A Journey Through Innovation and Integration

Polem, based in Lemmer, designs, manufactures, and sells FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastic) silos and storage tanks. Founded in the early 1970s, the company has become a market leader by constantly innovating, standardizing, and maintaining extreme flexibility. Polem primarily serves clients across Europe but also extends its reach beyond continental boundaries.

Interview with Michiel Evers

We speak with Michiel Evers, the application manager at Polem. With 120 employees in various disciplines, Michiel is responsible for all software applications within Polem. Michiel and Polem believe that software should serve the collectively determined process and people. By establishing the right software connections, all business information becomes readily available and up-to-date throughout the entire organization. Software accelerates, simplifies, and centralizes the process, thereby improving collective operations.

Customer Story: Polem’s Journey with Merkato

In 2016, Polem began automating its calculation and quotation processes by implementing Merkato, following the automation of its planning in 2014-2015.

According to Michiel, the initial motivation was as follows:
“Polem, like many others, faced the challenge of offering custom-made products to its customers without having the Bill of Material (BoM) available (because it’s customer-specific), while the BoM is necessary for price calculation and ERP order management. ERP packages do not offer a ready-made solution for this.”

During the search for suitable sales software, discussions and tests were conducted with various software vendors. “Standard” CRM packages were quickly ruled out because they couldn’t accommodate the technical aspects of Polem’s products. Several CPQ providers were evaluated, but the complexity of Polem’s products required extensive functionality and computational power, which only Merkato could provide.

Integration and Implementation

The implementation process revealed many insights into Polem’s standard products and associated options. Through extensive consultation and decision-making, significant strides were made in standardization. The engineering department, in particular, noticed a significant reduction in order-related work, allowing them to focus more on development and improvement.

Polem aims to centralize its information flow. Merkato sits between CRM and ERP in the sales-to-production process. To automate the process flow effectively, Merkato was integrated with Polem’s CRM system, Synergy, managing customer data and forecasts. Additionally, Merkato is linked with Exact for article information, ensuring synchronicity. Once a quote is accepted, Merkato updates the status, triggering automatic order generation in Exact. This integration significantly reduces workload for the preparation and accounting departments.

Looking Ahead: Future Plans and Considerations

Polem’s product calculations heavily rely on labor hours. Michiel has meticulously designed templates to ensure precise hour calculations, tailored to 11 different job categories depending on the chosen silo and options. Furthermore, Michiel has devised a clever planning methodology in Merkato, aiding sales representatives in recording agreements accurately.

Future Prospects

Integration between Exact and Merkato has seamlessly streamlined Polem’s processes, eliminating incorrect quotes. Model management in Merkato is straightforward, and Michiel has delegated this task to others in the organization. After summer, Polem plans to incorporate a new product group into Merkato.

Areas of Attention: Polem’s current user interface in Merkato could benefit from further refinement. While Merkato offers ample customization options, time constraints have hindered additional enhancements.

Future Plans: Polem envisions integrating 3D CAD in the future and exploring Merkato’s extensive 3D visualization capabilities during the sales process.

Advice for Software Seekers

Michiel advises, “Base your software search on your vision for the future. Look under the hood. Can the system really deliver what they promise? And regarding implementation: ‘Resistance will always exist,’ but ‘Ensure everyone understands the importance of the software, even when facing challenges!'”