34
CASESTUDY
POUPART LEADS IN DISTRIBUTION
WITH DYNAMICS NAV SYSTEM
To improve control of management information and enable better
business decision-making based on accurate, up-to-date data, Poupart
turned to Tectura to deploy Microsoft Dynamics NAV.
B
ased in Broxbourne Hertfordshire, Poupart is one solution ensured strong integration with the rest of our IT
of the UK’s largest suppliers of quality fruit and a infrastructure and Tectura, with their excellent methodology,
host of other products to multiple retailers and disciplined and thorough approach and industry expertise,
Microsoft
independents. were simply head and shoulders above the rest.”
Dynamics NAV
“We are the interface between hundreds of fruit Microsoft Dynamics NAV is at the heart of the
has allowed
growers worldwide and some of the UK’s biggest solution, which also includes Microsoft BizTalk Server and
supermarkets,” said Robin Dawson, Poupart � nance Microsoft SQL Server, standardising business processes
us to provide
director. “Without timely and accurate information, we across the group. The company wide project involved
category
can’t promise them what produce they will receive and 80 users in � nance, sales and marketing, category
management
when. We simply can’t afford to make mistakes.” management, technical, operations and purchasing. In
Rapid advances in supply chain management addition, Tectura installed Microsoft Commerce Gateway
and promotion
technology meant Poupart’s systems were under to automate the exchange of data with the supermarkets
planning
increasing strain. Operating disparate and siloed systems using electronic data interchange (EDI) and, with the pack
much more
for � nance and sales order processing, forecasting, stock houses and growers, via a web-based XML application.
planning, promotion planning, and market share analysis Poupart can now see the exact stock situation at each
effectively,
compounded problems caused by forecasts arriving by pack house using Microsoft BizTalk Server. Once the stock
and in a much
e-mail, fax or telephone. has been assessed, a shipment order is instantly available
more joined
In addition, supplying fresh fruit is only part of the to the pack house. 100% of shipment order con� rmations
service Poupart provides to its customers. “Our business are now being returned to Poupart and received into
up manner,
changed a few years ago when the supermarkets asked Microsoft Dynamics NAV automatically.
than we were
us to manage categories as well as supplying fruit,” said “Our buyers know, to the day, exactly what each
ever able to do
Laurence Olins, Poupart executive chairman. “Now, on grower is forecasting and, because the suppliers have
behalf of our customers, we manage wastage at shelf direct access to our system, our processing overheads
before
level and manage targets for achieving gross pro� ts and have been reduced and the re-keying errors have been
increasing sales.” eliminated,” Dawson said.
Poupart began researching solutions that could deliver As a result, Poupart can monitor each shipment
reliable and accurate information for effective sales, and return exactly, enabling more accurate planning. In
stock control and promotional planning – the business addition, Poupart is now able to draw on an increasing
processes key to Poupart’s success. bank of historical data, thereby enhancing its category
It chose Microsoft Dynamics NAV, delivered by management service. “Microsoft Dynamics NAV has
Tectura, a Microsoft Gold Certi� ed Partner. “We looked allowed us to provide category management and
at the � nancial status of all the vendors, the track record promotion planning much more effectively, and in a much
and expertise of the partners and, of course, how we more joined up manner, than we were ever able to do
felt about working with them,” explained Matthew Butlin, before,” added Olins. “In the year after implementing
Poupart IT manager and project manager. “The Microsoft Microsoft Dynamics NAV our sales increased by 35%,
with no additional headcount,” he added.
Poupart is now using the latest version of Microsoft
Dynamics NAV, version 5.0, to exploit new functionality.
As well as the upgrade itself, Tectura helped Poupart
expand its usage so all transactions are now lot-tracked
through the system at consignment line level, allowing for
better traceability and reporting.
Poupart was last year selected for the Microsoft
Customer Excellence Award for Distribution Leadership
because of its innovative use of Microsoft technologies
to deliver measurable bene� ts to its organisation and
customers.
RETAIL TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2009
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