Integration 8 min
More control over your logistics process? Connect our TMS to your ERP system
Many large companies have their IT infrastructure in order, yet still plan manually in Excel. Technical director Marinus Brink explains why, and how an integration between ERP and TMS works, using the case of steel company Meever & Meever.
The missing piece of the puzzle
Do you want more control over and insight into your logistics process? Then a modern planning system is anything but a luxury. Yet there are plenty of companies where this piece of the puzzle is still missing. We are increasingly approached by large parties who have their IT infrastructure well in order, but still plan manually. All kinds of business processes run through a handy ERP tool, but the planning? That is still in Excel. Filogic co-founder and technical director Marinus Brink is happy to explain why this happens. Of course he also shares the solution, and he does so using our recent case with Meever & Meever. Let it inspire you!
A complex IT infrastructure
Marinus: “Whereas for small to medium-sized transport companies our TMS really offers a complete solution, for larger organisations our software is sometimes only one component within the entire IT infrastructure. They already use all sorts of systems, each with its own expertise, and they work according to a certain input. Do you want to expand this or connect it to another system? Then you have to make sure that the input and output of all those systems communicate with each other. That is often difficult and a lot of work. You are constantly transforming and enriching data to make it fit within the existing infrastructure. Partly because of that complexity, there are still plenty of transport companies that do not use a modern planning system.”
The integration project
Because our Transport Management System uses only open standards, it is highly flexible and we can simplify integration projects like these. Marinus: “A good and recent example is our project at Meever & Meever: an international company specialised in the production, storage, distribution and rental of steel products. Worldwide, Meever & Meever has subsidiaries that work in different ERP environments, but for which a single transport plan applies. So they asked us the technically challenging question of whether we could integrate these different environments into one planning solution.”
The ERP system
With an ERP system you manage all kinds of business processes, but the software is not specialised in planning. That is why Meever & Meever approached us in early 2022 to ask if we wanted to help with the piece of the puzzle that was still missing. Marinus: “In their ERP they handle order management, purchasing and the invoicing process, among other things. But the planning part was still done in Excel. At a certain point that no longer works, of course, certainly not at a company of this size.” So we got to work for them. Step one was to map the current information flows. Marinus: “Because while you solve that one piece of the puzzle, you obviously do not want to negatively affect the rest of the existing operation. You must not break anything during such an integration process. That is often the biggest challenge.”
Mapping the data flows
“That is why we started with an extensive data analysis. We looked, for example, at which data in the ERP system became relevant for planning and at what moment. And we asked ourselves whether, based on that data, we were able to create and schedule transport orders. But we also looked at ownership, for instance. Who owns the data at which moment? This is very important when you work with different systems. When is the data yours? And when may someone else change it? You have to make clear agreements about this. In addition, we developed a distribution portal, which has since become an add-on for our TMS. Meever & Meever works with various depots across Europe. The employees who work there need access to our TMS to see exactly which deliveries are coming in. They want to track when the delivery arrives and digitally sign freight documents once the cargo has been delivered.”
Building and testing
Marinus: “Once all the data flows had been mapped, we started building and testing the integration. In the ERP environment we gave data the status ready for transport, after which it reaches our TMS via file exchange. The software then schedules the transport order, and as soon as the order has been delivered the data automatically goes back to the ERP system. There you can see exactly when the order was delivered, who the executing carrier was, what the transport costs are and so on. With all that information the ERP system can, for example, calculate the P&L (profit and loss), send invoices and produce reports.”
The result
Marinus: “The process before we could start building and testing went fairly smoothly. In that phase it is very important to sit down straight away with the right people. Think at the very least of someone who knows how the IT infrastructure is put together, someone who knows the internal business processes well and someone who understands the impact in practice. With those three people together you can create great solutions. So that is what we did, and around the summer the company went live step by step. By now it has been running as intended for quite some time. They were at our office recently and we talked about the time savings it brings them. For Meever & Meever, manual planning is firmly a thing of the past!”
Want to plan automatically too?
Do your business processes also run largely digitally and automatically, yet you still plan manually? Then be sure to take a look at our TMS and get in touch to discuss the possibilities.
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