Behind the scenes of SoftBank Robotics
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How Seamless implement the new systems backbone of Cleaning Robotics
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Company Location: London, UK; Amsterdam, NL.
Target Market: EMEA
Industry: Robotics, Wholesale Trade
Apps Implemented: Odoo - Sales, CRM, Subscription, Procurement, Inventory, Repair, Accounting.
SoftBank Robotics EMEA is part of SoftBank Robotics Group, a worldwide leader in robotics solutions. SoftBank Robotics is constantly exploring and commercialising robotics solutions that help make people’s lives easier, safer, more connected, and more extraordinary.
Whiz is SoftBank’s newly released vacuum cleaner robot. SoftBank calls it a “fully autonomous vacuum sweeper” using a trusted AI platform. It delivers a higher quality, more efficient clean - with proof of performance.
By integrating robots into their operations, cleaning and FM leaders can build more productive, engaged and healthy workforces, realising the strengths and capabilities of both humans and technology to drive efficiency, performance and customer experience.
A Faster ROI solutionThe aim of implementing ERP in SoftBank Robotics EMEA was to manage the new asset robot Whiz, between Finance & Accounting and Supply Chain teams and track and trace Whiz by each unique serial number, end to end. This in order to properly manage the suppliers from Japan to EMEA and the distribution network and clients in EMEA.
Before Odoo the headquarter has built a solution based on SAP Business ByDesign to manage the operations of existing robots and spare parts. The solution unfortunately didn't fit with the EMEA market and team requirements. EMEA is a region that requires flexibility per country when you go to the markets. After a Proof of Value, the EMEA team found that the solution was not able to go through critical steps to manage operations:
- Supply Chain Asset Traceability: Properly acknowledge and track end-to-end operations from procurement to after-sales including repairs and returns.
- Finance Invoicing and Reporting in Multi-companies: Purchase the right quantity of robots and spare parts from the right legal entities; subsequently organise shipments and payments internally from headquarter to local branch offices and to the end clients. The solution has to comply with multi-companies with the multi-currencies situations.
The SAP Business ByDesign solution had to be tailored to the EMEA market and it was not easy to be configured within expected timelines and within an available budget. Therefore, the EMEA team looked for alternative solutions and found that they had two possibilities; to configure the old solution with a new custom-made solution to support EMEA operations or implement a regional out-of-the-box solution.
They needed a quick return on investment and a traditional ERP proved not to be the best solution to meet their requirements. The only solution that was able to pass the RFP was Odoo. From a cost and implementation timeline perspective, SoftBank Robotics EMEA decided to go with Odoo.
The Scope of Apps
Even though their initial focus was on Supply Chain and Finance, the scope of the solution that was implemented was much bigger than that;
First, they needed Odoo Purchase in order to manage their purchase orders up to hundreds SKUs. As soon as an order is placed by a local branch, they need to make sure that the corresponding purchase order is approved by the local Finance team after that passed to headquarter. For that, they need Odoo Accounting.
Odoo Accounting was added in order to be able to make the payment to suppliers and invoice the clients later on. A multi-company setup covers the activities of several branch offices, and they have a completely automatic reconciliation service of all payments.
Odoo Inventory was added to manage the inbound and outbound fulfillment, backorders, multiple warehouses and locations, stock transfers, drop-ship, inventory adjustments, scrap, receipts, serial numbers tracking, perpetual inventory valuation, dashboard reporting, and inventory forecast.
Odoo Repair was added to manage a complete after-sales process but also to simply repair products that have been manufactured, if they present a defect, and to record the repair activity, repair parts usage, and send the repair invoice to your clients.
Odoo Sales was implemented to manage the sales orders and client bills, replacing HubSpot within 1 month.
The Implementation
There was a lot of work to do, and not a lot of time to do it. To be operational in time, and with a reliable system, the implementation project was carried out according to an agile methodology where we followed the implementation steps in two-week sprints as shown in the below steps. After an initial Go-Live within three months time, each sprint feature was deployed with tight quality control. We were able to create an understandable and client-prioritized Product & Sprint backlog. By having an eye on the ball we were able to continuously deliver with high speed and quality. The role of the client was key in the understanding, planning & prioritizing, and testing steps. By doing sprint reviews we were able to increase the team focus, motivation, and therefore productivity. All team members felt involved and very happy with the end results.
Amazing Employees With The Amazing System
The Odoo solution was implemented very quickly. After 3 months of implementation, the Supply Chain team is able to manage the day-to-day operations. It was also important for Softbank Robotics to have an ERP solution where they can leverage their best assets - which is their people. The Odoo platform provides a complete as well as a full-fledged solution with the operations capability to manage the entire business. With the ease of setting up as well as the completeness of functions, Odoo was better able to cope with EMEA requirements than SAP Business ByDesign. They appreciate having a user-friendly and scalable system that can deliver new added value to business operations!
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