How LCT implemented Odoo in Togo

In January 2014, TIL Group, a major maritime terminal business, asked Odoo to implement a solution for their local venture in Togo: Lomé Container Terminal (LCT). We talked to TIL Group's Chief Information Officer Wim D'haeseleer.

I want to thank Odoo for the successful implementation in our terminal at LCT.
Odoo's team was really supportive, dedicated and delivered what was needed on a tight deadline!
Thank you and I’m looking forward towards our next project together.

- Wim D'haeseleer, CIO of TIL Group

Tell us about your company and its business

LCT is a major container terminal in West Africa. It is ideally positioned on the Gulf of Guinea to serve as a trans-shipment hub for the West African coast.
The terminal handles thousands of containers every day. We needed robust and flexible software to support the billing of all our operations and manage our staff.

What were the challenges TIL Group was facing? 

We chose Odoo when the terminal was still under construction. At first, it helped us manage the financial part of the construction (supplier invoices and payments). Once the terminal was up and running, the challenge was handling hundreds of our customers' operations a day that need to be billed very quickly. Sometimes the truck drivers are waiting at the gate for containers to be released! Odoo provides us with a solution that is both user-friendly and efficient. Another challenge was managing our staff, from admins working in the office to staff working at the terminal. 

How did implementing Odoo solve your specific needs?

Odoo delivered a flexible solution covering all our needs in finance and HR. In finance, we are using Odoo for customer invoices and payments, suppliers invoices and payments and for asset management. We do all of this in multi-currency (EUR and CFA). We also report in two accounting standards: Syscohada (the local standard) and IFRS. Using Odoo allows us to have a double chart of accounts that supports both standards.
We are billing each operation that occurs on the terminal through Odoo. That means hundreds of operations a day! To do this, we needed a real-time interface between Odoo and our Terminal Operating System. Odoo developed it and now each container move is captured in Odoo and appears on an invoice within seconds!

In HR, we are using Odoo for recruiting of new employees, the managing all employee contracts, staff appraisals and leaves and, most  importantly, the local payroll. All salaries, along with taxes, pensions, individual allowances and bonuses are now managed with Odoo.

How has using Odoo impacted your business?

Thanks to the billing interface, we are now able to collect customer payments without delay. This saves us a lot of time and allows the terminal to run efficiently with minimal financial disputes.
We are able to run our financial reporting in both standards (Syscohada and IFRS) to comply with the local requirements and the standards of TIL Group, which is paramount to the management of the company.
And last but not least, all our employees are paid on time, they can take arrange their leave and be assessed with a single integrated tool.

How would you describe what your company values most about Odoo?

LCT was particularly satisfied with Odoo's ability to analyze their business needs, understand their key processes and quickly deliver a customized solution. Although deadlines were tight, the whole process was very smooth.

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