The company AutoBinck Holding N.V. belongs to 20 biggest automobile groups in Europe. The company was founded in Haag and in 2007 celebrated 100 years since its foundation. Activities of AutoBinck holding include car import, retail sale, leasing and financing, further import, wholesale and retail sale of spare parts and accessories. AutoBinck realizes its business in Benelux and Central Europe.

Initial state

The company AutoBinck Holding N.V. counts 51 companies nowadays, 15 from them operates under the sponsorship of the group AUTO PALACE GROUP in the Czech and Slovakian market.

The company AutoBinck Holding N.V. decided to implement Microsoft Dynamics NAV business information system including enlargement by professional solution Automotive Business Solutions – ABS IMS (Importer Management System) determined for importers of all car makes. The result of this decision should be a complex information system which would integrate and automate processes of the companies in the holding, the main branch of which is various car makes import and sale.

The company AutoBinck Holding N.V. made use and still makes use of some specific applications and systems to support its business processes. These applications and systems are built on various platforms.

• Microsoft
• Oracle
• SAP

M Motors CZ and M Motors SK were chosen for pilot project of Microsoft Dynamics NAV implementation. They operate in the Czech and Slovak markets as car importers of Mitsubishi cars and further on the system should also be implemented   in the company Hyundai Holding Hungary in Hungary.

Business Aims 
 
Business information system used till now was not suitable to current requirements and it was necessary to ensure acceleration and improvement of processes in particular companies of the holding including communication within the holding. Except basic functional requirements that are given by key business processes

• Finances
• New cars purchase and sale
• Car sale financing
• Spare parts purchase and sale
• Complete warehousing
• Logistics 
• Solution of Customers´ After sales service 
• Marketing a sales support
• Efficiency measurement and obtaining manager information

the company also had high requirements to secure strategy of company dynamic development. The requirements were especially these:
 

• Ability of quick communication between importer, particular dealers and spare part suppliers, particularly other third parties (financial groups, etc.) 
• Implement information system in more companies within one database  
• Possibility to post in two currencies  
• Possibility to work in more foreign currencies  
• Possibility of more language layers according to particular countries 
• Implement more legislative layers  
• Communication within whole holding 
• Maximum compatibility with other Microsoft products by Microsoft company

Primary aim of the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics NAV business solution and ABS IMS (Importer Management System) professional solution was a consolidation of information support of processes into one central ERP system and facilitation of new spheres support of company business. Other aims are:

• Possibility to react to quickly changing automobile market 
• Processes automation 
• Possibility of flexible communications with all partner parties (dealers, producers, spare parts suppliers, etc.) 
• Company reporting unification

Solution

AXIOM SW Ltd. was chosen as a strategic partner for implementation. System world version without any legislative layer was strategically used for implementation of Microsoft Dynamic NAV information system. Legislative layers are applied always with each another implemented country. Nowadays three legislative layers are applied:

• Czech 
• Slovak 
• Hungarian

Within the solution standard modules of Microsoft Dynamics NAV information system were implemented:

• Finances management
• Sales and marketing
• Purchase
• Enlarged warehousing
• In-house accountancy

ABS – IMS (Importer Management System) professional solution by AXIOM SW Ltd. was consequently implemented into the database. This solution results from long time experience in the sphere of cars sale. ABS IMS contains the following modules:

• New cars
• Spare parts
• Technical sector - after sales service, complaints processing, equipments packages management, warranty service, evidence of car registration etc. (After sales)
• Marketing
• Communication (communication between importer and producer, importer and dealer, etc.)

Communication tool directly made to measure

Microsoft Dynamics NAV system implementation presents a significant shift in the sphere of internal communications within the company and communications with other subjects in the market.

The following ways of communication are used within the implementation:

Dealer portal – it is a portal solution when particular dealers of Mitsubishi make from the Czech and Slovak Republic and dealers of Hyundai make from Hungary access via web interface into the system. Dealer portal enables on-line communication between the Internet interface and Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

Particular companies make use of the following communication:

• Cars ordering from the stock or directly order enter into the production
• Spare parts ordering
• Warehouse stock, substitutes and pricelists monitoring
• Reporting of warranty repairs
• Reports prints, etc.

Microsoft BizTalk Server is another communication tool that is used by the company and that enables the most modern transfer of communications between importers (M Motors CZ and SK, Hyundai Holding Hungary) and other parties (Mitsubishi Motors, Hyundai Motors, Mobis, ASA, local dealers, Raben Logistics, Denzel, local banks). By this communication tool it was managed to install elements for analysis and evaluation into the business processes, thanks to which the processes can be continually improved and by this support business decisions based on information about business processes state. In-house accountancy – enables communications within the company in the database.

Infrastructure solution

Hardware and solution technical infrastructure is implemented and centrally controlled (managed) by the mother company AutoBinck Holding N.V. In Amsterdam. All countries connect via distant connection directly to Holland.

Phases of the project:

Phase 0 – Process analysis
Detailed description of importer companies was carried out within the phase of process analysis.

Phase I – Technical analysis 
Within the phase of technical analysis complete software and hardware equipment that is essential for integrated system function was defined.

Phase II – Analysis of functional requirements and solution proposal 
All requirements of key users to system functionality were specified during analysis of functional requirements. Subsequently AXIOM SW analysts prepared solution proposals on the basis of which the phase III could be started.

Phase III – Programming according to approved processes and solution proposal
Described functionalities according to approved solution proposal and particular priorities were prepared in the phase of programming. This phase also contained an internal test, documentation preparation and scripts testing.

Phase IV – Application testing by key users
Phase testing was carried out in various steps the aim of which was to ensure successful procedure of application start within pilot project. There were these steps:

1. Key users training   
2. Application setup  
3. Key users testing 
4. Solution of requirements originated from testing 
5. Phase was finished by signature of testing scripts

Phase V – Integration tests 
Final phase before Microsoft Dynamics NAV information system start were integration tests that checked up complex system functionality. All parties that took part (M Motors CZ and SK, Hyundai Holding Hungary, AXIOMS SW, Dealers, Mitsubishi, Raben Logistics, Denzel, ČSOB and Mobis) were involved in integration tests.

Phase VI – Pilot project M Motors CZ and SK
After successful termination of integration tests the application was started to the routine operation within pilot project M Motors CZ and SK.

Contributions

New Microsoft Dynamics NAV information system implementation helps the company reach the main strategic aim: „Company development by other car makes within the holding and a possibility to react flexibly to quickly changing market with cars“.

New system introduces a very strong tool that will enable the management of the holding to optimize management of all importer companies and car makes via all countries in one compact, integrated system.

Company management obtained a tool by this to particular evaluation of its business activities in home and foreign markets, where AutoBink company operates as an importer of particular car makes.

Other contributions are:

• System unification to one consistent Microsoft Dynamics NAV application 
• Automatic communication with external partners (suppliers, customers) 
• Automatic inter-firm communication 
• On-line communication via the Internet interface with dealers of particular car makes 
• Support of all business processes within the whole company 
• Improvement of cooperation of particular departments through the whole company 
• Support during company decisions 
• Quick implementation of new services and innovation of current services 
• Usage of Microsoft technologies 
• Support of more legislatures, currencies and more language layers in one database

Products and technologies

• Microsoft Dynamics NAV 4.0 SP3
• Microsoft  Windows XP
• Microsoft Windows server 2008 
• Microsoft BizTalk Server
• Microsoft SQL 2005
• Microsoft Office 2003, 2007
• Microsoft Reporting Services
• Microsoft Exchange server
• BI OLAP

Case study AutoBinck Holding N.V. - 251 kB