Ed Pieters’ end of year blog: Building the future

As New Year approaches, it’s good practice to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the coming year as well. For many organizations, 2018 was a year in which they experienced growth, invested in innovation and optimized their business processes. We have also seen many of our clients take their first steps in the field of digital transformation and cloud technology. The same applied to Cadran in 2018. During the past year, in order to offer optimal support to our clients, we have made substantial investments in our knowledge of Internet of Things (IoT), Analytics, NetSuite ERP, Tableau Analytics, Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Managed Services. We have done so in conjunction with our Redfaire International partners, so that we can provide support to our Oracle JD Edwards and NetSuite clients in more than 24 countries worldwide.

Digital transformation

Digital transformation is the buzz word of 2018. Everybody’s doing it, after all. In 2019 various elements of digital transformation, such as IoT, E-Commerce, Analytics, Machine Learning and Robotization, will be integrated into your Oracle JD Edwards or NetSuite system. This will result in some highly innovative solutions. Consider, for example, searching for a new car online. A chatbot can talk to you, help you decide on the car’s configuration and ultimately present you with a digital offer. With the aid of algorithms, self-learning computer systems can issue quotes and create orders. Another example: sensors can be used to monitor train carriages in order to avoid breakdowns. The JD Edwards Orchestrator is a key component for linking solutions like this to JD Edwards.

We will also see an acceleration in the process of migrating Oracle JD Edwards clients to IaaS as a cloud platform with or without managed services This will enable our clients to focus more on improving their processes and on innovation.

NetSuite is here to stay

We have also made substantial investments in our NetSuite practice. NetSuite is a sound, proven SaaS application that has been around for 20 years, yet remains extremely modern. At Cadran, we have expanded our knowledge of NetSuite over the past two years. In 2018 we began implementing NetSuite for a range of new clients and we are very enthusiastic about its wide-ranging functionality, configurability and flexibility. In the market we see that many companies are moving to an SaaS solution. The ratio is currently 50/50, but I expect that more and more companies will follow this trend and opt to outsource management, automatic upgrades and maintenance in its entirety.

Our new business unit: Cadran Analytics

Besides developing our NetSuite practice, we also spent much of the past year establishing our new business unit Cadran Analytics. We deliver our services based on Tableau (which Gartner describes as the leader in BI & Analytics) and R programming. As a result, we can offer our clients state-of-the-art business analytics and predictive analytics. Most companies have a treasure trove of data from internal and external sources in their possession. Increasingly they are realizing the added value of analytics in improving how they manage their businesses. But how do you convert that data into management information? At Cadran Analytics, we combine knowledge of operating processes and of business intelligence, predictive analytics and machine learning. In this way, we can work in partnership with you to develop innovative solutions.

Commodity Trading and Risk Management

During the past year we have continued to develop the CTRM module into a complete solution and implemented it for various clients, including Interfood. Version 3.2 was launched in October, taking intercompany transactions, contract forecasting and budgeting to the next level. We also strengthened our team by adding channel manager Mark Kamphuis. Working in conjunction with our Redfaire International partners in the Netherlands and abroad, his task will be to position this solution in the market.

Redfaire International is growing rapidly

The Redfaire International network, of which Cadran is a co-founder and shareholder, was expanded during the past year to include three more partners: MPL in Brazil, Fusion5 in Australia and New Zealand, and TCI in Mexico. Redfaire International offers clients a reliable international partner with local expertise. These partners are familiar with the local markets and legislation, while clients benefit from a single point of contact who ensures that everything goes according to plan. Thanks to the combination of specialist knowledge of ERP and local support worldwide, clients are increasingly opting for Redfaire International.

Tapas in Seville

In 2018 we celebrated our company’s 20-year anniversary. Our entire staff and their partners celebrated this milestone in Seville. Together we enjoyed the beautiful city and delicious food, took walks and bike rides, and visited the royal palace. It was an amazing experience for the whole team.

In summary, in 2018 we made substantial investments in our team and in our solutions. Naturally, we’re under no illusion that we can now rest on our laurels. The digital transformation and developments in cloud applications and platforms require constant renewal, change, reassessment and innovation. Technology offers boundless opportunities and we look forward to connecting all the various technologies together to develop powerful solutions. So let me end with this request to you: if you have a problem or an idea, please let us know, because we would be delighted to discuss innovative solutions with you.

I wish you a wonderful holiday period and a happy and healthy 2019.

Ed Pieters,
CEO