Modern ERP Solution as a support for the further company growth in the region and an enabler for the digital transformation
Case study

Modern ERP Solution as a support for the further company growth in the region and an enabler for the digital transformation

5 min read Jan 28, 2020

PRIMA
Customer:
PRIMA

PRIMA family creates for your family

Founded in 1995, PRIMA Commerce is based in Bjelovar, Croatia. As part of the Prima Group, it is the largest Croatian furniture manufacturer with 8 production facilities and an extensive retail network of 57 salons in Croatia and 8 in Macedonia. PRIMA employs more than 2,000 employees and, with their own production and quality assurance, special attention is given to product development and to the selection of the highest quality, domestic raw materials. In addition to the domestic market, PRIMA's furniture is also present in markets across the EU. At PRIMA, customers can find high-quality modern furniture to decorate their entire home.


An old system, never entirely built to match the business needs

PRIMA was using outdated technology that has been adjusted multiple times over the years, but never updated entirely. This caused slow system performance and a large number of data errors, which were then manually corrected. As the business was expanding, at one point the operational costs reached unacceptable levels. The system was also not compatible with a web shop, which structurally had a lot of architectural compromises and was unable to follow the latest trends in consumer behaviour and the digital world we live in today. Besides this, PRIMA was faced with a robust way of tracking reservations from the initial sales order through a central warehouse to the production factory. Empowerment of the system was needed so that the system could follow company growth and act as an enabler for the digital transformation of the company.

Leading global solutions with local support

To solve all these challenges and to support the company in its growth, PRIMA has decided to implement a new solution for its business. After detailed market research, PRIMA decided to go with the on-premises version of Microsoft NAV 2018 and LS Retail, both well-known and proven global business solutions with local support. BE-terna was chosen as the implementation partner, due to its previous experience with big NAV implementation projects and its recognised position on the local IT market.

Standard modules of Microsoft NAV 2018 such as finance and accounting, manufacturing, logistics, purchase, sales and warehouse were implemented and integrated with LS Retail. With the new solutions, PRIMA wanted to optimise the manufacturing process, to provide accurate data for the reporting systems and to lean on the technology that can follow further company growth.

Standard solution with minor customizations

The project was organised as a standard four-phase process: analysis, design of the customizations, development and the production of the entire solution. Although the project required the implementation of a standard solution due to easier connectivity with other systems and a proven solution that has already been implemented for many customers, some customizations were necessary due to the local legislation and retail industry processes. Specific development of the reservations system was necessary due to the industry-specific processes. For example, when a customer is buying furniture, they first purchase through an order/invoice until the furniture is delivered to their address.

One special logistics add-on was developed to connect the logistics module to Google Maps. That feature allows a person to validate a contact’s address on Google Maps while entering a new contact in the system. This helps with error detection and the same address is shown directly on the delivery documents. A simple feature that has made a huge difference in the logistics and distribution process.

An enabler for future company growth in the region

The new business solution ensured high speed and system stability. The business can rely on data flows and all the information from the system. In the case of minor adjustments to the local legislation, this modern retail solution will enable us to support the further growth of the company in the region, which is one of the company’s strategic goals. There is an open possibility in the future to integrate all the manufacturing facilities into one system through the retail network, logistics and wholesales.

During this project, PRIMA has developed considerable confidence in BE-terna and, in client’s words: “… one of the key elements of this project’s success was the great communication and confidence that was developed between the PRIMA and BE-terna project teams”. The new Microsoft NAV 2018 solution enables PRIMA to fully integrate the ERP, web shop and user-friendly 3D planning solutions. PRIMA already has a few new implementations in preparation in Croatia, North Macedonia and Slovenia. With the basic design already implemented in the first project, the customer has no doubt that they will achieve their goals in the digital transformation of their entire business.  

BE-terna was chosen as a development partner due to its previous experience with big NAV implementation projects, structured and well-defined project management methodology and, above all, its skilled and highly professional team of consultants, programmers, project and sales managers.
The first and most complex implementation, that of the company Prima commerce d.o.o., was a success both in terms of the main project goals and the planned go-live date. I think that a key to success was the great communication and confidence between the PRIMA and BE-terna project teams, as well as a very solid system design.  

Filip Lavriv, Board Member for Logistics, IT, HR and Controlling, PRIMA Group

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