"Wholesalers may look alike at first glance, but no wholesaler is the same." Speaking is Erik Schuppert, managing director of Gerkimex. "In Logres, we found a partner who really understands our industry."

Gerkimex has been a wholesaler of seasonal items since 1999: nautical gifts, souvenirs, decorative materials and beach items. The products are imported from Asia and distributed throughout Western Europe. There are some 6,000 products or product variations, many of which are custom-made (white label) for the customer. Much of the collection is also changed and renewed every year. The company has been using Wholesale as its ERP system since 2017 and is still happy with that choice.

Wholesale handbook

When Schuppert was looking for a new ERP package starting in 2015, he came across several parties telling him what his business should look like "according to the wholesale handbook." It irritated him.

"Of course there are processes that run more or less the same for every wholesaler, but no wholesaler is the same. I quickly drop out when an ERP vendor only proclaims how the business processes should run in their system. Of course, you can't stick 100% to your "old" way of doing things. But only at Logres and Wholesale did I see real experience with various types of trading companies."

Only at Logres and Wholesale did I see real experience with various types of trading companies.

Coming from the IT world himself, Schuppert took an extra critical look at the ERP packages that came along. "It is constantly choosing whether you want customization, or are willing to adapt your process somewhat to the way the package is structured. You have to dare to be flexible to get everything out of it. Logres gave me input that really helped me. Tips and tricks that turned out to be valuable for the efficiency of the system."

Smart choices

From Wholesale, Gerkimex uses the modules for warehouse management, inventory management, purchasing, sales, administration and invoicing. During implementation, the director tried to make smart choices about the functionalities he did and did not deploy at his company.

"We are not a large multinational with thousands of transactions a day. Some things we can still handle manually just fine. For example, I value the fact that our order pickers, using their warehouse receipt, think for themselves about which route they take to pick things up. That helps them stay sharp and enjoy their work. It also benefits me. Besides, the administrative burden of maintaining a fully automated system is higher than the efficiency to be gained."

Warehouse personnel at Gerkimex, however, have to do some more administrative work since the implementation of Wholesale. "More work for them, but at the end of the process it provides so much added value and efficiency for everyone in the organization that it's worth it. And in the end, they benefit from it themselves, because they never run the wrong way for a package again. You have to explain that then, of course, before you introduce the system."

Procurement Assistance

Being part of the purchasing team himself, Schuppert had far-reaching requirements when it came to the system's assistance for purchasing. "Unit4 contained all the information I needed, but the overviews and dashboards did not combine exactly the information that was valuable to me. I then commissioned my website builders to develop some new dashboards for me that did provide me with the right information. With the help of Unit4's connectors and REST APIs, that's easy to do.

For example, I can now view the progression of an item over a longer period of time and use that information to make predictions for the popularity of that item in the near future. I also get notifications of items that have had previous complaints, so I can take that consideration into account in the choices I make as a buyer."

Energetic

Schuppert is pleased with the collaboration with Logres. "Look: an IT vendor can't get it right anytime soon, of course. But at least Logres is very committed and reliable. If I call the support department and someone is not immediately available, at least within fifteen minutes. I am always called back neatly and the problem is solved energetically. Everything is neatly recorded. It's nice not to have to chase this up yourself.

What Schuppert also appreciates is the way Logres thinks along. "The people at Logres know the system inside and out. If I once again come up with something that just really can't be done, they don't say "It can't be done" and leave it at that. I always get an advice of how it can be arranged. And after all, it's the end result that counts, isn't it?"

Can't" is not an answer at Logres. I am always advised how it can be done.

Rest

Wholesale has especially brought Gerkimex a piece of peace of mind, Schuppert believes. "We used to have to work evening shifts and even then we sometimes didn't manage to clear the peak. This system ensures that I can be with my children more often in the evening and that even in the peak season my order pickers can just go home at five o'clock."