Interview with Heinrich Grotemeier

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From disposition calendar to virtual planning with Dime.Scheduler

The service center of Heinrich Grotemeier GmbH & Co. KG plans and allocates resources virtually using Dime.Scheduler.

The third generation-operated, owner-run and independent medium-sized company Heinrich Grotemeier GmbH & Co. KG was founded in 1926. To begin, the company sold cookers, ovens and pots in the region. From the 50's on, the company strategically focused on construction machinery. The partnership with Liebherr, starting in 1966, was another crucial step in aligning the company. Today, Heinrich Grotemeier GmbH & Co. KG is an important partner for trade and industry when it comes to providing construction machinery and equipment.

Procedures and processes within a business with more than 80 employees need constant adjustments, says the authorized signatory Mrs. Ulrike Grotemeier-Lenger, responsible for IT and organizational development:

Since 1998 our company had been using NAVISION and we then switched to the current version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV at the turn of the year 2012/13. During this change a lot of the processes within the company were questioned along with the processes of the service area.

An organizational project was needed which was created in cooperation with Mr. Frank Sonntag, the current head of the service center. The idea was to combine parts of the structural and civil engineering services as well as the spare parts handling into the new service center area. The most important goal was the monitoring of the process from disposition to invoicing onto guarantee handling. Experiences from various parts of the processes should be made accessible for the entire process.

Eight employees were grouped together in one department and make up what is today the service center. The employees all sit together within one area which makes it possible to quickly and effectively exchange information. Previously, the departments were distributed throughout 3 different buildings. The spare parts section, along with the warehouse, is also located within the immediate vicinity of the service center.

During the restructuring process, the team also had to consider the disposition process. From the very beginning, it was important that numerous planners could simultaneously access a graphic planning aid. All of the service center employees should have access to the disposition in order to quickly see the necessary impact of the planning. A previously-used Excel solution could no longer be applied to the new challenges.

During this phase, Mrs. Grotemeier-Lenger consulted Mr. Hauke Lamb, currently the managing director of TRASER Software GmbH, the MS Dynamics NAV supporting partner. He recommended Dime.Scheduler for this specific task. Mr. Frank Sonntag was skeptical whether or not Dime.Scheduler could easily replace the disposition calendar already in use. After all, handwritten tips could easily be added to this book and it was always possible to look back. Now, Mr. Sonntag is convinced:

A great decision. It is just as easy-to-use and flexible as the old disposition calendar, but with numerous additional fantastic features such as the quick search, uncomplicated planning and of course, the connection to Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

Mr. Sonntag has known the process for 15 years now and for him Dime.Scheduler is the go-to tool:

Our processes are very dynamic and it is not foreseeable which demands we will face tomorrow. With Dime.Scheduler I can easily add amendments so that I always have the most important information at hand.

Today, all of the work such as maintenance, repairs and machine adjustments are planned using Dime.Scheduler. The technicians - with their various qualifications - are assigned to the appropriate service orders. The trucks and crane axes required for crane transportation are managed on the second scheduling board. Additional information about the corresponding machine is always on hand. Planners no longer have to leaf through files to find information. All of the information relevant to the process is available within Dime.Scheduler. And, if special information is needed at any time, you can jump from Dime.Scheduler directly to the appropriate order within Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

The old disposition calendars could no longer be found. A sign that this disposition aid was no longer since Dime.Scheduler had been introduced.

Our processes are very dynamic and it is not foreseeable which demands we will face tomorrow. With Dime.Scheduler I can easily add amendments so that I always have the most important information at hand.