Company name: Twerk Vzw
Location: Belgium
Industry: Food and Beverage
Partner name: Dynapps
Main Apps implemented: CRM, Website, Accounting, Manufacturing, Invoicing, eCommerce, Purchase, Sales, Inventory, Email Marketing, Events, Quality
Company Size: 38
Number of Users: 14
Hosting Type: On Premise
Overview
Due to Twerk’s large growth rate over the years, the company was looking for a way to integrate all their segmented business processes such as accounting, inventory and sales into one place. Working in collaboration with Dynapps, Twerk implemented Odoo for their business and went from manually managing stock to an automated inventory system and finalizing end of quarter administration in 2 hours instead of 5 days.
Key Challenges and Requirements
TWERK is a small social enterprise based in Herentals, Belgium with the simple goal of making people happy. Their chocolates bring happiness not only to those who taste them but also to those who make them. Twerk employees are with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In total, there are 30 people diagnosed with ASD that work for Twerk. They are treated with respect, appreciation and are paid fair wages. TWERK is also a Fairtrade ambassador for the Herentals Municipality and is certified as a 100% Fairtrade manufacturer.
In addition to producing chocolate for special occasions such as Valentines Day, Easter and Christmas, Twerk is also capable of tailoring chocolate to a customers needs with their skill and equipment, they’re able to print logos and taglines on pralines, creating a unique and extra special gift.
Since the company began, Twerk has been experiencing continuous growth and with this they have faced and overcame challenges. However, not having the right software system left Twerk facing inefficiency which led to lost time. Prior to switching to Odoo, the company used Access and Excel to process orders and manage administration. This caused many frustrations as everything needed to be done manually and none of the information was integrated. After continuous frustrations and with no signs of the business slowing down, Twerk decided a new system was needed in order to fulfill order for the company to reach new heights.
Solution
After conducting some extensive research online on ERP systems, the company decided to go for Odoo because they wanted an open ERP system and they found just that and more in Odoo. They wanted to be able to customize their solution to their business needs and have a system that will enable them to continue to scale their business. They decided to work with an implementation partner because when it comes to IT and ERP systems, in-house Twerk’s capabilities were limited so they decided to hire a consultant to help with their solution. They found DynApps via Odoo’s website list of official implementation partners.
The first step was implementing the accounting process in Odoo. Within 3 months this part was live and employees were all set and trained to use it efficiently. Having employees with Autism didn't stop them from learning how to use the new system in no time as they found Odoo a very user friendly system and they could count on the professionalism of Dyanpps to train the employees.
After the first phase, Twerk decided to add their customer relationship management in Odoo and the sales process. In the meantime the stock management with inventory was launched but this took more than five months as Twerk’s business scope isn’t that standard so many custom integrations had to be implemented.
There were some difficulties. A change in software requires a lot of patience and dedication even though I absolutely don’t regret it. A change of ERP requires a lot of effort to change the way of working and processes, but it is necessary. One of the challenges was that we had no specific IT knowledge, so the switch in mindset was a real challenge. Despite the effort put in this I can now say employees became some Odoo professionals.
Another challenge Twerk faced was the budget required for an entire ERP switch despite its necessity. Dynapps did a great job and added extra customization for production and sales e.g. the many product variations and the possibility to pair sales products. When the implementation was completed and employees were ready to use it, all data was imported through the system instead of adding things manually which saved Twerk a lot of time. Administration was no longer a struggle and the timing for several tasks was significantly decreased.
Results
Today, Twerk finds it difficult to believe that before implementing Odoo, they were managing their inventory and real time stock by manually counting every morning and noon in order to have a good picture of the available stock. With Odoo, Twerk no longer needs to keep track of incoming and outgoing stock. Odoo’s Inventory dashboard provides a great overview of all of this and more and keeping an eye on stocks has never been easier thanks to the automatic inventory adjustments.
Odoo also easily integrates with all shipping carriers making delivery for Twerk a breeze. In one place, they’re able to make a sale, manage the inventory and ensure a safe and quick delivery for all customers.
Prior to using Odoo, the administration required for the end of the quarter took five days to complete, now with Odoo it takes the team just 2 hours. Odoo has enabled Twerk to efficiently manage the challenges they were previously facing in a structured and efficient way. They’re able to keep their head above water during their continuous growth which is currently 30% every year. In 2020, Twerk processed over 19 tonnes of Fairtrade chocolate: 200,000 Easter eggs, 120,000 Saint Nicolas figurines, 50,000 speculoos biscuits, 35,000 bars of marzipan and 5,000 kg of the finest Belgian pralines.
About Twerk
TWERK is a small social enterprise, based in Herentals, Belgium. Our goal is simple: to make people happy. Our chocolates bring happiness, not only to those who taste them, but also to those who make them. Our employees are people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). They thrive in our workplace that offers them a fitting occupation, a fair wage and the tools to live a meaningful life. At TWERK, our employees are not limited by their ASD. They are chocolatiers.
About DynApps
DynApps is a company with many years of experience in guiding organizations through their change processes. Our goal: clearly integrated business operations by setting up an ERP system. Implementing an ERP system is an intensive process. DynApps guides every employee involved in the implementation so that everyone can apply the new working methods smoothly and without problems.
Twerk: Producing 19 tonnes of Fairtrade Chocolate with Odoo