The Apulian company Nicoline, famous throughout the world for the creation of sofas and armchairs with an exclusive design and of the highest quality, has relied on the consultancy services of ally Consulting by implementing the Infor CloudSuite Industrial solution.
It was 2014 when Nicoline, a leading company in the production of cutting-edge sofas and armchairs, met ally Consulting; the occasion is the software selection aimed at identifying a partner who will support them in the choice and implementation of a latest generation ERP solution to replace an outdated management system. Addressing the optimization of production and management processes in order to remain competitive in the market was the objective of the owners. Nicoline, in particular, needed to intervene with a view to increasing efficiency and reducing waste of the fabrics and materials used, knowing that adopting an ERP software that integrated all company processes from sales, with attention to the verticalisation of upholstery, up to production planning and shipping of finished products, was the path to take. In summary, Nicoline required complete visibility of management control to try to improve production times and reduce waste costs.
After the initial analysis activities, carried out by ally Consulting consultants, regarding the functional characteristics and the subsequent formulation of an offer on the costs and times of implementation of the project, Nicoline chooses the Infor CloudSuite Industrial software, defining it as "the most complete end-to-end ERP designed for discrete production manufacturing companies". Infor CSI is capable of supporting the entire business model of a company which in this case operates and is a leader in upholstery. The combination of advanced but easy-to-use software use, the guarantee of being able to obtain benefits both in terms of costs and optimization of resources made Nicoline understand and determine the openness to change and the start of the project, the merit of having involved and convinced the managers of each company area, making everyone responsible for the rationalization and simplification of now stratified processes.
From the analysis phase started in July 2014 to the go-live set for July 2015, with the new ERP all company macro-processes were made operational starting from commercial offers up to planning, from production to procurement, from shipping to logistical aspects up to active and passive invoicing.
Of fundamental importance, in addition to the INFOR ERP system, for the activities carried out in Nicoline was the introduction of the product configurator which, integrated with the management system, made it possible to optimize the phases of generating the offer and entering the sales order, perfecting the choice of component combinations within complex and variable catalogues. ally Consulting supported Nicoline at every stage, building a partnership with the company that goes beyond the simple supply relationship. Over the years, in fact, Nicoline's needs have been studied and implemented with the support of ally Consulting through the development of multiple solutions.
“The collaboration with ally Consulting has ensured a series of important benefits: the ROI measurement term has been evaluated with an index equal to 100% during the first three years and the simple accessibility to the information allows for immediate comparison and related analysis of company performance – he states Luigi Argiolas, General Manager of Nicoline. The flow of information has been considerably streamlined because the data is present and can be consulted in the software itself and, thanks to the management of all activities, both production and accounting, we obtain real-time updates of company data. After six years, the collaborative relationship between our two companies is still very profitable and ally Consulting confirms itself as our reference partner for the technological evolution of the company".
"It is important to highlight how an Italian company with a turnover of around 10 million euros and which boasts a cutting-edge production department in contact with internationally renowned designers has understood the need to reorganize its internal management system by reviewing its processes and organisation. Nicoline Italia has proved to be a project of great satisfaction for us also for the relationships established with all the staff. Together we continue to look to the future, he underlines Paolo Aversa, Managing Director of ally Consulting.
