Yanmar is a global innovator in a wide range of industrial equipment. From small and large engines, agricultural machinery and facilities, construction machinery, power systems, shipping to machine tools and components. On land, at sea and in the city, Yanmar offers advanced solutions to the challenges customers face. To achieve a sustainable future. Find out how the move to SAP S/4HANA at Yanmar has improved and accelerated business processes.
Yanmar Marine International’s ambition is crystal clear. The Almere-based company wants to be the best engine supplier, in all aspects. That includes reliable and predictable delivery. For operational excellence, Yanmar implemented SAP S/4HANA Cloud with SAP partner Quinso.
Japan’s Yanmar has been supplying small and large engines for over a century to all kinds of industries including agricultural machinery, power systems and industrial equipment. Within this global group, Yanmar Marine International focuses on the production of engines for pleasure and commercial shipping, for example for rescue, patrol or taxi boats. The global headquarters of this business unit has been in Almere since 1988.
In 2015, Yanmar Marine International launched a new medium-term strategy with clear ambitions and plans. This strategy includes more direct cooperation with the market and better customer service through a shorter distribution flow. “Everything is focused on providing the best possible customer experience,” says Floris Lettinga, director of sales and marketing at Yanmar Marine International.
Premium brand experience
In Yanmar’s vision, a “premium brand experience” requires the best people, the best products and the best business processes. “The best products we already had,” notes Lettinga. The number of people has greatly expanded in recent years. “But for example, a customer also expects optimal support and delivery reliability, so that an engine is ready at exactly the right time with the configuration the customer expects.”
“Operational excellence, however, with two ERP systems, great flexibility and knowledge in heads, became increasingly challenging,” Lettinga continued. “Especially now that there are many more of us, and many more products in the range that can also be combined. We needed a new and user-friendly tool to manage that complexity. Sales should be able to see all the appointments, configurations and statuses made via an app on the iPad, and communicate directly with the customer.”
ERP in the public cloud
For the Director of Sales and Marketing, there was no question that that new tool had to be completely cloud-based. “We don’t want to deal with things that are distracting such as IT and cybersecurity, soft and hardware support, VPNs, backups or on-premises servers. We want to be future-proof and have the best tools at our disposal. Cloud ERP allows us to focus on our core business: building engines and making sure the customer has a beautiful and carefree day on the water.”
Not only did the new ERP solution have to be completely cloud-based, it also had to be delivered by a leading vendor and fit within Yanmar Marine International’s budget. During the Request For Quotation (RFQ) phase, SAP partner Quinso quickly stood out with a demo of SAP S/4HANA Cloud. “Quinso didn’t push the product, but was willing to really look closely at our needs and what solution would best fit them. They asked us more questions than we asked them,” Lettinga said.
Fit to the standard
Yanmar and Quinso implemented SAP S/4HANA Cloud in less than twelve (corona) months. Although Hubert Wezenberg, director of Sales and Marketing at Quinso, prefers to talk about “activating processes. “The system ‘runs’ the moment access is arranged. Following the Quinso Cloud Implementation method, we then go through the system together with the customer in an educational role and align the processes with best business practices. In doing so, we always look for the best solution.”
“The step from on-premise to the cloud is so much bigger than is often thought,” Lettinga continued. “You say goodbye to everything you have and know and conform to the standard as provided by the cloud solution. Quinso taught us how to execute our processes so that we get the most out of SAP. SAP is a powerful tool, if you know what you’re doing.”
Party only begins now
Yanmar Marine International took SAP S/4HANA Cloud into use in the spring of 2021. Initial experience with the new solution has been positive. The company has moved from order processing to supply chain planning, and can now better plan the delivery of components. It also now has more insight into the status of open orders. “But the party is really just beginning now,” Van der Zon notes.
“By loading the system with actual data, we get more insight into production planning, payment behavior and workload, for example. We can then start steering based on data we didn’t have before,” Lettinga explains. “We are also thinking about a web portal so customers can order online, and about expanding the system to other offices. We still have quite a bit to wish for.”
Make transforming your business easier, too. RISE with SAP with Quinso’s services and expertise is an offering that provides everything you need to transform your business in a way that works best for you.