FenekO automates route planning using Movetex as a smart building block in their ERP software

FenekO is a rapidly growing SME with more than 100 employees. They are the reference in Belgium for aluminum insect screens, door panels and sheet metal processing. For over 20 years, they have been delivering their high-quality products to professional partners such as joiners, manufacturers and installers of windows, doors, sun protection and window decoration.

At the Brussels-based company, innovation is highly valued. They continuously invest in optimizing and automating the production process. But they also tackle other business processes such as daily deliveries.

FenekO maximizes the use of available resources

FenekO carries out an average of 100 to 150 deliveries per day. From April to October, this number increases to around 200 deliveries per day. The Movetex planning software calculates the number of required vehicles and the most efficient routes for this purpose.

Dirk Bomans, Plant Manager Transport & Logistics at FenekO, explains the planning process. "The planning software initially makes optimal use of our internal trucks and vans. Only when the capacity of our own fleet is fully utilized, are vehicles from external partners included in the planning. These external drivers do not have the same procedures and skills as our own experienced, permanent personnel. To compensate for this difference, Movetex automatically multiplies the delivery time of partner-delivered shipments by a certain factor and applies this to their respective routes."

In addition, the software calculates the routes with the fewest number of kilometers that still meet all planning requirements. "The route planning takes into account the capacity of our different vehicles, the working hours of our drivers, and even specific delivery times. With tags, we can easily control whether a delivery can or must be made with a van or truck. This way, the largest fly screens can only be delivered by a truck with the largest container. The software can easily handle this."

From spreadsheets to full automation via APIs

In an initial testing phase, FenekO used spreadsheets to import the required delivery data into the Movetex planning software. This spreadsheet was downloaded from the FenekO ERP software and imported into Movetex. Any last-minute orders were manually added.

Once the planning software was fully operational and adapted to FenekO's planning processes, they quickly thought one step ahead. They immediately saw the benefits of automatic data transfer from one software system to another. Even more efficiency, something the Movetex team strives for every day.

"Thanks to the API integration, the data transfer between our ERP system and Movetex has been automated. We have been able to achieve even more time savings and there is less chance of human errors."Dirk Bomans, Plant Manager Transport & Logistics, FenekO

Dirk clarifies the new process: "Our ERP software was linked to Movetex via APIs. When we want to make the planning, we send all the data to Movetex with just one click of a button. There, a route planning is automatically created and optimized. We can view the routes and manually adjust them if needed. If there are last-minute orders, we immediately send them from our ERP to the calculated plan for that day. Once the planning is final, all planning data flows back to our ERP package, from where the picking lists are generated. The same data is then used to send to the mobile Proof of Delivery application installed on our drivers' scanners."

Dirk finds it a huge improvement. "This process is even more efficient, and because there are no manual interventions, the chance of errors is much smaller. Moreover, we save a lot of time."

Faster and easier planning, even during the busiest seasons

Dirk explains that the planning process has greatly improved. "Before we used Movetex, we worked with outdated software. It was desktop software installed on local servers. The system was very slow and complicated, requiring too many manual actions. Moreover, the software was sometimes unavailable while we couldn't reach the supplier. If you have to quickly make a manual plan under time pressure, you won't be happy."

Due to these frustrations and the need for a reliable partner, FenekO went looking for a new supplier. "We had some requirements: the software had to be cloud-based, user-friendly, fast, and have reliable support. Based on these requirements, we had three packages. Eventually, it became clear that Movetex was head and shoulders above the rest. It is a software package with a very fine user experience that could meet the vast majority of our requirements. The team was very transparent from the beginning and followed our business processes, creating a connection that is important to have with a software partner."

"During the pre-sales process, it was clear that the Movetex team was attentive. They were not just a partner who came to offer their solution, but they also thought along with our business processes."Dirk Bomans, Plant Manager Transport & Logistics, FenekO

Dirk has no regrets about choosing Movetex. "The route planning is always very efficient and logical. We can now make the plan in a maximum of 30 minutes, whereas with the previous software package, we sometimes needed several hours. And if we still have questions, our contact person is always available."

The Plant Manager of FenekO sees one last advantage. "During our busiest season, the software scales with our deliveries. The pricing of Movetex is flexible, so we don't have to pay for licenses we don't need. We don't have to worry about keeping track of how many licenses we use and when, Movetex takes care of that administrative hassle for us."