Klant Case
Olyslager gebruikte modelgedreven ontwikkeling om zijn smeermiddeleninformatiesysteem naar de cloud te migreren
Olyslager is gespecialiseerd in het leveren van gegevens over smeermiddelen voor een veelheid aan voertuigen en industriële apparatuur. Door het verzamelen en combineren van wereldwijde gegevens van olieproducenten en informatie van motorfabrikanten kan het aanbevelingen doen voor het juiste smeermiddel. Het bedrijf heeft zijn kernsysteem gemigreerd naar de cloud met behulp van het Thinkwise Platform om de efficiëntie te verhogen en de introductie van nieuwe diensten op de markt te versnellen.
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Geelen Beton: 20 Years of Managing Complexity
20+
years of partnership
500
projects simultaneously
1
central system
“We have almost become an IT company that also happens to produce concrete.”
Geelen Beton has grown into a leading producer of system floors, prefab concrete elements and structural building components. The family-owned company, now nearly 100 years old and led by the third generation of the Geelen family, employs approximately 325 people across production locations in Posterholt and Wanssum, a carpentry facility in Weert and an additional site in Maasbracht. The company serves both small and large players in the Dutch construction market.
This choice results in highly specific and unique processes. Calculations involve a large number of variables, while at the same time around 500 projects are running concurrently, each with its own characteristics and progress.“We produce prefab concrete elements such as ribbed and wide slab floors, as well as structural walls and building components,” says Mark Vleeshouwers, Head of ICT & Engineering (System Floors). “We aim to keep as much as possible in-house. That includes our engineering.”
“It is therefore essential to have a complete overview of the status of every project,” Vleeshouwers explains.
The need for visibility and uniformity led to the partnership with Thinkwise.
Over the years, the application has been continuously expanded. Today, everything related to system floors runs through the Thinkwise application, from request and quotation to planning, production and delivery.“We have been a customer since 2007,” says Vleeshouwers. “At the time, our sales team worked with Excel files for quotations. We needed one system where everyone had insight and where the status of each quotation or order was clear.”
Thinkwise acts as the central system where various processes converge. It integrates with the financial system, the drawing software and even directly with production machinery. All contact moments throughout a project are recorded, including planning changes, which in construction are more the rule than the exception.
“If a project is postponed by two weeks, an updated schedule and explanation can be sent out with just a few clicks. Once production is completed, we communicate that back as well. Everything is documented and transparent.”
The impact of this centralisation has been significant.
This level of digitalisation requires control over both the entire process and the underlying IT structure.“Our way of working is no longer comparable to fifteen years ago,” says Vleeshouwers. “Where drawings were once used physically on-site, everything is now fully digital. We have almost become an IT company that also produces concrete.”
“With Thinkwise, we have a system that allows us to be flexible and respond quickly to customer requests, while at the same time giving us strong control over the entire process. The level of manageability is extremely high. You have visibility from every angle, supported by dashboards that allow you to steer operations on a daily basis.”
“The fact that I can combine those roles already says a lot. By automating supporting tasks, you can focus on your core activities.”
At the same time, he emphasises that Geelen Beton’s journey is not automatically replicable for every organisation.
“Where we are today with Thinkwise is the result of a continuous transformation process. It has been a gradual journey, and that is why we now have a strong system in place. The advantage of building it yourself is flexibility: you can shape it exactly to your own vision. But you need the organisational capacity to do so. If you want to achieve this in a very short timeframe, it can be demanding.”
Taking full ownership of a system like Thinkwise requires solid in-house IT expertise.
“In the beginning, we slightly underestimated that. That is why it grew step by step. If you want to do everything at once, the organisation must be able to absorb it. Over the past seven years, we have worked more intensively with Thinkwise and even had someone on-site for several years. That significantly raised the level of our application managers and truly paid off. In that collaboration, you strengthen each other and that’s where the synergy lies.”
You want a partner you can build the future with, one that genuinely aligns with your organisation. With Thinkwise, we have found that partner.“To keep up with the energy transition, we continuously improve our concrete mixtures and energy usage. But sustainability is not just about materials and energy. It is also reflected in how you work with employees and customers and in the software and software partners you choose.
Olyslager
Schaalbaarheid in de cloud
Het nieuwe modelgedreven LIS-systeem werkt volledig in de Microsoft Azure cloud. Op deze manier kan Olyslager zijn informatie zonder vertragingen wereldwijd beschikbaar stellen aan meer dan 2000 gebruikers.
Snelle marktintroductietijd
Door gebruik te maken van de standaardfunctionaliteit van het platform was Olyslager in staat om de kern van hun applicatie binnen 8 maanden opnieuw te ontwikkelen.
Ondersteuning voor meerdere talen
Naast de hoge ontwikkelsnelheid is ook de taalondersteuning die het Thinkwise Platform biedt van enorme toegevoegde waarde, want Olyslager levert haar diensten in maar liefst 35 talen.