Bolsius kiest voor Cadran: vlekkeloze upgrade naar JD Edwards Release 24

Bolsius has been making candles and fragrance diffusers for over 150 years, bringing warmth and atmosphere to homes worldwide. All products are manufactured in-house at the company’s factory in Poland and exported across Europe, the United States, and beyond. The headquarters and core IT team are based in Schijndel, where ten employees manage IT for the entire group. When Bolsius decided to upgrade JD Edwards to Release 24, the company turned to Cadran to ensure a seamless and error-free transition.

Moving to JD Edwards Release 24

The reason for the upgrade was clear: Bolsius has been using JD Edwards since 2000 and performs an upgrade roughly every five years — the previous one being in 2020 to Release 9.2. The goal was to bring the system up to date technically, strengthen stability, and ensure continuity of business processes. While the internal IT team had handled previous upgrades themselves, with support from one or more consultants, the temporary absence of an experienced application manager led Bolsius to opt for a mix of internal knowledge and external expertise from Cadran.

Marc Jurriens, Group ICT and Master Data Manager at Bolsius, explains: “Our team has extensive JD Edwards knowledge, but people don’t stay forever, and you can’t replace someone with twenty years of experience overnight. That’s why we chose a partner who not only brings expertise but also a reliable network and solid support. From the very first contact, Cadran felt right — the chemistry was there, they had all the necessary know-how, were willing to truly think with us, and their contractual terms were transparent and fair. That immediately gave us confidence. We also knew they’d be a long-term partner for future upgrades or challenges, which was essential for us.”

Practical and goal-oriented advice

The project followed a clear and structured approach. First, Cadran performed an analysis to define the exact requirements. Bolsius then set up the infrastructure with special attention to security and traffic management, guided by Cadran’s practical advice. JD Edwards was installed and configured according to Bolsius’ processes. Cadran’s development team handled the retrofits and fixes, while the functional management was largely done in-house. Marc Jurriens continues: “Two Cadran specialists worked on-site with us for a while, which perfectly bridged our capacity gap. This allowed them to get to know our organization while we got to know theirs. Knowledge sharing, risk mitigation, and efficient collaboration all came together naturally.”

Everything ran like clockwork

Since little customization was required, the upgrade process remained relatively straightforward with minimal retrofits. During the testing phase, key users independently and jointly verified all processes — from order entry to invoicing. In so-called “conference room sessions,” Cadran ensured that all key users communicated effectively and that individual components functioned both independently and cohesively. “The project ran smoothly, transparently, and everything went like clockwork,” says Marc Jurriens.