"We decided on a full-scale changeover and switched over almost everything in one go. Since this wasn't the first time SHD had carried out such a changeover, and we felt well prepared, we never had any doubts at any point. The user-friendly interface of our new IT, which many employees recognize from the Windows world, also helped," says Andreas Urban. "We've already become more transparent across all areas and have a great overview. The interfaces work very well. SHD is a leader in the industry there. It takes about a year for the full benefit of the solutions to really show. We had factored that time in too. Of course, there are always adjustments that we want and need to keep making together. If we keep doing that, we'll have a truly well-rounded solution and a huge head start," Josef Urban concludes.
SHD ECORO went live at Möbel Urban in Bad Camberg in July 2020. After 34 years with the MHS inventory management system, the Alliance member continues to rely on its long-standing and trusted collaboration with SHD. Together, they managed the switch to SHD ECORO within just a few months, despite unexpected hurdles such as Covid or the VAT rate change. An achievement that managing directors Andreas and Josef Urban attribute above all to the highly motivated SHD team, and of course to their own team, the dedicated Möbel Urban employees.
SHD is a company you can bank on. Our personal, long-standing relationship with the highly motivated SHD team certainly influenced our decision-making. We feel we're in the very best hands with SHD!
Josef Urban, Managing Director, Möbel Urban
Located in the Taunus region, this family-run company with 55 employees and a business tradition spanning over 135 years has been run in its fourth generation by brothers Andreas and Josef Urban for more than 25 years. Furniture and kitchen buyers from the Idstein, Bad Camberg, Limburg, Usingen region and beyond rely on the experience and expertise of this furnishing specialist.
The requirements catalog and further approach were developed during the planning phase together with Antje Michels, SHD ECORO organizational consultant, and Armin Fahl, sales manager for SHD retail software. The furniture store had opted for the fastest possible system changeover. "We always kept our defined goals in view and supported the changeover process the whole way through. We were in constant dialogue with SHD throughout and had already worked with the test database beforehand," explains Andreas Urban. "The test database makes the switch much easier. Roughly speaking, we take over the data, pull a backup from it, and use that as the test database. That way, every user can thoroughly try out the new software. The Urban team did an excellent job here too," says Antje Michels, who has been working with SHD customers for over 30 years, praising the furniture store's staff. The large volume of item data was handled without any problems by the inventory management bridge, which automatically transfers the data from MHS to SHD ECORO. The item data is checked, cleaned up, or corrected by SHD beforehand. Antje Michels: "This took about a week, but it allows us to ensure a smooth transition. From that point on, the systems run in parallel for a while, and that's the great thing about the inventory management bridge."
Customer satisfaction is the top priority at Möbel Urban, and that means always staying one step ahead, as stated on the company's website. Among other things, the company's IT contributes to being able to stay that "step ahead." At the end of 2019, this traditional business therefore decided to prepare for the future and replace the aging MHS inventory management system with a modern ERP system. Digitalization across all areas, user-friendliness, high transparency, and greater efficiency were just a few of the requirements Andreas and Josef Urban set for the new solution. The hardware also needed to be updated. Andreas Urban: "We wanted a solution where the entire structure was state of the art, and where the interfaces to other solutions were also adapted to the digital age."
After the brothers researched potential solutions on the market, they quickly became convinced that SHD ECORO was the right solution for Möbel Urban. "SHD is a pioneer when it comes to innovation and the ability to connect third-party programs like XcalibuR or PROXESS. And as Andreas already said, we wanted to be right at the cutting edge," adds Josef Urban. Alongside the compelling technology of SHD ECORO, which enables easy integration of a wide range of modules such as the KPS planning software as well as the connection of planning solutions like furnplan, the long-standing and trusted relationship between the two partners was another decisive factor in the choice.
Alongside SHD ECORO, the Hessian company decided to use additional modular solution components, including SHD ECORO POS, the SHD Mobile Delivery Manager, SHD ECORO CRM, the PROXESS document management system, and XcalibuR for the bidirectional exchange of master and transaction data between industry and retail. Andreas Urban: "SHD is right at the forefront with its range of products. Alongside the SHD solutions, the KPS planning software has been running very well for us for ages. New to the mix is the online planning tool KPS.MAX web, which lets customers quickly and easily configure their kitchen. We're still in the rollout phase here. The same goes for SHD ECORO AB Scan. We only implemented that solution last week." When it came to hardware, the company opted, among other things, for a completely new in-house server solution, also implemented by SHD. "We simply wanted to be independent of external data centers and networks and have everything under one roof. If there were a total network outage, as recently happened nearby, nothing would work for us anymore. That's why we feel safer with our own solution," explains Andreas Urban, justifying the decision.
Despite hurdles such as Covid restrictions, the VAT rate change, a new interface to the Alliance association, and more, we were able to carry out our plan. We owe this not least to the outstanding attitude of the SHD team, who have always been there for us.
Andreas Urban, Managing Director, Möbel Urban
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