EVAPCO Europe allocates 90% of its inventory to orders

End-of-life systems and fragmented data across different plants were holding EVAPCO Europe back from further growth. Cegeka to the rescue: our experts implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to centralize all data and boost efficiency and productivity. EVAPCO Europe can now allocate 90% of its inventory to orders – that's agility made real! 

From enhanced planning to simplified administration and data-driven decision-making – at Cegeka, we’ve made agility real at numerous leading manufacturing companies. 

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Reality check: outdated systems and scattered data

Since its founding in the US in 1976, EVAPCO has grown into a successful multinational with 20 factories around the world. “We produce high-quality evaporative cooling products for industrial refrigeration, air conditioning and industrial process cooling markets,” says Finance Manager Annelies Lambrechts. 

 “When our European HQ opened its doors in Tongeren in 1999, we took over all processes from the US. This worked well in the early days, but in recent years our plants in Belgium and Denmark were faced with end-of-life systems and scattered data, which in turn slowed down our further growth.” 

The real deal: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central 

To revitalize EVAPCO’s growth ambitions, Annelies and her team launched a pilot project in Belgium. They first mapped out their requirements: “We needed a modern, open platform that is compatible with Excel and available in multiple languages. Integration was key, as we wanted to roll out the platform to other European locations as well to centralize all our data across divisions and borders.” 

“Integration was key, as we were looking for a solution to harmonize all our data across divisions and borders.”  

- Annelies Lambrechts, Finance Manager, EVAPCO Europe

“Since the US had a preference for Microsoft Dynamics and Denmark was using Microsoft Axapta, it made sense to look for a solution in the Microsoft suite. After a thorough study of several solutions, we chose Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. The new ERP system supports finance, purchasing, warehouse management, and some features of the manufacturing process. We went live mid-2021, wrapping up things on time and under budget. There was even some budget left to optimize the platform in the future.” 

Agility made real: 90% of inventory allocated to orders

Soon after go-live, EVAPCO was already reaping the benefits of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. “Finance and order entry teams experienced considerable time savings in their daily workflows. In addition, we were able to set up an inventory warehouse that allowed us to allocate 90% of our items to orders. As a result, we can now make margin calculations and look for optimizations in data, which in turn unlocks more sophisticated insights into our data and markets.” 

“In the future, we aim to further refine warehouse management. For this we want to implement Tasklet Factory, a popular add-on for Business Central that translates all warehouse and some production processes onto a mobile scanner, which can also be used offline. But first, we must sort out our internal processes and get everyone on board.”

Real partnership: close collaboration from kick-off to go-live 

Once they had agreed on Business Central, Annelies and her team talked to a handful of vendors. “They all met our technical requirements, so we looked at the bigger picture. Cegeka came out strongest: they demonstrated extensive knowledge about our business and ensured close collaboration.”  

"For me, close cooperation is all about communication. Cegeka respects that: they have always been very open and honest with us about what’s feasible and what’s not.” 

- Annelies Lambrechts, Finance Manager, EVAPCO Europe

When implementing an ERP solution, expectation management is crucial. If we wanted to roll out our solution in the other European plants, we had to gain their buy-in as soon as possible. From the initial kick-off meeting to the go-live, key users from Denmark and Italy participated in monthly update meetings. During these meetings, we discussed our progress, difficulties we had encountered, etc.” 

Ready for the future 

The pilot in Belgium was a success. Annelies: “The project was embraced with great enthusiasm in Europe, and it even sparked the interest of our US headquarters. In the coming years, we plan to fully integrate manufacturing into Business Central with help from the US.” 

 “As a side project, we want to improve reporting. Right now, we can easily export data from our ERP in Excel, but some reports take a lot of time to create. Power BI would be a quick win to raise efficiency. And in the meantime, we’ll continue to support and assist the other European plants with their ERP projects. With Denmark’s ERP due to go live in 2024, exciting times lie ahead!”