Fepco International (Europe) NV is a leading player in the import and distribution of quality plywood. Fepco's headquarters are located in Kampenhout (Belgium), but they source globally. They do so in countries including China, Indonesia, and Brazil. With an impressive turnover of 35 to 40 million euros and a dedicated team of 8 people, Fepco positions itself as a key figure in the wood industry. ‘The Supplywood Specialist’ is therefore not just their company baseline.
To process an annual volume of over 100,000 cubic meters of quality plywood, Fepco places high demands on its ERP system. The old system no longer met the expectations of their rapidly growing company. Scapta to the rescue!
The challenge
The old system Fepco used in the past, Navision, lacked essential updates and support. Naturally, this led to inefficiencies and a growing need for a more advanced solution. Therefore, in 2014, Fepco switched to the latest version of Navision, along with their then-current supplier. This first challenge was successfully overcome!
From on-premise to the cloud
But Navision 2015 was also an on-premise solution. As the digital world accelerated more and more, Fepco also quickly saw the benefits of the cloud. “It wasn't necessary to switch to a cloud environment, but as a company, we didn't want to fall behind as we had in the past. We wanted to keep up so we could avoid unpleasant surprises and be ready for the future at the same time.” clarifies Dirk Wielandts, Financial Director at Fepco.
Scapta's solution
In early 2023, Fepco decided it was time for a change. After a thorough evaluation, they chose scapta as their partner for their digital transformation. Positive past experiences with one of scapta's consultants and a good company fit were the decisive factors for them.
“The choice for Scapta was primarily based on their expertise in Microsoft technology and the spirit that thrives in the workplace. They have the ability to provide reliable and personal service, which really convinced us..”,
Dirk Wielandts, Chief Financial Officer at Fepco.
The benefits of Business Central
Scapta implemented a new ERP system, Business Central, which once again represented a huge leap forward for Fepco. Due to Fepco's international aspect, some customization was required. For example, all legal documents and certificates are now also digitized, and foreign currencies are automatically settled.
The implementation of Business Central also resulted in:
- Digital invoice processing with OCR and Peppol
- 3-way matching of the procurement process (Purchase order, -receipt, -invoice)
- Better tracking of cleared and uncleared goods
- Stock management improvement At 3PL: improved registration and overview of inventory at third-party logistics providers (3PL).
- Lot tracing for commodity items, What helps with tracking specific batches of products
- System for registration and follow-up of term contracts Foreign Exchange
- Detailed margin statements for sea freight, duties, storage costs, etc.
- Improved reporting for sales market and supply area
In summary, Fepco can now work with a fully digital workflow for all departments in one central location and automated cost calculation. Talk about efficiency!
Implementation
The transition to the new system was challenging, but overall it went smoothly. With a hard deadline of April 1, 2023 – because it's the end of the fiscal year – the project was completed on time, and without jeopardizing business operations. Just a few days after ‘go live,’ Fepco was immediately fully operational within the new system. In other words, the customers never noticed a thing.
“It's also a big advantage that Business Central is positioned within the Navision family. Even though it's a cloud-based ERP system, it remains a recognizable way of working.”explains Dirk.
Collaborating in a warm, collegial atmosphere
Not only Dirk is enthusiastic about the collaboration with scapta. “All employees are full of praise. Thanks to the technology and the ability to react quickly, we are always up to date. For example, we have constant visibility of our inventory, which is spread across various port companies.
All Scapta employees are committed, and we feel it! For example, we can not only rely on our own Scapta consultants, but the helpdesk also offers a super personal service. We know that there are people there who really get a grip on the problem; we are not a number or a ticket there. That gives us a reassuring feeling. All employees at Scapta are so helpful; it is genuinely one of the partners we most enjoy working with.”