els says. New products, changes in debtors or customer data, it all has to be updated in two systems as long as the implementation lasts.
Automation of the production floor
Not much was recorded in computer systems on the production floor. Now, all the production lines have been equipped with screens, and the hand scanners record every step in the process. “The implementation on the production floor always takes longest,” according to Mats. “The office workers are often already used to working with software. The fact that we did everything at the same time this time, both in the office and on the production floor, made this project into a fun challenge.”
Because not much had been automised yet besides the financial parts on the shop floor, Schouw Informatisering could take the lead in this. “That’s a nice way to work, because the customers puts much faith in you,” Mats says. Els adds: “We sometimes thought we had to adjust our production process, but that was not the case in the end.” Nick is also very positive about the cooperation: “When you’re working together this intensely, it is important to click. You have to work in a short timespan, so you need everybody’s dedication.”
Expanding the package
That FME has two branches that each have their own way of working, made the challenge even bigger. “For the implementation it was important to keep all the people together, FME’s efforts in that really helped.” Now, the two branches are working together within the same software package, although there is still some space to cover the differences between the locations. The system is operational in both of these branches, so they can start thinking about expanding the software. Quite a number of topics are still on the table, including the realisation of a cultivator’s portal.
“We are therefore calling it a learning system,” Els says. “By working with it, you discover more and more possibilities.” Mats can confirm that principle. “When a customer is working with the software, they’ll be much more aware of all of the possibilities and of what they want from the system, simply because they’ll have more knowledge it.” To stimulate that learning, Schouw brings together customers and third parties in the Food Community. Experiences can be exchanged there. “Customers then discover that the problems they experience also occur with other companies. That way they’ll gain trust in the solution,” Joris Kolff from Schouw Informatisering concludes. “Besides, we are also working with the Food Community to further develop the software.”
More information:
FME
Els Verburg