Investment in digitization to optimize production process

Preco B.V., a leading manufacturer of precast concrete products, based in Apeldoorn, has entered into a partnership with Progress Software Development, a Progress Group company. The reason for the collaboration is to implement erpbos, an industry-specific ERP system that is so versatile that it perfectly meets the company's needs. The goal of the transformation is to revolutionize Preco's operations and optimize the entire process chain.

Modernization for the future 

Preco, known for its high-quality precast concrete products, specializes in the production of walls, hollow-core slabs and custom-made elements such as stairs and columns. The company began in 2004 under the name Cervix Concrete, with an initial focus on the production of concrete elements for the agricultural sector. Over time, Preco experienced significant growth, leading to a relocation to Ede in 2012 and finally settling in a state-of-the-art concrete plant at the Ecofactorij in Apeldoorn in 2019.

One complete software solution 

Before implementing erpbos, Preco used several stand-alone software solutions that could not map every process and required some degree of manual effort with Excel spreadsheets. For example, to create an accurate production schedule. To overcome this, Preco decided to implement new software that could replace the various solutions. But also to move to a single, complete and integrated solution to control the entire business process. "Simply put, we were looking for an ERP system that fully met our requirements. And that turned out to be erpbos," says Bjorn Houwen, production planner at Preco. Progress Software Development customized this software for Preco by integrating intuitive 3D layout planning and a mobile application to provide a transparent overview of the production planning and warehouse situation, as well as the ability to provide real-time production feedback and capture warehouse activities anywhere and at any time. It now allows Preco to fully map and optimize production for all products in one system, eliminating the need for Excel-based manual workflows and preventing errors. This enables better control over all resources and optimizes production on tilt tables, production lanes and various manual workstations for custom elements.

Seamless integration 

The collaboration between Preco and Progress Group brings a series of improvements to Preco's operations in an efficient, modern and intuitive way. erpbos provides seamless integration between departments, optimizes resource management and enables the incorporation of BIM-based processes. The ERP system interfaces with its financial system, CAD software and billing tool and controls the plotter and laser system in production. This integration ensures consistent information flow and data transfer between the interconnected systems, increasing efficiency and accuracy in Preco's operations. The successful collaboration between Preco and Progress Group is poised to revolutionize Preco's operations, improve its competitive position and drive further success in the precast concrete production industry.

Therefore Progress 

"There has been fast and open communication, both with the project manager and with the help desk on the Progress Software Development side. New features have been developed together and unexpected challenges have been addressed within days or even hours. There is a real effort from both sides to ensure that plant-specific needs are met in a logical way, without deviating too far from the standard," says Tim Grooteman, ERP consultant at Preco. The biggest advantage is that Progress uses PXML files for data import. These files are multifunctional and can be used for:

• Data import in erpbos.
• Ordering rebar.
• Controlling the insulation cutter.

In short, the implementation of erpbos marks an important milestone for Preco as it leverages Progress Group's expertise to improve its business processes. By replacing its previous software solutions, Preco gains a comprehensive and customized ERP system that integrates its production planning and resource management, streamlines operations and provides a competitive advantage in the precast concrete production industry.