TECTURA SUPPORTS RÖCHLING TO SUCCESS

Röchling Plastics UK is a subsidiary of an international leader in the manufacturing and
machining of engineering plastics for the capital goods industry. Employing over 6000
people worldwide, they offer semi-finished products and machine tooled finished parts
tailored to specific customer requirements. These are typically made of thermoplastics
and fibre reinforced plastics as well as laminated densified wood.

Based in Gloucester, Röchling Plastics UK is now a world leader in the design and
production of Feedscrolls. These are machined and extruded products which are used
extensively within the bottling and packaging industry. As a consequence of success, they
have experienced significant growth over the last 4 years.

MICROSOFT DYNAMICS NAV BENEFITS

• Visibility of Management Information
• Empowered to make informed decisions
• 100% Confidence in Year-End figures
• 70% Increase in reports to help run the business

CHALLENGE

As an expanding company, Röchling found themselves rapidly outgrowing their existing
system. At the same time, their parent company, with an established Microsoft strategy,
was putting pressure on them to move to a Microsoft platform.

“We needed to migrate to a system that spanned our whole business whilst at the same
time, integrating with our parent company. It was an obvious choice to move to Microsoft
Dynamics® NAV” explains Mike Knowles, Managing Director, Röchling UK. Following
a short selection process, the initial partner was appointed due to their professional
approach, their responsiveness and the confidence in their delivery plan. However it
wasn’t long before the cracks began to show.

“Not long after the implementation, the incumbent partner soon experienced staffing
issues, and weren’t able to respond to our issues fast enough,” continues Knowles.
“This was particularly prevalent in the accounts arena.” Although Röchling struggled on
for a significant period after the implementation, it became clear change was needed.
“In particular, there was a significant issue with the way the accounting structure had
been set up for Röchling,” explains Liz Elliott, Financial Controller at Röchling UK.
“Fundamentally the nominal code structure was incorrect, and this had repercussions to
all of our underlying code structures.”

The frustrations were amplified as issues came to light with stock data, and inconsistencies in the reports. To top it all, the users weren’t trained effectively,and did not understand how Microsoft Dynamics NAV worked. “All our issues inherently linked to getting the right partner with the right level of experience,” highlights Knowles. The problems were severe and quick action was needed to bring confidence back to the Röchling management team.

SOLUTION

It wasn’t until Röchling removed their incumbent partner in 2008 and appointed
a new financial controller that problems started to be resolved. With over 25 users
accessing Microsoft Dynamics NAV, from Finance to production through to stock
and order processing, consistency of data needed to be integrated and maintained
and overall confidence restored.

Röchling turned to Tectura, as they had a solid relationship with Röchling in Europe, further supported by Microsoft. “Responding quickly, Tectura worked through our issues, systematically crossing them off,” highlights Knowles. “We have now moved from life support to a programme of business improvement.” Röchling has been impressed in the way Tectura has understood their needs, and has taken them through a number of alternative solutions to achieve the right result. “Tectura just came in, and really got to grips with our business, not just the system,” highlights Elliott. “They aren’t just consultants; they are qualified accountants and programmers with a deep knowledge of the system throughout our business.”

When Tectura embarked on the partnership, they set up a “Get well plan”, helping Röchling recover and get back on track. Part of the plan was correcting the mistakes in the system, training end users effectively and providing comprehensive and accurate reports. “Previously there were issues in the way stock was received. It was being double counted,” explains Elliott. “This was a procedural problem that has now been resolved by Tectura.”

With a comprehensive support contract in place, Röchling now has access to Tectura’s HelpDesk. They have also agreed to a number of consulting days to use on a monthly basis, helping enhance their business system and continually improve their reports. Röchling enjoys the consistency of the relationship with Tectura and Knowles goes on to say, “Having continuity ensures the consultants know how Röchling works. They know the answers quickly and can relate them to the context of our business.”

TECTURA SUPPORT LEADS THE WAY

With far more structure to the relationship, Röchling now find themselves in a completely different place. “We enjoy consistency with Tectura. Everyone always delivers to a high standard. They are quick to respond, and have never let us down,” emphasises Elliott. When Röchling needed to evolve the system, and improve the way stock was managed, Tectura guided them through the process. “They offered different alternatives, with pros and cons for each,” explains Elliott. “We are empowered to make informed decisions, fully aware of any of the consequences.”

Röchling now benefit from a system of accuracy rather than one historically plagued with issues. “When we produce our yearend results, we have 100% confidence in the fi gures,” highlights Knowles. “We have a 70% increase in reports to help run our business, and now enjoy the visibility of our management information.”

When reflected on the relationship Röchling now has with Tectura, Knowles concludes, “They are a partner bringing real value for money to Röchling. We are still developing our system, and there are changes and improvements still to make. We are on a journey, but this time Tectura support is leading us in the right direction.”

Rochling - Microsoft Dynamics NAV Case Study (pdf)

MORE INFORMATION

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