automotive extra

44 Hands-on testing for operational excellence The Cosmo Consult Group, Europe’s biggest Microsoft ERP partner, has tested a preliminary version of the latest ERP release Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2016 – along with its own additional solutions – for a client company. RKB Karosseriewerk GmbH in Döbeln assessed the software under everyday conditions as part of Microsoft’s Technology Adoption Program (TAP). Vehicle body manufacture has been the core field of expertise for RKB Karosseriewerk GmbH since 1929. On request, the company provides everything from a single source from its own production site: steelwork and body construction, glass-reinforced plastic mod- ules, full interior fittings, paintwork and system integration. Based in the town of Döbeln in the German state of Saxony, RKB Karosseriew- erk GmbH has been focusing to an increasing extent on special-purpose vehicle engineering since German reunification. Today, it presents a broad product range: box bodies for ambu- lances, security vans and armoured trucks, expedition vehicles, camper vans, commer- cial vehicles, refrigerated trucks and logistical vehicles feature alongside special-purpose vehicles such as outside broadcast vans, mobile command vehicles, police cars and film service vehicles. “We aim to cover our basic capacity levels through so-called Deliveries, by which I mean parcel vehicles for the big logistical businesses,” explains Patrick Taube, administrator and IT officer at RKB, who with 100 of his colleagues helps to generate some €12 million annually. Combating rigidly RKB first installed Microsoft Dynamics NAV 4 as an ERP system back in 2005, along with a number of sector-specific solutions from the Cosmo Consult Group. The supplier of busi- ness software solutions based on Microsoft Dynamics – and a specialist when it comes to serving the manufacturing industry, pro- ject-oriented service providers and the supply sector – then replaced a software package from a Dresden-based company (a PPS-only program including warehouse administration and some sales functionality). “We looked around to see which system on the market was best suited to us,” recalls Taube. “Dynam- ics NAV with added solutions from our IT part- ner seemed to be the software we needed.” Over time, however, a great deal of individu- al programming made the system rigid and inflexible. Then in March 2015 Cosmo Consult, by that time Europe’s biggest Microsoft ERP partner, offered the vehicle body manufacturer the chance to participate in the Technology Adoption Program (TAP) and modernise its ERP system with the latest version of Dynam- ics NAV 2016. “Taking part in TAP was an attractive idea for us because we had some influence on the product as a user,” reveals Taube. As part of the TAP scheme, Microsoft involves selected ERP partners and users in the design and development of a new soft- ware generation at an early stage. The part- ners and users participating in the programme then work together to evaluate the everyday practicality of the latest ERP technologies. Focusing on the essentials “Together with the extra solutions from Cosmo Consult, the many new functions of the standard NAV 2016 version cover all our business processes – and there’s no need for any additional programming for adapta- tions,” says a delighted Patrick Taube. The setting up of mobile data recording and the introduction of Microsoft Dynamics NAV were given the green light in May. Workshops for key users from all departments began in the same month and continued into June. “Four weeks before going live on 1 August, I had a working database that I could use for test- ing,” says Taube, recalling the final phase. Mr. Taube was particularly impressed by the speed and reliability with which the IT partner was able to undertake the complex upgrade and reengineering project, with re-implemen- tation of the mobile solution. “For me, the fact that we were able to realise the project in less than four months was a clear indicator of the expertise of our IT partner as well as the highly sophisticated technology of Dynamics NAV 2016 and the additional solutions,” he states. He was also struck by the individual possibili- ties for users: “In my view the system has not just become more attractive visually but also easier to use – it’s virtually intuitive. Users soon see how easy it is to adapt the role-based interface to their particular needs.” Warehouse staff, for instance, need to know where certain items are at all times; they can now include this function on a tab which appears as soon as they open an article card. It is also possible for users to define the size of the function but- ton. “Beforehand you would be overwhelmed by information. Now everything is effectively boiled down for day-to-day working situations, so there is a focus on the essentials,” says the IT officer, comparing the old and new systems. Images: © RKB Karosseriewerk GmbH