Update to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central prepares LT-Net Europe GmbH for the future

LT-Net Europe GmbH from Bad Camberg is a globally active distributor of electronic, electromechanical and mechanical components. It stands for competence and support in the electronics industry in the areas of active and passive electromechanical components. From the idea to the finished product, the Hessian company offers everything from a single source under the motto “your complete solution”. Distribution and manufacturing by and with selected partners round off the range of services and make it possible to respond to customers’ individual requirements.

Selection: SAP, Specialised IT companies, Microsoft Dynamics

When Mona Häußermann and Stefan Lopaska decided to set up their own business in 2007 and founded LT-Net Europe GmbH, it was obvious that a successful start would also require software for distributors that would meet the special requirements of the industry.

Mona Häußermann and Stefan Lopaska, CEO of LT-Net Europe GmbH

„We looked at different solutions that should fit our business and the size of our company,” says Mona Häußermann, Managing Director of LT-NET Europe, explaining the software selection process. At electronica in Munich, discussions were held with various IT service providers. Among them were SAP, various special solution providers and Microsoft Dynamics. SAP was too complex and expensive for the company – not affordable for a start-up. The first meeting with the managing directors of synko GmbH also took place at the trade fair. Microsoft Dynamics NAV and the industry solution synko components were presented: What basis is needed and which components can be added gradually without having to invest too much money right at the beginning.

“The basic framework was definitely suitable for distribution. That’s what the industry solution synko components was also made for. So we had a basic tool at our disposal and at the same time the possibility to add anything we needed later. We were convinced by the simplicity and the possibility of integrating complex processes later, and at an affordable price. This is how we started to build up the IT step by step and also to understand the complexity”, Mona Häußermann explains the decision for Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Of course, the software is only as good as the people who work with it. And without strong sales, the company would not have been successful. The software was a supporting tool to keep an eye on supply chains and projects and to be able to act economically.

Highlights of the solution

The company slogan “Your complete solution.” is also reflected in the complexity of the IT and the processes. The customer can come with an idea – implementation, component procurement, manufacturing, etc. – LT-Net Europe offers the complete service package and takes care of everything.

The essence of the software is, on the one hand, the disposition of the articles in a production. When do I need certain raw materials? When do the materials have to be ready? When does LT-Net Europe have to deliver? Are there alternative items according to the specification if a component is not produced on time or cannot be delivered – the ERP system has to provide answers. And it does.

Another important part is the cost calculation: Do I know my cost prices? How are my costs made up? How much does my production cost me, broken down to one piece? That’s why the commercial part is also very important in production. Everything really has to be transparent here. And that also works perfectly.

The production tool has grown over the years. Whereas at the beginning there were three individual products that were put together to form a final product, now there are up to twenty different processes until the final product is ready. The customisation of the IT was highly complex: patience, listening, working together, learning from each other. That was the key to success. The synko employees had and still have a lot of patience, adapt to the conversation partner and can present and explain even complex contexts very well. This also works via telephone or webcast and the distance between the company’s locations in Wiesbaden and Nuremberg is no problem.

Update March 2020: Thanks to digitalisation, all important information is now available at a glance

At the beginning of 2020, LT-Net Europe updated to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and invested in new hardware and servers. Digitalisation is in full progress and also the highlight. Everything that is displayed in Microsoft Dynamics 365, for example in the complete order management up to production orders and much more, can be documented in the field of view at any time, any document can be attached. This allows the company to do not need paper any more. Another advantage is that all documents are stored for any project, such as sales orders, purchase orders, production orders, quotations, delivery notes and invoices. Now everything is filed with the corresponding process. “It really amazed me how well it works. Especially now in Corona time, we at the home office can turn on the computer, start the programme and open any order, purchase order or quotation. Via the Attachments button, I can immediately see all the documentation,” explains Ms Häußermann enthusiastically. “Documenting, storing texts and the tiling system of Microsoft Dynamics is the ultimate for me. You can see everything at a glance: What still needs to be processed? What were the delivery dates for this project? The customer has sent an order. The supplier has sent a quotation or a colleague has left an order-related message – either only for me or visible for everyone. Now I can see that at a glance! I no longer need paper. No unnecessary calls to the company, no enquiries, no discussions, no searching. It saves an incredible amount of time. We could actually run the whole shop from our home office – without packing and shipping, of course,” says Mona Häußermann with a laugh.

LT-Net Europe GmbH and synko GmbH: Partnership-based cooperation at eyelevel

The two companies have been working together for over 13 years. Not common these days. Existing ERP solutions and IT partners are exposed to constant competition. Of course, LT-Net Europe has looked around and dealt with other solutions every now and then. But the company has chosen synko and the existing solution all these years. It is not an IT partnership, a personal relationship has developed in the meantime, one has a different relationship with each other. “synko has been our IT partner since LT-Net Europe was founded and they have understood what we are about and understand what we need. synko has a size that also fits LT-Net Europe. We have grown together over time. We help each other – even if it’s an emergency at the weekend,” says Mona Häußermann, describing what makes the partnership so special.

Both managing directors have big plans for the future. A new company has been founded: FILUXX GmbH. The company markets a patented component called FILUXX – a unique standardised luminaire connection system. LT-Net Europe will be the supplier for the new company and will manage the entire operative processing as well as the complicated manufacturing process – of course with Microsoft Dynamics and the industry solution synko Components.

www.ltnet-euope.de I www.filuxx.de