Implementing the Manufacturing Module with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

About the Company

The Pepco family business was founded in Hearst in 1986 when its vocation was solely focused on the delivery of industrial fuels and lubricants. In a desire to become a key resource in the energy field, the company decided to expand its range of services to include the distribution of industrial supplies, HVAC and bearing and power transmissions. Now established in the Greater Montreal and Northern Ontario areas, Pepco’s mission is to deliver innovative solutions to all its customers in order to become their key resource.

The Triggering Event

On the cusps of Covid-19, Pepco had the guts and quick-wittedness to broaden its line of business. As it was becoming the new rare commodity, the company dived into the production and sale of hand sanitizer. Through this commercial reorientation, Pepco wanted to contribute to the collective effort of countering the pandemic by facilitating the access to sanitary products, all the while combating the adversity and uncertainty that such a global crisis can cause on the sustainability of a company.

With the acute rise in demand, the option of an online store is what best suited the situation. Pepco then embarked on this project with a very ambitious goal – to put in place an online shop in two weeks and a half.

“In the past, we have grown during economic downturns. It's in our DNA, we use these moments to reinvest in our business and come out stronger.”

Luc Pepin, CEO, Pepco

A Collaborative Feat

Pepco and Createch had previously worked together for the implementation of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP. To meet the logistical requirements generated by their new operations, Pepco needed a manufacturing module that integrated seamlessly with their solution to measure the costs and profitability of their new products. Having already proven its proactive behaviour, availability and expertise in addition to being familiar with Pepco's working method, the choice to call on Createch again for this task was a given.

This team grew bigger with the arrival of Sana, the e-commerce partner in charge of launching the online store. Together, the three teams were able to use their respective skills to carry out the project in complete synergy, as a single entity. In order to follow the schedule and respect deadlines, all stakeholders demonstrated great availability, flexibility and agility, even going so far as to exceed traditional office hours to avoid impeding the process’s progress. The cohesion between Pepco, Createch and Sana was a key success factor in the timely delivery of the project.

The Challenges and Achievements

Not only was the project finished on time, it was even delivered slightly in advance! In just a week and a half, the manufacturing model was installed and ready to be used. Thanks to this new module, Pepco can now monitor and measure the performance of its products directly on its Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central platform, thus enabling the development of key performance indicators (KPIs). Gathering of all this data in one place allows Pepco to better define its objectives and to get a clear picture of the next steps and decisions to be made.

Pepco has successfully overcome the challenges associated with introducing a new product to the market, such as activities related to manufacturing, supply chain, processes and quality control. According to the company's experience, the most difficult part of a technology project is having to train their team while the managers themselves are getting used to the software. The best way to overcome this challenge is to have a good knowledge of the solution beforehand. Actively participating in their ERP implementation and helping to hold the reins all throughout the project greatly eased the implementation of their additional module. At the end of this project, which was a true learning opportunity, Pepco succeeded in taking true ownership of its system.

‘’ The approach that I had with the Createch team was amazing. The support was there, the project was their main focus in that moment, and it was really nice to see that their heads were on that project, not on twenty different ones at the same time. We could feel that they wanted us to succeed.”

Guillaume Comeau, Director of Operations, Pepco