We haven’t experienced any problems with the system in these six years. And if we were to hit a snag, we can always rely on our partnerTHOMAS BOVY - IT OFFICER , RENMANS GROUP
Renmans delivers fresh meat to its group of almost 400 butchers on a daily basis. To support these deliveries, abattoirs have to be able process orders quickly, and so Cegeka developed I-Fresh, an internal e-commerce module that automates the entire process.
Foolproof process from order to delivery
“Since we only use fresh products, everything has to move fast,” Thomas Bovy, IT Officer at Renmans Group, explains. This allows us to do everything on a just-in-time basis, as we can’t waste time with fresh products.” Renmans Group was looking for a way to automate the fresh meat ordering process and ensure a foolproof and fast process from order to delivery.
Renmans Group wanted to keep the strategic application as simple as possible for butchers who were not adept PC users. That’s why Cegeka provided a highly intuitive layout for I-Fresh, focusing on functional aspects, without excessive design features.
Clear and transparent ordering process
The I-Fresh application is an e-commerce module for internal use. All points of sale use it to place their orders. “Orders used to be placed by fax and we had different templates for each supplier, which resulted in a lot of administration,” Bovy says. “Now this process is fully automated, clear and transparent.”
The web application is simple and reliable. It creates more structure and allows employees to work more flexibly. “We can also create pivot tables based on the data and analyse them, which was impossible before. It provides the management with an overview of all the products sold for each branch.”
Better stock management and stock rotation
Users can send their orders much more efficiently. Thomas Bovy: “We often have promotions, which are displayed in the system. Each shop manager receives an overview, so errors in orders are almost impossible and stock rotation is optimised.”
“The consumer also benefits from the application. The different shops are better stocked and they receive the freshest possible meat products. Suppliers tell us that this makes their working process much smoother because orders are handled much more accurately, so the system benefits everyone.”
Renmans is a family-owned business, incorporated in 1978. Following rapid growth in Belgium, the company opened its first point of sale in France in 1989, under the trade name Henri Boucher. Luxembourg followed in 1992. At the end of 2014, the company has 383 butchers, almost all near Aldi stores. They have 296 butchers in Belgium and nine in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, as well as 82 in France.
Challenges
Automation of fresh meat orders
Optimised offering of fresh meats, tailored to each of almost 400 shops
Development of an application for employees with basic IT skills
Foolproof and fast process from order to delivery
Better follow-up of points of sale and suppliers
Results
Thanks to fresh meat order automation, Renmans Group can combine the orders for each point of sale in the best possi-ble manner. It allows the butchers to have an extensive and seasonal range of fresh meats available constantly in the differ-ent shops. The ordering process is much quicker and Renmans can provide bet-ter individual follow-up for the different shops, group managers and suppliers thanks to extensive reporting options.
