Implementing a new ERP system is already a major undertaking. Meanwhile, the Dentalair Group opened a new warehouse and introduced a new WMS system. And as if that weren’t enough, the organization continued to grow through acquisitions during the project, and the scope expanded along the way.

Nevertheless, Dentalair went live with SAP Business One within nine months. This new foundation aligns with the organization’s international growth as well as the major strides being made in logistics.

Time for Growth

The Dentalair Group provides comprehensive support to dental professionals from A to Z—from complete practice furnishings and dental chairs to maintenance and consumables. These services are becoming increasingly international. Dentalair is part of the Proclinic Group, and more and more sales and logistics activities are being organized centrally from the Netherlands.

The Dentalair Group had been using AccountView for years, but that software package no longer met the company’s evolving needs. The volume of order lines and packages had become too large; integrating new companies required a more scalable foundation; and the desired reliability and service levels called for greater certainty for the future.

SAP Business One turned out to offer exactly what the Dentalair Group was looking for: a standardized and scalable ERP system that can easily integrate with new subsidiaries and other software systems, and that ensures reliable service delivery well into the future.

Take a look first

Before making a final decision, Wouter Polet wanted above all to see how SAP Business One performed in practice. That’s why a reference visit was organized to Oriental Holding Europe, known for Amazing Oriental.

There, Dentalair spoke with Patricia Sjauw. The situation was familiar: multiple locations, a large-scale warehouse operation, and various systems that need to work well together.

“Of course, you can spend endless hours watching presentations, but I just want to see how it works in practice. At Amazing Oriental, we were able to draw parallels with our own situation in so many areas. That gave us confidence.”

Be sure to read the customer story from Oriental Holding Europe / Amazing Oriental

Short lines

We had already been in contact with Logres several years earlier, and during the new selection process, the name came up again.

“Logres isn’t a large organization, but it is a very stable partner. I love that! Clear agreements, short lines of communication. After all, an ERP system is the lifeblood of your business. If something goes wrong there, your entire business comes to a standstill…”

That direct approach to collaboration continued throughout the implementation. The project management team stayed closely involved in the process, and according to Wouter, the consultants were clear about what was needed.

Three projects

The complexity lay mainly in everything that was happening at the same time. In addition to the transition to SAP Business One, the Dentalair Group was working on a new warehouse in Breda and a new WMS system.

Initially, these projects were closely linked. But in the meantime, the organization continued to grow. New companies were brought on board, which further expanded the scope during implementation. As a result, more data had to be migrated, the number of integrations increased, and systems were already having to handle a greater workload during the process.

Wouter: “That’s not really what you want during a project like this. Normally, you try to keep the scope fixed. But reality doesn’t wait for your ERP project to be finished.”

Still, SAP Business One went live within nine months. “With everything else going on at the same time, I think that’s a really impressive achievement.”

Hats off

Wouter particularly emphasizes the dedication of his colleagues. In addition to the implementation, day-to-day operations, growth, and acquisitions continued as usual.

“The pressure on our people was truly enormous. Two major projects, day-to-day operations, generating revenue, and continuing to grow all at the same time. That they managed to pull it off—hats off to them.”

During peak periods, even the entire management team pitched in to help out in the warehouse—not only to provide extra hands, but also to experience firsthand how the process works on the shop floor.

“Then you spend a day walking around with one of those scanners yourself and see what challenges people face. Picking orders for eight or nine hours is pretty demanding. Not just physically—you also have to stay focused!”

New foundation

Now that SAP Business One is up and running, the focus has shifted from implementation to further improvement. The quality of the available information is improving, and new orders are now flowing smoothly through the system.

The way we work is changing as well. Whereas the old system allowed for incomplete data entry, SAP Business One requires clean master data and clear processes.

“In AccountView, you could sometimes just leave a field blank and still move on. That’s no longer possible. And to be honest: it can be frustrating at times, but it’s also a good thing and really necessary to get the master data in order and keep it that way.”

According to Wouter, this change is part of the professionalization process the Dentalair Group is undergoing. The organization is evolving from a family business into an international player, and that comes with different requirements for processes, data, and responsibilities.

Continue building

The coming period will focus primarily on stabilization: further organizing master data and ensuring the new warehouse in Breda is fully operational.

The next step follows. Starting in 2027, the Dentalair Group will assess each foreign organization within the group to determine whether it can be connected directly to SAP Business One or will operate via interfaces.

The company also has high ambitions in the area of logistics. Through extensive automation, Dentalair should eventually be able to process a much larger volume in the same warehouse.

“Once everything is set up the way we’ve planned, we could theoretically quadruple our size in the same space. That’s what I call serious scaling up.”

A great partner

Looking back, Wouter cites openness, transparency, integrity, and quality as Logres’s key strengths.

Wouter: “With a project of this scale, things never go exactly as planned. Logres’ added value became clearly evident when things got challenging. Could they adapt flexibly and maintain the pace? Logres succeeded with flying colors.”

According to Wouter, Logres’ added value lies not only in its technical expertise, but also in its understanding of what such a change requires of an organization and its people. With Logres as a partner, he looks forward to the next steps with confidence.

“Logres is there when you need them. When I look at how quickly they took care of things and how we worked it out, I don’t think we could have done much better. I’m just really happy with the result—and with the collaboration.”

www.dentalair.nl