Heuvelman Staalhandel is ready for the future with a low-code ERP solution made with Thinkwise
Apeldoorn, 21 January 2021 – Heuvelman Staalhandel has developed a new ERP solution with the Thinkwise low-code software platform. This replaces the company’s existing, outdated system and creates new opportunities for further digitalization and innovation. Dorus Heuvelman, director at Heuvelman: “With the model-driven low-code software from Thinkwise our imagination is the only limitation for innovation.”
Heuvelman Staalhandel is a leading and independent steel products wholesaler that supplies a wide range of structural steel products directly from stock. In particular, the company serves customers in the civil engineering sector and has branches in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. ICT is extremely strategic for Heuvelman. As their software became more out of date, the decision was made that it was time to replace the existing ERP system. Heuvelman: “We noticed that our innovation had stalled with our previous supplier. Choosing Thinkwise was a win-win situation for us, because it enables us to build a future-proof IT foundation for our company.”
Strategic choice
Heuvelman became aware of Thinkwise through another company in their sector, Paul Meijering Staal, that has been working with the low-code platform for more than ten years. Following the initial discussions a demo project, a so-called ‘Test Drive’, was first started at the branch in Germany. This involved functionally recreating an in-house developed Access application in the Thinkwise Platform. This was so successful that the decision was made to also use Thinkwise to replace Heuvelman’s existing ERP system.
“Price is very important in our industry. This demands reliable software that provides a great deal of insight into our processes. In addition, innovation is extremely important for our company. Thinkwise supports this perfectly,” says Dorus Heuvelman. “With Thinkwise we can give much more direction to the manner in which our software is designed and functions. We do this by modelling, instead of programming.”
Last October, Heuvelman replaced the old ERP implementations, for all its companies, with the Mercurius ERP system developed with Thinkwise. The software performs many processes automatically for Heuvelman, automating the entire business process of both organizations, from purchasing to sales invoicing and the creation of journal entries. Heuvelman: “Our operational efficiency improves significantly if we all work within one environment and use the same processes. And with the new Mercurius software it is much easier to further optimize these processes.”
Future and innovation
Heuvelman is ready for the future with the new software from Thinkwise. The platform offers Heuvelman a multitude of opportunities and there are still many possibilities for further innovation.
“We opt for success,” Heuvelman decides. “As a steel company we want to be able to adapt much faster, to better satisfy the wishes of our customers. Thinkwise is like a Swiss knife that eliminates all the restrictions that come with traditional software. Anything is possible with Thinkwise.”
About Heuvelman
Heuvelman Staalhandel is an independent steel products wholesaler that supplies a wide range of structural steel products directly from stock. The Heuvelman family has been active in trade since 1876. The emphasis on recycling and the steel business started in the early 1960s. Since 2004, the Heuvelman Group has focused entirely on the trade in rolling mill products, whereby various markets are served via different (foreign) operating companies. More information: www.heuvelman.com.