An International Engineering Company Optimizes Project Administration

Transcription

1 DEERNS RAADGEVENDE INGENIEURS BV An International Engineering Company Optimizes Project Administration Deerns Raadgevende Ingenieurs BV is one of the leading engineering companies in the Netherlands. Its clients include architecture firms, project developers, property investors, government departments, construction companies, project management companies, and other building construction organizations. Since implementing Microsoft Business Solutions Axapta, project managers at Deerns have been able to track projects more closely, and maintain a tighter control over project progress and expenses. The company has also used Microsoft Axapta to optimize its Customer Relationship Management, and can now more quickly and easily process hours worked and expenses for employees, whether they are on-site or remote. We chose Microsoft Axapta because of the functionality of the solution. All modules met our wishes. The ability to set up Microsoft Axapta ourselves and the consistency in the figures were the deciding factors Leon van Dartel Financial Controller, Deerns Raadgevende Ingenieurs BV

2 CUSTOMER PROFILE Deerns Raadgevende Ingenieurs BV is an engineering company based in Rijswijk, the Netherlands, that develops from the first concept to detailed design and construction management the technical and technological infrastructure of buildings and related facilities. BUSINESS SITUATION Deerns needed to replace their legacy system with an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution that could give the company detailed control over the administration of large, complex projects. Furthermore, the solution had to cope with the change of currency between the Dutch guilder and the euro. BENEFITS Better control of projects Centralized registration of hours Customer Relationship Management PARTNER(S) Pylades VERTICAL INDUSTRIES Engineering COUNTRY/REGION Netherlands, The AUDIENCES Business Decision Makers SOLUTION DESCRIPTION Deerns implemented Microsoft Business Solutions Axapta, with project management and CRM functionality, as well as a Web client and other customizations made by PYLADES, the Microsoft Certified Business Solutions Partner. 2 MICROSOFT BUSINESS SOLUTIONS AXAPTA CUSTOMER EVIDENCE

3 Situation Deerns Raadgevende Ingenieurs (Deerns Consulting Engineers) is an engineering company based in Rijswijk, the Netherlands, which specializes in planning new buildings or the renovation of buildings and building complexes. Deerns s business is based on completing projects, and balanced project administration is therefore essential to the company's success. We must have a good overall picture of the course and planning of projects available to us at all times, from precalculation to post-calculation and invoicing, says Leon van Dartel, Financial Controller at Deerns. In order to make that happen, a simple and rapid hour registration system is indispensable, as it forms the basis for our invoices. With the legacy enterprise resource planning (ERP) system Deerns had been using for eight years, the company could not link acquisition hours directly to a project or handle the change of currencies when the Netherlands switched from the guilder to the euro. Even worse, Deerns's software provider withdrew support for its solution. We simply had to switch to another solution, says Leon van Dartel. An important condition was that we wanted to place the project administration directly with the project managers. Project administration was always a part of the financial administration, which is carried out centrally. Deerns needed a project administration system that could be used throughout the entire company and connect with future hardware and software platforms. The engineering office had already switched over to Microsoft products. We had Oracle software we had developed ourselves, which ran on UNIX machines. Because by then we no longer had any Oracle developers with us, the maintenance and problem-solving was contracted out. That cost a lot of money, and that s why we want to phase out the use of Oracle and work toward standard solution, says Leon van Dartel. Solution Deerns had already drawn up an extensive list of requirements for its ideal solution. Of the original ten possible suppliers, only two were given the opportunity to provide a demo and a workshop. After evaluating the two final contenders against each other, Deerns selected Microsoft Business Solutions Axapta. We chose Microsoft Axapta because of the functionality of the solution. All modules met our wishes. The ability to set up Microsoft Axapta ourselves and the consistency in the figures were the MICROSOFT BUSINESS SOLUTIONS AXAPTA CUSTOMER EVIDENCE 3

4 deciding factors, says Leon van Dartel. Because we were able to give Microsoft Axapta our own look and feel, our personnel quickly accepted the new solution. According to Leon van Dartel, Deerns has realized three clear business advantages by using Microsoft Axapta. First, all personnel can process their data directly by logging into the central server at the headquarters through a Web application, so finance can immediately post the hours. Second, project managers have insight into the progress of projects. During a pre-calculation process, the project managers attribute a number of hours to a given project. The system gives a warning as soon as those hours have been used. The project manager can follow the progress of the project and can reallocate resources if necessary. Third, effective customer relations management provided by the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) functionality. The old solution at Deerns did not have CRM, which meant that address lists were in different places, and there were five or six different names for the same customer, often with the wrong contacts. Now contact information is centralized in one database. Deerns customized its solution together with PYLADES, its Microsoft Certified Business Solutions Partner. We chose Microsoft Axapta because of its flexibility, says Leon van Dartel. What's more, the solution is very user-friendly. Each user group has its own menu, so they don t have to waste time with unnecessary menu options. PYLADES linked Novell GroupWise with the CRM module and our traffic. Microsoft Axapta is also integrated with Outlook. Even with 300 staff members who use our solution, Microsoft Axapta is fast, especially compared to the other solutions we ve run. 4 MICROSOFT BUSINESS SOLUTIONS AXAPTA CUSTOMER EVIDENCE

5 resources when necessary to keep the project on time and on budget. Deerns wants to expand its solution in the future with a module for project planning. Leon van Dartel explains, Then we can immediately plan our personnel in a project, and we immediately post those hours in their schedule with GroupWise. Then everyone has the definitive schedule, which in turn helps us better coordinate the activities. Benefits BETTER CONTROL OF PROJECTS Microsoft Axapta gives project managers insight into the status of projects they run. The ability to analyze progress against goals lets managers re-allocate CENTRALIZED REGISTRATION OF HOURS All Deerns personnel can register their hours remotely using a Web client. The information is recorded in the central database of Microsoft Axapta, and is instantly available to the Finance department, which can then invoice the customer if necessary. CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT Microsoft Axapta CRM consolidates customer and contact information in the one central database. The information can then be accessed and updated by the Sales department or any authorized employee. The end result is more information for customer-facing employees and better service for customers. Microsoft Business Solutions offer integrated business applications and services that allow small and midsize organizations and divisions of large enterprises to connect employees, customers, and suppliers for improved efficiency. The financial management, customer relationship management, supply chain management, and analytics applications work with other Microsoft software, including the Microsoft Office System and the Windows operating system, to streamline processes across an entire organization. This gives businesses insight to respond rapidly, plan strategically, and execute quickly. Microsoft Business Solutions are delivered through a worldwide network of channel partners that provide specialized services and local support tailored to a company s needs. For more information about Microsoft Business Solutions, go to: MICROSOFT BUSINESS SOLUTIONS AXAPTA CUSTOMER EVIDENCE 5

6 FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) Customers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) in the United States or (905) in Canada. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to: For more information about PYLADES products and services, call (0294) or visit the Web site at: For more information about Deerns Raadgevende Ingenieurs BV s products and services, call tel. +31(0) , fax +31(0) or visit the Web site at: This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Axapta, and Outlook are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.