Company Name: Afrik Appro Ltd.
Location: Mauritania
Industry: Procurement, Wholesales and Distribution
Company Size: <50
Odoo Users: <30
Apps: Barcode, Studio, Website, Accounting, Email Marketing, DHL Express Shipping, Inventory, Purchase, CRM, Contacts, Calendar, Sales, Invoicing, Discuss
Hosting type: Odoo Online
Based in Mauritania, Afrik Appro Ltd. is a procurement services provider that caters to a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, construction, mining, forestry, and oil & gas. With its extensive experience of working with suppliers for all around the globe, the company assists businesses in accessing a vast network of suppliers while reducing costs and increasing efficiency. Afrik Appro Ltd. serves as a single point-of-contact for their customers’ procurement needs while delivering customized solutions to meet their client’s unique set of needs and challenges.
Afrik Appro Ltd.’s previous system was fragmented, inefficient, and not up to the task of managing the multiple facets of the business. The company therefore started their quest of an all-in-one solution to address the following critical operational challenges:
- Inefficient Sales and Quotation Management: The company struggled with tracking and managing quotations and sales efficiently, leading to delays and miscommunications within the sales team.
- Data Fragmentation: Data needed for analytics was scattered across multiple platforms, hindering the ability to make quick, informed decisions.
- Supplier Information Management: Keeping up-to-date records of primary suppliers was difficult, risking supply chain delays.
- Payment Tracking: Burdened with manual account reconciliation, the financial department often faced errors and complications.
After having evaluated various solutions like Sage, SAP, and Gestcom, Afrik Appro chose Odoo. They found that it provided the perfect balance of scalability, functionality, and cost-effectiveness, while aligning with their specific operational requirements and growth plans. This move aimed to revolutionize its entire operational structure, making the company more agile, data-driven, and customer-focused.
“SAP was feature-rich and highly robust but also complex and expensive to implement, which gave us pause. Gestcom seemed user-friendly but didn't offer the scalability we knew we'd need as we expand our operations. It also fell short in terms of depth of features, which was a crucial factor for us. After evaluating these options, we decided that Odoo was the best fit for our needs. It offered the right balance of scalability and functionality, while also being cost-effective and relatively easy to implement."
Making the most of Odoo's modularity
Ease of implementation was crucial for the team, as their Human Resources were limited for this project. Odoo's user-friendly interface and modular design meant the team could implement the software incrementally, starting with the most pressing challenges—quotation and sales management—before gradually expanding to other modules like financial tracking and supplier management. This has made the transition easier for the small implementation team and has allowed them to prioritize the most crucial aspects of their operations first, then expand as needed.
The metrics of success
Since implementing Odoo, Afrik Appro Ltd. has witnessed remarkable improvements:
- Streamlined Quotation and Sales Management: Custom layout adjustments have streamlined the quote-to-invoice process, allowing for more efficient tracking and faster turnaround times.
- Real-Time Data Tracking: Integrated data consolidation from various departments, enabling real-time monitoring and making data-driven decisions easier than ever before. This was especially helpful in tracking payments and maintaining updated supplier records.
- Enhanced Analytics: Built-in reporting tools have simplified the measurement and analysis of conversion rates, aiding in sales and business development strategies.
- Overall Efficiency: Odoo’s improvements resulted in a 30% reduction in operational task times and a 40% increase in communication effectiveness.
In summary, Afrik Appro Ltd.'s adoption of Odoo has revolutionized their procurement operations. Before Odoo, procedures were scattered across multiple systems, making it difficult to get a consolidated view of the business activities. Now, everything from quotation management to financial tracking to supplier records is integrated into one centralized platform. This has had a profound impact not just on Afrik Appro Ltd.’s operational efficiency but also on its organizational culture. With Odoo, the company has not only addressed its existing challenges but has also positioned itself for future growth and success.
“Despite the inherent challenges, implementing Odoo has been a game-changer for our organization. The effort was undoubtedly a significant investment of time and resources, but the payoff—in terms of efficiency gains and streamlined operations—has been significant and continues to justify the initial outlay.”
Affrik Appro