Vepo Cheese - The transition to Dynamics 365: a future-proof platform for digital transformation

The trigger: Growth ambitions vs. outdated technology

Vepo Cheese, a family-owned company with more than 100 years of history, supplies cheese products to foodservice, retail, and industry in over 40 countries. Over the past decades, Vepo Cheese achieved its growth partly thanks to a self-built ERP system in FoxPro, called vBase. This system was flexible and tailored to its users.

However, vBase had grown organically over 30 years, with functionalities added upon user requests. The result: a complex, poorly documented “Christmas tree” of software, whose workings were largely known only to a handful of IT staff.

A major risk management concern was that Microsoft had discontinued support for this system years ago, knowledge of the programming language was fading among (young) developers, and integration with modern technologies like AI or Power BI was not (properly) possible. This posed risks in terms of continuity, security updates, and technical support, and offered little scalability. The need for renewal was clear: reduce risks and create space for growth and innovation.

Ed Brouwer, Managing Director of Vepo Cheese, explains: "It was actually a twofold situation: first of all, FoxPro was outdated and knowledge of this system and language was diminishing, and next to that, we had growth ambitions that required a modern IT infrastructure."

Choosing Dynamics 365 and Cegeka

After an intensive selection process, Vepo Cheese specifically chose Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP (F&O) and Cegeka as the implementation partner. "The decision to work with Cegeka was partly based on the people we trusted, such as the Solution Architect we met during the selection rounds. We were looking for a partner to guide us, and Cegeka’s directive approach and methodical guidance fit perfectly," Ed says.

"We consciously chose Dynamics with a large team (about 20 colleagues actively involved during the selection process) because we believed this platform had the most potential and because Microsoft, with all its developments, is a reliable partner for the future." - Ed Brouwer, Managing Director at Vepo Cheese

The implementation: a learning process with impact

1. Analysis phase and blueprint
The implementation began with a thorough analysis phase where Vepo Cheese, together with its advising project partner and Cegeka, mapped existing processes. The blueprint not only helped structure processes but also raised internal awareness.

2. Project approach
Workshops and domain sessions were organized. To maintain focus and facilitate the team, a separate project office was set up in a temporary rented building in Waddinxveen and later at the Bodegraven site. Here, Vepo Cheese employees, Cegeka consultants, and solution architects worked together. This physical proximity proved valuable for collaboration and knowledge transfer.

3. Testing and quality assurance
A key learning point was testing. Looking back, Ed notes that Vepo Cheese needed more support from partners and expected that: "We lost valuable time because we were searching for a reliable, effective, and efficient way to understand the new software, its configuration, and testing."

Eventually, they developed an extensive test set with more than 100 “happy” and “unhappy” flows. This thorough approach ensured Vepo Cheese could produce and invoice from day one without major disruptions.

4. Adoption and certification
The adoption and transition to the new system went surprisingly well given the scale of the change; from a fully customized FoxPro system to a standardized ERP platform. "Of course, there are always setbacks in a project like ours," says Ed. Not everything goes smoothly, and discovering all the new possibilities the system offers is part of the process.

The biggest challenge was letting go of old practices and learning to trust standardized processes. Vepo Cheese deliberately minimized customization, meaning employees had to adapt their processes to the system, not the other way around. "This largely succeeded. It’s truly a mindset shift," Ed continues. Still, in daily practice, working according to the new required methods remains challenging in some areas. Progress has been made, but there’s still work to be done, especially in improving insights into certain processes and data.

Vepo Cheese invested heavily in communicating the need for change: the old system was technically and strategically unsustainable. This urgency helped create buy-in.

Additionally, all employees, including management, had to demonstrate they could work with the new system through internal certification, fostering engagement and ownership. While resistance was limited, a major change like this naturally has an impact, and not everything goes as planned. "Although we achieved many improvements, compromises were also made. That’s part of a project like this and must be accepted."

5. Cultural change and self-reliance
The implementation also triggered a broader cultural shift. Previously, the IT department was highly supportive and initiating/ leading: employees turned to them for every issue. "Very understandable given the organization and the way we work," says Ed.

"With the new system, independence and self-reliance were encouraged. Employees learned to understand their own processes better and took more responsibility. We’re not there yet, but the chosen direction is clear and working."

Current IT landscape: a foundation for growth and optimization

After successfully implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, Vepo Cheese now has a modern, scalable, and integrated IT landscape ready for further digitization and growth.

ERP as the backbone
The new ERP system forms the core of the IT infrastructure and includes various fully integrated modules supporting Vepo Cheese’s end-to-end processes; from raw material purchasing to delivery and invoicing:

• Finance
• Logistics
• Planning
• Production
• Quality
• Purchasing
• Sales

Plans are in place to critically review existing customizations to reduce them where possible. While the existing MES system hasn’t been fully replaced, it is connected to the ERP via several interfaces developed by the internal IT team, which took more time than expected. These extra efforts were necessary to ensure production continuity during the transition.

Master data and “One Version of the Truth”
Another major improvement is the centralization of master data. Previously, departments managed their own versions of data; now there is one central source of truth, though further improvements are ongoing.

Future plans: Collaborate, optimize, and i nnovate

Partnership is a two-way street
The collaboration with Cegeka was generally positive, despite some team changes. Ed explains: "Criticism and trust go hand in hand. That’s why we evaluated the team and supplemented or replaced where necessary."

Continuous improvement via the Business Process Team and support structure
After the Go-Live, the project was handed over to Vepo Cheese’s Business Process Team, which plays a central role in future plans with three core tasks:

1. Managing updates and changes
2. Identifying and collecting requests from the organization
3. Monitoring and resolving incidents via the ticket system

The team emerged around the Go-Live and now forms the hub for system management and development. Cegeka provides support through its Application Managed Services (AMS) department.

Further optimization with Power BI & MES system
Vepo Cheese is working on further optimizations, including BI reporting and replacing the MES system. While Power BI hasn’t been fully rolled out yet, investments in BI tools have been made. The first dashboards are expected to go live in the fall, providing insights into production efficiency, delivery reliability, and financial performance.

The MES system replacement project has already started. The blueprint is nearly complete, and selecting a new MES solution is planned for the fall, with implementation starting early next year.

Innovating and growing
Now that the implementation of Dynamics 365 ERP is complete, Vepo Cheese finds itself at the start of a new phase with many ambitions. And a stable, scalable, and future-proof solution such as Dynamics 365 naturally contributes to this. This platform is a strong foundation on which Vepo Cheese can continue to build.