Contact
Mastering enormous order volumes with ease
at Menicon
Menicon deals with a vast number of orders and extensive product variants. Read on to find out how they overcame an initial bumpy start to manage this extreme challenge successfully.
Everything at a glance
YAVEON ProBatch: Increase efficiency
Client
Menicon GmbH | www.menicon.com
Focus
Production of contact lenses and contact lens fluids
Company Size
Approx. 70 Employees
Operating Model
Private Cloud
Country
International
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Which benefits does the YAVEON solution offer?
Visible results
Challenge
- Map a considerable number of product variants
- Handling a vast amount of orders
- Replace the outdated ERP system
Solution
- YAVEON ProBatch
Use
- Increase efficiency
- More information in less time
- Seamless handling of the solution within a short time
- All required features for the medical technology industry
Contact lenses worldwide
Menicon GmbH
Menicon is one of the largest contact lens manufacturers in the world. The ERP system faces significant challenges due to the large variety of product and product variants, e.g., the type and model of contact lens and the power required. The solution must be able to cope with this complexity. Michael Bachmann, Managing Director at Menicon GmbH, was involved in selecting the ERP partner YAVEON and accompanied the entire project.
The implementation went well but then came the go-live.
Contact lens manufacturer with passion
Menicon GmbH, based in Offenbach near Frankfurt am Main, is a subsidiary of the Japanese manufacturer of contact lenses and contact lens solutions. The company offers an extensive range of contact lenses, from standard models to toric or progressive lenses. The German subsidiary is in charge of European logistics. It serves as a European distribution center. Products from manufacturing plants around the world arrive here and are then distributed.
Turning old into new: the switch to a new ERP system
Menicon GmbH´s legacy ERP solution was due for replacement. The solution was installed in the 1980s and repeatedly caused problems, for example, errors in report creation. It was clear: Menicon needed a new ERP system with industry features. The only stipulation: Microsoft Dynamics NAV must be the foundation of the system.
The search for the right ERP provider began. Menicon became aware of YAVEON through the recommendation of another company in the same industry. This recommendation and the subsequent presentation by the YAVEON consultants impressed Menicon GmbH. The features in YAVEON ProBatch were also a deciding factor - as the industry solution covers all features relevant for the medical technology industry, such as batch tracking, and the option of integrating an EDI interface.
«In addition, we wanted our ERP partner to be a well-established company with adequate resources and a significant number of available consultants. This provides cover for vacation periods or in the event of illness,» says Michael Bachmann.
"In addition, we wanted our ERP partner to be a well-established company with adequate resources and a significant number of available consultants. This provides cover for vacation periods or in the event of illness."
Michael Bachmann, Menicon GmbH
Challenge
And then came the go-live
Once the project was up and running, Menicon GmbH and YAVEON faced the go-live with confidence, feeling that all was going well. „Then came the go-live, and we found that the cloud, as it was set up, couldn‘t cope with the amount of data,“ recalls Michael Bachmann. It was a shock for both sides: For Menicon GmbH, that was introducing the ERP system. And for YAVEON, with responsibility as a service provider to deliver a working system alongside a moral responsibility as a partner. „It was quite tricky. There were discussions on several levels. But in the end, the solution was soon found. YAVEON did everything they could to find the answer swiftly. Everyone pulled together. The month after the real start was challenging, but everything worked out well,“ Michael Bachmann recalls with relief. „When we realized that the go-live wasn‘t going perfectly, it was clear that we had to move fast. So we coordinated our efforts and quickly found a way to process the volume of data,“ reports Stefan Hippeli, a consultant at YAVEON.
YAVEON ProBatch: A safe bet for Menicon GmbH:
- ERP industry solution
- Meets the requirements of the medical technology industry
- Fully integrated with Microsoft Dynamics NAV/365 Business Central
- Classic Microsoft design for intuitive operation
- Menicon primarily uses: Batch tracking, EDI, mobile dialog/scanner solutions, mail dispatch/e-post
"The first month after the go-live was difficult, but YAVEON quickly solved the problems. We had good consultants who supported us."
Michael Bachmann, Menicon GmbH
Deal with complexity
with a variant configurator
A special feature used by Menicon GmbH is the variant configurator integrated into the ERP system. With this feature, a product is first created, for example, a specific contact lens. This lens is available in numerous diopter versions. To map the range, the product‘s characteristics are created so that the number of variants can be set for all options. Up to twelve characteristics can be defined. The required variant can then be clearly selected from the ERP system.
In addition, Menicon GmbH works with variable scan codes because the company also receives products through purchasing. The software solution makes it possible to process external codes directly. Only the article number and the lot number are required for this. If the EAN is now maintained in the system, it can be converted accordingly: From the resulting information, a barcode is converted into the ProBatch standard via a set of rules so that it can then be processed.
More efficient processes and faster availability of information
The ERP system has been in use for some time, and the benefits are noticeable: The system offers significantly more information than the previous version and provides it faster. After just a short introductory phase, it was clear that users were able to work more efficiently than before.
Conclusion
Mr. Bachmann, looking back over the course of the project, were you satisfied with the YAVEON consulting services? „The first month after the go-live was difficult, but YAVEON quickly solved the problems. We had good consultants who supported us.“ Does that mean you would choose YAVEON again? „Yes, of course. Absolutely.“
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