Arriving in stores before the competition, meeting delivery deadlines and maintaining high levels of quality with maximum logistical efficiency are requirements they know well. As a multinational, Impetus needed to have a centralized and localizable system for the various countries in which it has a direct presence. It decided to invest in a multi-country, multi-language ERP capable of meeting the requirements of the fashion sector.

Solution

Microsoft Dynamics NAV, associated with Pebblestone Fashion, met a number of relevant requirements for Impetus. It was multi-country, multi-lingual and locally supported, so it could simultaneously respond to the need for global standardization and the ability for each subsidiary to work in its own language. On the other hand, it responded to the need to manage collections, pre-sales and the processing of products in terms of color and size.

"We work with a matrix of colors and sizes, in which each product can have several different sizes and colors associated with it, which is essential for this type of industry. Pebblestone Fashion allows us to respond to this reality without any problems," says Serafim Fonseca.

With a common system in place at the head office and its subsidiaries, several things have changed. There is now a single database of products, customers and orders, which can be accessed by the different branches. The sales business processes (Presales and Repetitions) are now accessible to salespeople at the branches in Portugal, Spain and France via their mobile devices.

This solution was implemented using the Dynamics NAV web client and IMPETUS has gained enormous value from it:

– Errors are now minimal;

– Possibility of selecting the products available, with no room for changing references;

– Easier response to customers;

– Immediate integration of orders into the central system at the head office, eliminating the need to wait for the cutoff date to determine the quantities ordered by the market;

– Total elimination of paper.

In terms of logistics, order processing was also centralized in a new central warehouse at the head office, which now distributes orders from the different subsidiaries directly to the end customers. This last point has had a major impact on the business as it has reduced delivery times to customers.

"Before, we had warehouses in different countries, where orders were sent in bulk to be redistributed to customers. We had heavy logistics and lost two to three weeks on this process. As we know, time, service and meeting deadlines are critical factors in this business," stresses Serafim Fonseca. He adds: "Following the investment in Microsoft Dynamics NAV, we receive orders from the subsidiary indicating who the end customer is, the delivery date and the address and we send them directly to the customer on behalf of the subsidiary. This has reduced not only errors, as it has eliminated intermediate processes with manual intervention, but also delivery times, because there is no volume packaging for subsequent unpacking."

In addition to this, the system provides, through the Intercompany module, that when the order is dispatched, the invoice is immediately issued in the name of the corresponding subsidiary, simultaneously giving rise to an internal invoicing process for the subsidiary. At the same time, centralization in a single warehouse has made it possible to change the process of managing own stock. It is now managed centrally, allowing products to be delivered to those who are actually selling the most. The results are a reduction in risk, a potential increase in product output and a reduction in overall stock.

Finally, and still in terms of the warehouse, added value was brought about by investment in Microsoft technology, with total computerization, based on the integration of the myWMS Warehouse Management solution developed by myPartner and fully integrated with Dynamics NAV, eliminating the need for paper. Serafim Fonseca explains that there is a back-office process that manages the orders to be sent, and the system itself suggests deliveries based on a set of predefined criteria (delivery date, customer priority, service level by product/color, ...). From this simulation, this information is sent to PDTs (Portable Data Terminals) in the warehouse. Using these mobile devices, the operators pick up the goods, following the instructions provided to locate them with the optimum route (aisle and shelf). As the goods are dispatched, they come out of stock, are packaged and are ready for delivery. Previously, the process was manual and paper-based. EDI integration with your largest customers is guaranteed.

Benefits

The ERP change was finally accompanied by the centralization of the IT support infrastructure at the head office, with access from the various countries via the web. Dynamics NAV is now the integral support for the entire commercial and logistical cycle of the IMPETUS brand operation. In addition, the accounting/financial support of the different subsidiaries was also managed in Dynamics NAV. Salary processing for everyone in Portugal is now carried out in Add-on NAVHR, also implemented by myPartner. The project made it possible to close the local warehouses in the various subsidiaries and centralize the entire logistics operation at the head office. This operation has reduced costs and increased efficiency, thanks to the ability to manage deliveries to the end customer from a single point. The Intercompany module allows centralized management of all logistics and commercial operations, but at the same time the management of different legal issues by country in the financial areas. Several operational processes were repeated by subsidiary (product creation, sales maps by collection and others) and are no longer necessary, as a result of sharing the same information in the same database.

 "We are satisfied with the investment, which has met our expectations and allows us to support the evolution of the business," says Serafim Fonseca.

myPartner has been a Microsoft partner for the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics integrated business management systems since 2004. Trust in our know-how.

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"The investment in NAV has allowed us to have a centralized warehouse and deliver directly to the customer."

Serafim Fonseca