Kruitbosch geared up for international growth

With its stylish Cortina bikes and Alpina kids’ bikes, Kruitbosch is a household name...well, in the Netherlands, anyway. To gain a foothold in Germany and Belgium, they needed a technology that could accommodate international growth and handle differences in legislation. We guided their transition to Microsoft Dynamics and professionalized several of their work processes. And with its newly streamlined processes and operations, Kruitbosch is currently gaining market share not just in the Netherlands but in its neighboring countries too.

Client

Kruitbosch

Market

Retail, Food & Agri

Theme

Adaptive enterprise applications

Date published

31 maart 2022

Case Study: Bike dealer in peak condition

Kruitbosch’s huge warehouse in Zwolle is where the magic happens. That’s where the thousands of accessories and technical parts used by customers to assemble their dream bikes are stored. Employees know where every wheel hub, headset, and pannier rack are on the shelves. They work with voice-picking. It’s a system that efficiently transmits item orders to the personnel’s headphones so they can collect the right items quickly and accurately. This unique process empowers Kruitbosch to deliver on the speed and high-quality it’s known for on the market.

Client Case video: Build the digital future with Microsoft Dynamics

A new base

Kruitbosch was eager to implement Microsoft Dynamics as a new base for all its processes, mainly because it featured the flexibility required to do business internationally. At the same time, they were interested in adopting new voice-picking technology. Plus, both major operations had to be pushed through with everyday business running as usual. They threw in with us for two reasons:

Customer service processes

Benchmarking processes

The power of Microsoft Dynamics? That’s its work processes synergy. Since our consultants aren’t just Microsoft technology professionals but also understand how financial, logistics, and warehouse processes run at similar organizations, nobody can streamline tech and work processes quite like us. For instance, Kruitbosch’s logistics have had a professional upgrade. Combined shipments are no longer assembled in Zwolle. Instead, they’re delivered straight to the retailer, and the logistics partner handles assembling the partial deliveries. That’s faster and cheaper. 

Conscientious change management

New technology and alternative work processes are a huge change for a workplace. And that’s why our management consultants put people first right from the start. Our broad change management experience means we know what it takes to get them on board. We know how crucial it is to give employees a voice and make sure they are really heard. That way, they get a good grip on their daily work process and decide themselves which improvements they want. Nothing is more important for adoption. And another thing...don’t take things too fast. People adapt more easily to incremental change. At the end of the day, we directed a sophisticated change process at Kruitbosch.

A bargain fulfilled

We wrapped up the full implementation in nine months, after which employees could instantly start using the system. That kept business risk well within limits. And we made Kruitbosch’s international aspirations, i.e., expansion into Germany and Belgium, a reality.

man behind computer

Conclusion in retail, food, and agri

Retail, food, and agri is one of the markets in which the Conclusion ecosystem can make a real impact. Interested in learning more about our joint services in retail, food, and agri?

Curious about what Microsoft Dynamics 365 can do?

Get in touch! We’d love to talk to you about it.

Jan-Douwe Jilderda

jan-douwe.jilderda@conclusion.nl