IBS supply chain software powers Brands Batterij

Customer Story

When Brands Batterij Import BV, a Dutch battery wholesaler, went looking for new supply chain software, IBS had the right solution. More accurate forcasting has improved stock availability and reduced lead-times.

Company background

Brands Batterij Import has been an importer and distributor of electrical batteries for more than 25 years. This wholesale company focuses on two business areas and is the exclusive representative of Singapore-based manufacturer GP Batteries in the Benelux region. Brands main customers are consumer wholesalers and chain stores as well as large industrial end-users, such as bicycle manufacturers and manufacturers of mobile phones and time-keeping equipment.

Brands Batterij Import is a family-owned business. Its central warehouse and head office are located in The Netherlands with a sales office in Belgium. Brands is also involved in distribution to all German-speaking countries from its sales office in Germany, as a joint venture with the manufacturer GP Batteries. From June 2004, Brands Batterij Import will act as the European distribution centre for GP Batteries.

Brands Batterij employs 25 people in Benelux and had sales in excess of EUR 8.5m in 2003.

Business issues

Brands core business is trading. The company’s purchases have to move from A to B. 85 percent of its goods originate in the Far East. It takes at least a staggering three months before new products arrive, making accurate forecasting crucial for Brands to maintain low costs. This often means transporting from the Far East by ship instead of by plane and keeping stock levels to a minimum. Furthermore, GP Batteries in Singapore holds only limited stock and manufactures based on customers’ orders. For them, the trick is to watch for trends in sales and anticipate future needs as accurately as possible, based on historical data.

One of the problems with Brands’ legacy system was its inability to forecast. Only current stock levels were recorded. The company was forced to carry out planning by extracting data from the old system and transferring it into Microsoft Excel. This cumbersome way of processing inter-company invoices meant that administration for a single order could take days. Brands also needed a structure whereby the central distribution center would be linked to the branches in other countries. Ongoing support issues were being raised and future business growth had to be catered for.

With a critical requirement for precise logistical planning, Brands felt a powerful supply chain management solution, with the ability to track lead-times and inform its customers of their order status in the most efficient way, was a necessity for survival.

Solution and capabilities

Brands found the choice for IBS supply chain software solution to be a clear and obvious one. The Swedish and Spanish sales offices had already worked with IBS and were very pleased with the outcome. At the time, Brands was in the advanced stages of purchase negotiations for a logistics system from another software vendor. Due to the success of its international counterparts, Brands chose instead to install IBS logistics software at its Dutch and Belgian offices.

There were many reasons for choosing IBS supply chain software; not just the extensive functionality, or the demands for thorough business intelligence and vital integration possibilities. With an eye on the future, IBS software will offer the option to create easily integrated links with Brands’ European office and GP Batteries’ central warehouse in France.

IBS financial management software, distribution software, warehouse management system and inventory control software were chosen to reduce costs, shorten lead-times, improve customer service, provide greater efficiency in internal and external processes, and make available excellent management information. 

The subsidiary company takes control of the sales process. The group then takes over to perform the picking, packaging and delivery. An invoice is sent internally, enabling the sales office to book orders directly into the main office’s stock or to even have production capacity planned. IBS supply chain management software ensures flexible internal invoicing between the GP distributors in different countries.

Using IBS supply chain software, Brands can now establish from where turnover derives and which trends are occurring in sales. This level of reporting gives Brands the much needed real-time information flow.

Benefits and value

With IBS software at the core of its optimistic outlook, Brands is laying the foundations for strong growth. The company has streamlined and enhanced its main business processes with IBS supply chain software, providing even better service to its clients.

The availability of real-time information has dramatically improved with the use of IBS supply chain management software, thereby facilitating management decision-making.

Internal invoicing is now much easier and has led to increased customer satisfaction as lead-times on orders have been reduced.

Using the inventory control software enables Brands to be more efficient in providing forecasts and keeping better control over stock levels. This has a positive effect on procurement, as the Singapore office is given more accurate updates of coming needs, which reduces the risk of delayed shipments to Europe. Additionally, forecasting on item level means the IBS inventory software can calculate relevant parameters automatically, and determine for which items human intervention might be required.

In the future, Brands will be able to cooperate more closely with its European partners and is expecting to profit from the compatibility of its supply chain systems, allowing an insight into each other’s stock situation. As a result Brands will use IBS supply chain management software's potential and strength even more.

Contact IBS for more information. »