Project Veth
Veth Propulsion is an internationally operating manufacturer of propulsion systems for ships, both primary and auxiliary. It’s a family business and a global player at the same time, known for quality, service, innovation, and sustainability. Originally from the Netherlands, the company is based in Papendrecht and employs 130 staff members.
“reducing quote processing time, uniformity of quotes, and transparent and unambiguous calculation method”
With assembly and development in-house, the quality of their products is guaranteed. Veth Propulsion operates according to the principles of Lean Manufacturing. From this ‘lean’ philosophy, the strategic decision to acquire a Sales Configurator is a logical step. The goals Veth aims to achieve with a Sales Configurator are reducing quote processing time, uniformity of quotes, and a transparent and unambiguous calculation method.
The decision to use Merkato as a solution is the result of extensive market research into suitable configuration software. In this selection process, Veth Propulsion considered renowned software providers as well as ‘customer-specific’ software development. The choice quickly fell on Merkato from Quootz.
For Veth Propulsion, the following points were decisive:
- The versatility of the software; numerous functionalities and solution possibilities.
- Independence for the user; customers can set up and modify the system themselves.
- User-friendliness and flexibility of the software; the ability to easily import data, cut & paste, drag & drop.
- Quootz as a young and enthusiastic company with experienced personnel.
At the start of the project, Veth Propulsion set a term of eight weeks, after which the first configurator must be operational. This approach is meant to quickly convince the organization of the added value of a Sales Configurator, as well as to confirm the correct software choice.
Henk de Jong is appointed as the administrator of Merkato. In addition to his daily duties as Sales & Commissioning Engineer, he reserves an average of two days a week to set up Merkato. Because Henk, as a Sales Engineer, has extensive knowledge of the sales process and also possesses a lot of product knowledge, little time was ‘lost’ to internal discussions. This proved essential for the success of a rapid implementation.
“Merkato is easy to learn,” says Henk, “two days of basic training and you’re good to go.
Discussing with colleagues, thinking about, and discussing the setup of the quote generator and determining the layout takes up the most time.” In the last two weeks, Henk has been working full-time with Merkato, and the goal to have the Configurator operational after eight weeks was achieved, including the quote according to the latest layout.
This first configurator sets an example for the other product groups. Therefore, it is expected that these can be built in at most half the time.
More information about Veth: www.veth.net
