Almost 100 years the company has been around. But in the last 20 years, Boorwerk has only really been breaking through internationally, resulting in associated challenges. Logres helped with ERP-based streamlining of key processes throughout the value chain. From purchasing and production planning, to order processing and invoicing.

A not insignificant role in the realization of Boorwerk's "process blueprint 2025" was played by linking Wholesale to Actemium's BasicLess warehouse management system.

Breakthrough

Originally, Boorwerk was a wholesaler of various tools sold in the Benelux countries. Around the year 2000, the company launched its own product line under the brand name ProFit. The innovative design and patented ease of use of the ProFit hole saws led to a worldwide breakthrough. This transformed Boorwerk from a Dutch wholesaler to an international manufacturer.

Harald Polak, CEO of Boorwerk since 2021 , says: "Such a change involves major challenges, including in the area of logistics. One requirement is paramount for us: we must keep our promise to the customer at all times.

Our production takes place at several global locations, with final assembly at our central hub in Almere. Here we also take care of the delivery. Ensuring both process control and efficiency throughout the chain, requires a complex alignment of processes where good automation is a core requirement."

Plug out

"While it may seem simple, in reality it is not. After all, ERP systems are not panaceas; even the best tool is dependent on the knowledge and skill with which it is deployed ... to mention a parallel with our own product," Polak smiles. "And in the area of warehousing, ERP by itself is simply not the right tool, but an extension is needed."

For this reason, long before the cooperation with Logres, Polak's predecessors had already chosen to implement a separate Warehouse Management System (WMS). Unfortunately, the chosen system turns out not to communicate well with the ERP package. Moreover, the party responsible for the implementation fails to achieve satisfactory results within a trajectory of several years.

Polak: "At some point I had to make the decision to pull the plug and start over. A disinvestment of literally tons. So this time we had to be 110% sure that the party we were going to go into business with would actually be able to deliver the project properly: on time, within budget and in line with the functional requirements from our process blueprint. In the end, we chose Wholesale partner Logres and Actemium's 'BasicLess' WMS system."

Quick results

Once Logres and Actemium start working together, things move quickly: within two months Phase 1 is up and running, with a basic functioning system replacing the old WMS. Whereby WMS now uses (as an important requirement) the same database as Wholesale ERP. Employees now register movements of goods with a hand scanner, virtually eliminating significant inventory differences from the past. A great relief!

The step after that takes longer. Because Boorwerk has ambitious goals when it comes to state-of-art traceability and process efficiency.

Enthusiastic customers

Says Polak, "In the end, we were able to realize almost all of our requirements, which led to a significant further improvement in the quality of our services. This is reflected in our percentages for on-time-shipment and complete-shipment. We have become much more efficient and have been able to reduce our workforce significantly. Our customers naturally notice this as well and are enthusiastic..."

That is what ultimately counts. When an international billion-dollar player recently declared us a benchmark supplier, and at the same time a top-three client in the Netherlands indicated that as far as they were concerned it simply couldn't get any better, we knew we were getting close to realizing our ambition. Leaning back is not an option for our team in such cases; rather, such statements give wings to perform even better!

Mission accomplished

The partnership with Logres has worked out well at Boorwerk. Polak: "Without Logres, we would not be where we are today. Their team has a unique mix of ERP technical knowledge and in-depth user knowledge. They immediately understand the underlying business case and do not hesitate to suggest a possibly better option. I strongly believe in leaving specialized work to people with the right expertise instead of reinventing the wheel.

In the case of Logres, this led to a solid implementation, precisely because of their good alignment and coordination with Actemium and KCS. After a year of intensive cooperation, we reduced the consultancy hours for efficiency reasons, and fortunately there was never any discussion about that.

To me, making yourself redundant is the ultimate mark of a good consultant, mission accomplished!"