Kalibra swaps five systems for one powerful solution: NetSuite

What do a pressure gauge in an oil refinery, the airflow in an operating room, and a scale at a feedlot have in common? All of these devices are validated and calibrated by Kalibra to ensure precise and accurate measurements. And precision and accuracy is what Kalibra desires for its organization as well. By saying goodbye to outdated systems and having NetSuite and Next Service implemented by Cadran, the data became of better quality, the processes became more efficient and the organization more agile.

What if we could start over?

Kalibra, a business unit of Equans, has 110 employees and has an annual turnover of 15 million euros in Belgium and the Netherlands. Eighty of the 110 employees work in the field and spend days on the road validating and calibrating measuring equipment at customers’ premises.

Due to a history of mergers and acquisitions, different ways of working and systems were still in use at the company. Things were going the way they were, until Richard Damen, manager at Kalibra, asked the following question in a management meeting, “What if we could start over? How and with what systems would we want to work then? How much more efficient would we be? And how would this drive our growth and development in the future?” This was the moment when the idea to implement a new ERP system started rolling. And the ball began to roll fast.

Unanimous choice for Cadran

Kalibra proceeded to put out a Request For Information for six different ERP packages. Cadran came out on top with NetSuite. Richard: “They had prepared it very well and, unlike others, had immersed themselves in our services. We chose Cadran unanimously.”

Learning how NetSuite works

“Since I came up with the question, I felt that I, along with six others, should implement the project as well,” Richard says. So he and his colleagues with no IT knowledge and experience began the ERP implementation. “And that immediately started with a big communication barrier,” Richard laughs. “Looking back, this period was necessary to understand each other properly and make the final system as good as it is today, but we had to learn how NetSuite works and vice versa Cadran had to learn exactly how we work.”

Saying goodbye to five systems

At first, several “standard” processes were addressed, such as timekeeping, expenses, procurement, and part of the track and trace. Next up came the core process: five different (old) systems were replaced by NetSuite. There was a custom-made overview for timekeeping and expenses, the More app (a pdf generator for work orders and other forms), a custom-made program for scheduling, Microsoft Dynamics, and Excel to keep track of the work inventory. The latter solution in particular was kept very decentralized, which sometimes led to considerable searching. “Saying goodbye to these five systems is almost more intense than implementing NetSuite. People are fused with it, so letting go of this goes step by step and requires a lot of flexibility,” Richard says.

Next Service

To make life easier for field staff, Cadran also implemented Next Service: a field service management suite app that allows Kalibra to manage all aspects of service operations. From job scheduling and customer information to inventory management and billing. Next Service reduces errors, increases efficiency, improves information and speeds up invoicing. Says Richard, “This makes a huge difference for us. Where previously we could only invoice two weeks after a field service visit, we can now invoice on the same day. The entire field service now works with the app. Because we’ve only been live for a month, it takes some time getting used to, but once everyone is used to it, we’ll get a lot of useful information. Like exactly what has been done and with what materials. Then we can invoice almost automatically.”

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Go Live

The cooperation went smoothly. Richard: “The great thing about Cadran is that they think in terms of solutions. That’s how we are ourselves, very pragmatic. We kept pushing on together, the atmosphere was always right.” The Go Live also went smoothly. A lot of time and attention was put into the preparation, and through e-learning and training beforehand. The employees were prepared. “The first day we invoiced right from the new system, so that was very nice. With a Go Live of such a big system, things never go 100 percent right, but everyone understood that. It is a long-term system, though.” To ensure that the system works as well as possible for Kalibra even after the Go Live and to answer questions that arise during operation, Kalibra receives Netsuite Support. Whether it’s technical issues, process optimizations, information requests, or adjustments to document output, Kalibra can always turn to Cadran for help.

Managing and scheduling

The new ERP system and accompanying Next Service mobile app provide a lot of management information. “From Cadran we learned a lot about the different reporting options. This allows us to manage better, plan better and be closer to the target,” says Richard. Eight people schedule daily appointments for eighty field service employees and 3,000 measuring instruments, or parts of them. With the track and trace capability, it is now also possible to see where the equipment is. “Our previous system was quite controlling. With the new system, we give people way more freedom and confidence. We assume that everyone is doing the right things and if not we will deal with each other,” Richard explains.

Next steps

However, Richard is not done yet; in fact, he still has a list of desired functionalities. For example, he wants to expand the scheduler in Next Service. The interfaces between the various systems and NetSuite also need to be expanded, so more data can be sent back and forth. He also wants to connect marketing automation to the website so that proposals and targeted marketing campaigns can be sent via NetSuite. Richard: “In short, together with Cadran we have built a great system that has enabled us to make significant progress and that will enable us to make great strides in the future.”