De Groot International signs contracts to implement Microsoft DynamicsTM NAV and SI Foodware®
‘We can further expand our strong position in the market through our collaboration with Schouw Informatisering'
Etten-Leur, 2 November 2007 - The international fruit and vegetables distributor and service provider from Hedel, the Netherlands, De Groot International BV, has signed contracts with Schouw Informatisering to implement Microsoft DynamicsTM NAV in combination with SI Foodware®. Raymond Kriekaard, Finance Director, explains: ‘We chose Schouw Informatisering because they have knowledge and experience in the Fruit & Vegetable sector. They understand our problems and they can offer suitable solutions to solve them.'
Strong international position
In the past 25 years De Groot International has built up a solid position in the international fruit and vegetable market and the organisation now employs 110 people. The processes at De Groot International consist of ripening products, packaging, and transporting with their own fleet of lorries and trailers. And all this is done so that deliveries meet the client's exact requirements. Kriekaard: ‘Clients demand quality, so this is why we are BRC Higher Level, ISO-9002 and HACCP certified and we have a team of qualified controllers who continually ensure the quality of the products and the organisation.' Care and attention are of paramount importance to De Groot International. This is necessary to build up and maintain long-term relationships with suppliers and clients throughout the world. ‘One of our goals is to expand our strong position in the next few years and Schouw can help us do this,' explains Kriekaard. Both Schouw Informatisering, and De Groot International are leading in their sectors.
Why select software?
‘We took a long hard look at SAP and drew the conclusion that our flexible organisation does not fit in with the SAP organisation,' says Kriekaard. ‘From that perspective we started looking again for a partner who not only understands our problems but can also offer us a suitable solution.' Kriekaard continues: ‘The right solution is very important to us, to enable us to work more efficiently and understand our data better. Additionally, we think that the software should be user-friendly. Microsoft Dynamics offers this, partly because it has the well-known Microsoft look and feel.'
Specialised partner
‘As my colleagues in the sector also know, a company with business processes such as ours is really awkward to automate. That is part of the reason why it took us such a long time to find the right partner for the IT systems for our business processes,' explains Kriekaard. De Groot International compared many different software packages and suppliers to find a suitable partner. ‘Because Schouw Informatisering already has so much experience in our sector and similar business and can offer a suitable solution, I am fully confident in them.' The project is being taken on by Schouw Informatisering's specialised Fruit & Vegetable sector team. ‘This team will be working on our system because they know the specialised needs and requirements of the Fruit & Vegetable sector,' explains Kriekaard. For further information please visit www.degroot-int.nl.
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