"When implementing DDMRP, there were some hesitations. Today, nobody would go back!" EUROTAB

You probably don't know them, but you've surely already bought their products.

Based in Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert near Saint Etienne, EUROTAB designs and manufactures hygiene and cleaning products in the form of solid tablets, for most major retail brands as well as national brands. Its core areas are dishwashers, disinfection with and without bleach, and moisture absorbers. Each year, this company innovates in new fields such as laundry care or all-purpose cleaners. The company, which employs 270 people, has two production sites in France and a third one in Turkey to serve the local market.

Like the majority of industrial companies, EUROTAB managed its operations using the MRP (Material Requirements Planning) method, via its ERP Infor M3. Until the ever more volatile environment encouraged it to adopt the Demand Driven methodology (DDMRP). Marion Omont and Thierry Deboffe, respectively Supply Chain & Planning Manager and IT Manager, tell us more.

- What was it like before?

Marion Omont – Before we adopted the Demand Driven methodology in 2019, we operated in MRP via the ERP Infor M3, primarily based on our sales forecasts, which could seem less precise.

We sometimes found ourselves out of sync with stock levels, sometimes having too much or not enough stock, and customer service wasn't at a satisfactory level for the sales team and management.

That's when we became interested in the DDMRP (Demand Driven Material Requirements Planning) methodology, which appeared to be a solution in this context. We did an initial test with a DDMRP software that unfortunately wasn't interfaced with Infor M3, making it very cumbersome for the IT department. There was no possibility of development according to our specific needs without incurring significant costs, support was based in the United States with a lack of responsiveness... in short, we needed an alternative!

We then turned to BEVOLTA “Supply Chain Agility.” It has now been a year and a half since we adopted the solution, and we are very satisfied with it.

- What were your selection criteria?

Thierry Deboffe – From the IT side, it was clearly the quality of the interface, as it required a part-time staff member, and since the solution did not have an interface with M3, we spent a huge amount of time correcting errors daily. BEVOLTA was natively connected with M3, which was a determining factor. There was also, of course, the cost of the solution, then the response to the tender specification showing that BEVOLTA’s standard solution met 90% of the requirements. We were also impressed by the solution's flexibility and its user-friendly ergonomics. After the previous experience, we needed simplicity!

- How did the implementation go?

TD – We started working on the project in April 2021, remotely due to the health context. Finally, in three months, it was completed. The maturity of the EUROTAB teams on DDMRP and BEVOLTA's good knowledge of M3 contributed to the success of the project.

- “Hello DDMRP, bye-bye MRP... Just like that?”

MO – No, of course not, first let's clarify that DDMRP is not suitable for all categories of items. Specifically, BEVOLTA manages MRP very well, and in planning services, we manage everything in BEVOLTA, whether it's in MRP or DDMRP; it’s just the buffers that are built differently. Everything is connected, we can do whatever we want, there has been no breakdown.

BEVOLTA – The “Supply Chain Agility” solution acts as an overlay to the ERP calculation – here Infor M3 – and it is possible to deploy it on a complete or initial scope as was the case with EUROTAB, there is never any break in the existing organization. It’s up to the client to decide who retains control over what, between the ERP and BEVOLTA. However, from a user’s perspective, the more centralized we are with one management tool, the simpler things become. In this logic, we rather promote a complete use of the solution.

The BEVOLTA simulation module, a true DDMRP demonstrator

The adoption of a DDMRP solution is a real paradigm shift, especially for those deeply rooted in MRP and forecasts. Based on this observation, BEVOLTA was first designed as a simulation module to prove the methodology works concretely. This demonstrator is worth all the PowerPoint presentations since it allows you to very quickly visualize in charts, by comparing with the historical data of the company and integrating its constraints and specific management rules, the result of the solution on its supply chain.

- A year and a half after the deployment of the solution, what is your assessment?

MO – We are satisfied because we have improved our service rate! We have more accurate stocks, and there is also a gain in performance in the planning service with ergonomic and intuitive tools for users, to quote them.

However, it's difficult for stock value as it has increased, not because of DDMRP but due to the rising cost of raw materials. This is even more the case as in a growing company like ours, procurement has increased to meet market needs.

However, in terms of stock level, we are clearly more confident today, there is still work to do, but it's normal, planning is constant optimization.

TD – On the IT side, we've gained half a person since the one who was allocated part-time to the old tool no longer needs to take care of it!

- How was the solution adopted by the team?

MO – The team that uses BEVOLTA daily is both satisfied with the tool, its ergonomics, its performance, its simplicity of use, its flexibility as well since it meets the evolving needs of the business. Special mention for BEVOLTA support, our contacts are responsive and proactive, for each need or issue they have been able to offer us a solution in a short time. The criterion of location (BEVOLTA support is based in France), which was not necessarily a criterion in the initial choice, is also a real plus.

- What are the prospects for the solution's evolution?

MO – The objective is clearly, in the long term, to have only one tool. That the planning team only uses BEVOLTA. The entire team, from management to salespeople, was involved in the project from the outset. This involvement of the teams from the start makes us confident about the future.