The Expectations of Dachziegelwerke Nelskamp at a Glance:
Goal: Standardization and Automation in the Construction Industry
„Our goal was to upgrade to Dynamics 365 Business Central, eliminate unnecessary customizations, and further optimize our level of automation. This was to adapt to the constant changes in the construction industry.”
The Results of Our Work:
Improvements at a Glance
- Working with the latest software version Dynamics 365 Business Central (including features like a web interface for field service)
- Highly automated invoicing process
- Streamlined time tracking process including data integration with payroll
- Optimized solution for the returnable packaging system (accounts for load carriers)
- Working with a flexible and intuitive EDI solution
- Diverse reporting capabilities
- Collaboration with a professional partner on an equal footing
Before the Collaboration:
Initial Situation: Dependent and Inflexible due to Old, Individualized Dynamics NAV Version
Three adjustments that we definitely wanted to keep were our freight order processing, picking, and engine database. A brief explanation: With freight order processing, we can consolidate and process orders into freight orders. With picking, we can enter and scan quantities via touchscreen, and with the engine database, we can quickly find the right replacement in case of failures. These modules were specifically tailored to our needs and only needed to be adjusted to work with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
Our production was/is also very complex. The same goes for invoicing. After all, we face price increases in the construction industry every two months. At that time, a lot of staff was tied up in this area, and some processes were inefficient and very time-consuming.
Another peculiarity is our pallet provision and deposit system. It is noteworthy that there is a difference between the provision and return price of a pallet. Therefore, managing the pallet accounts in the old system was very time-consuming, and we wanted a way to automate this process and ensure better traceability.
Regarding third-party applications, we worked with an EDI solution, where we were very dependent on the provider’s support. In this regard, we wanted more flexibility and the option to make small changes ourselves. Additionally, the maintenance of our payroll and timekeeping solution was expiring towards the end of the year, so we needed a quick solution for legally compliant payroll processing.
Finally, we hoped that the upgrade would allow us to quickly and easily create various reports.”
Challenges at a Glance:
- Highly customized Dynamics NAV system (some adjustments no longer needed)
- Complex production
- Complex invoicing (response to regular price changes in the construction industry)
- Complex pallet issuance and deposit systems
anaptis as Partner:
Search for a Partner: Successful Recommendation
The anaptis GmbH was the first company with which we held a personal meeting to get to know each other and discuss expectations and ideas. The impression was positive from the start, and we felt very comfortable. We particularly liked their approach. Instead of a four-week workshop including a detailed concept, anaptis conducts a workshop over a few days and works agilely. This approach suited our expectations very well, so we ended our search for partners after this meeting.”
Our Approach:
Implementation: Flexible Mastery of Challenges
The only concern was regarding the renewal of the item master. You should know that we have around 14,000 items, and our orders usually consist of 10 to 12 items. Most employees knew the item numbers almost by heart and only needed a few minutes for order processing. Therefore, there was a fear that processes would take longer due to the change. In response, we assured the team that we would adapt the new schema to the old one. This helped alleviate this concern.
Unfortunately, there were some delays on our part during the project. Of course, our project manager’s calendar at anaptis was tight, so he was needed in new projects. However, this did not harm our project’s success in any way. We were able to clarify all concerns directly with our project manager or the developers, which we greatly appreciate.
Overall, we are very satisfied with the collaboration with anaptis. We communicate on an equal footing and can exchange ideas very well.”
Overview of All Optimizations:
Which Products Are Used?
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is the ERP solution to integrate your departments.
Power BI
Power BI is Microsoft’s BI system that helps you visualize data and generate reports.
OPplus
OPplus is a tool for digital payment processing from our partner Continia.
TempVision
TempVision is a tool for ZDE/BDE, deployment planning, and access control from our partner Tempras.
Anveo EDI Connect
EDI Connect is a tool for data exchange (e.g., with partners) from our partner Anveo.
Payroll 365
Payroll 365 is a tool for payroll processing from our partner Infoniqa.
Comsol Multiship
Multiship is a tool for processing shipping transactions from our partner Comsol.
The Successful Outcome:
Result: Efficient Work through Automation
Our highly individual processes in the production area were completely developed in-house with custom programming logic. Our daily operations are accurately reflected here as well. In our invoicing, we were able to increase our level of automation by rebuilding the process together. Ongoing price increases are now displayed in a separate module, and our pricing is fully IT-supported and securely managed through Dynamics 365 Business Central.
Regarding our complex pallet system, anaptis suggested setting up pallet accounts. This provided us with an ideal solution for the pallet deposit system. Ultimately, with this module, we were able to automate the process. Now, different types of pallets and boxes are managed in separate pallet accounts with different issuance and return prices (taking into account the wear and tear fee). We can easily track how many pallets a customer has received and display a quantity-based balance per customer/customer group in sales orders based on pallet and price groups (statistics as a fact box in sales orders). Additionally, correction or post-processing is possible via a journal.
In addition to Dynamics 365 Business Central, we also use several other tools: We parted ways with our previous EDI solution and introduced Anveo EDI Connect. The app is very flexible and allows us to program and customize minor details ourselves. For example, we can now create mappings for partners and adjust them according to guidelines. Additionally, we introduced the time tracking solution Tempras TempVision in conjunction with uniform time tracking terminals at all locations. This transfers our time tracking to Dynamics 365 Business Central, and it can even automatically continue with the data in payroll accounting. Regarding the expiration of maintenance for the payroll and salary solution, we switched to the Payroll 365 app from Infoniqa and can rely on legally compliant payroll processing. Additionally, Comsol Multiship is used for shipping processing (transport, label creation, shipping planning, package pickup), and OPplus is used for managing open items in financial accounting.
We optimized our reporting using Power BI and can now quickly generate reports without needing to program them or export them to Excel.”
Thanks to the upgrade project with anaptis, we can now adapt to the changing conditions in our construction industry and achieve more with less effort.
Lukas Kurig, IT Manager, Dachziegelwerke Nelskamp GmbH
May We Introduce:
Automated Processes for Dachziegelwerke Nelskamp
Dachziegelwerke Nelskamp are one of the leading manufacturers of roofing materials in Germany. Their core range includes roof tiles, roof shingles, and accessories, as well as highly efficient solar technology in recent years. The customers include hardware stores and roofing wholesalers (B2B). The company was founded in 1926 in Schermbeck, North Rhine-Westphalia, where the headquarters are still located today. The company now employs approximately 500 people and operates at five locations. They have been our client since 2019.
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