After years of steadily acquiring new companies, Willemen Groep set off on a strategic initiative to unify its core financial processes onto the Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform. A fragmented and aging ERP landscape was impacting operational performance, making it difficult to get a real-time, up-to-date picture of the group’s financials. For example, putting together bi-annual financial reports would take months, preventing the ability to make timely strategic decisions.

Straddling numerous systems also caused increased maintenance costs, sub-optimal employee engagement and a strain on IT resources — all key drivers behind the decision to modernise onto a single, cloud-hosted ERP platform.

Willemen Groep selected Avanade as its trusted adviser to secure its transition to Microsoft Dynamics 365. We developed a solution specific to Willemen Groep’s industry, using our Avanade Intelligent Enterprise Solutions (AIES). This is comprised of a global Avanade team and investment strategy that fuses the products, assets and knowledge of Accenture, Avanade and the Microsoft ecosystem to support business process transformation. AIES solutions are designed to help clients rapidly deploy leading business practices enabled by innovative technologies.

We also used agile methods to shorten feedback cycles, bringing velocity and quality to the delivery cycle.

• Business process innovation: decision makers can access financial insights in real time. Financial users across various regions are working from the same financial backbone and can get reports within a few clicks. This innovation has resulted in increased agility, simplification and productivity.
• Business insights to help Willemen Groep predict and lead: The Dynamics 365 implementation is part of a larger strategy, including migration to a more digitally dynamic workforce. The new ERP solution is also making new mergers and acquisitions more seamless.