Complexity at handle: ERP for high quantities and a wide range of variants

Menicon is one of the largest contact lens manufacturers in the world. The large variety of products and product variants in terms of models, strengths and designs pose a major challenge for an ERP system. The solution must be able to cope with this diversity. Michael Bachmann, Managing Director at Menicon GmbH, was not only involved in the decision to choose ERP partner Yaveon, but also supported the entire project.

The introduction itself went well - but then came the go-live.

Menicon GmbH, based in Offenbach near Frankfurt am Main, is a subsidiary of the Japanese manufacturer of contact lenses and contact lens fluids of the same name. The company offers a wide range of contact lenses - from standard models to toric lenses and varifocal solutions. The Hessian subsidiary takes care of the logistics: it serves as a European distribution center. Products are received here from production facilities all over the world and then distributed.

Menicon GmbH's old ERP solution was getting on in years. The solution from the 1980s kept causing problems, such as errors when creating evaluations. It was therefore clear that a new ERP system with industry functions was needed. The only requirement was that it should be based on the Microsoft Dynamics NAV solution.

The search for the right ERP provider began. Menicon's curiosity was aroused by a reference to Yaveon from another company in the industry. This recommendation and the subsequent presentation by the Yaveon consultants convinced Menicon GmbH. Another decisive factor: the functions in Yaveon's industry-specific ERP solution. This is because the industry solution covers all functionalities that are relevant for the medical device industry, such as lot tracking and the option to integrate an EDI interface. "It was also important to us that our ERP partner had a certain size. With many consultants in the background, the resources are simply greater. Vacation periods or illnesses can be covered," says Michael Bachmann.

The project started and shortly before the real launch, Menicon GmbH and Yaveon were confident that they were on the home straight. "Then came the go-live and we realized that the cloud, as it was set up, couldn't cope with our data volume," recalls Michael Bachmann. Shock paralysis for both sides: Menicon GmbH, which had to implement the ERP system, and Yaveon , which had a duty as a service provider and a moral responsibility as a partner to deliver a good system. "It really wasn't easy, there was a lot of talking and discussions at different levels. But in the end it happened very quickly: Yaveon did everything it could to help us in a short space of time. Everyone pulled together. The month after the real launch was challenging, but everything worked out well," recalls Michael Bachmann with relief. "When we realized that the go-live wasn't running smoothly, it was all about being quick. We coordinated with each other and found a way to process the amount of data in a short space of time," reports Stefan Hippeli, Consultant at Yaveon.

Menicon GmbH relies on the industry-specific ERP solution from Yaveon:

• Industry-specific ERP solution
• Meets the requirements of the medical device industry
• Is fully integrated into the ERP system Microsoft Dynamics NAV or 365 Business Central
• Impresses with intuitive operation thanks to typical Microsoft design
• Menicon mainly uses: lot tracking, EDI, mobile dialogs/scanner solutions, mail dispatch/e-mail

One special feature that Menicon GmbH uses is the variant configurator integrated into the ERP system. A product, for example a specific contact lens, is first created here. This lens is then available in numerous diopter versions. To map this range, the characteristics of the product are created in such a way that the number of variants can be set in all possible ways. Up to twelve features can be stored for this purpose. The required variant can then be clearly selected from the ERP system.

Menicon GmbH also works with variable scan codes, as the company also receives products via the purchasing department. The software solution makes it possible to process the external codes directly. All that is required is the article number and the batch. Once the EAN has been maintained in the system, it can be translated accordingly: From the resulting information, a barcode is translated into the standard of the industry-specific ERP solution using a set of rules so that it can then be processed.

The ERP system has now been in use for some time and the benefits are noticeable: the system offers significantly more information than the previous version and makes it available in less time. Even after a short learning phase, it was noticeable that users were working much more efficiently than before.

Mr. Bachmann, looking back on the course of the project, were you satisfied with the Yaveon consultancy? "Of course, the first month after go-live was critical, but the problems were solved. We had good consultants who supported us." Does that mean you would choose Yaveon again? "Yes, absolutely. Absolutely."