Avant Tecno

Avant Tecno supports the growth of its international business and improves the customer experience by utilising a unified business platform based on Microsoft technology. The development path that started with the modernisation of the ERP system has extended to cover the digitalisation of the entire business in collaboration with Fellowmind. Dynamics 365 solutions are used for ERP, and by sales, marketing and customer service. In addition, Microsoft Fabric has been chosen as the data and analytics platform.

“Avant Tecno is an important customer for us, and this kind of Connected Company for Manufacturing implementation is a key part of our strategy. End-to-end processes, with the tools provided by the Microsoft ecosystem, have facilitated our common journey, but also future developments, particularly with regard to AI.” – Juho Seppälä, Industry Director, Manufacturing, Fellowmind Finland.

Avant Tecno manufactures loaders and work equipment for landscaping, property management, agriculture, construction, industry and households. The brand is recognised internationally and domestically as a category leader. The company had a turnover of MEUR 254 in 2023 and employed more than 350 people. The head office and factory are located in Finland.

The international business has been growing steadily. Avant Tecno has its own sales offices in Germany, the UK, the USA and Brazil, and import partners in around 70 countries worldwide. In this situation, the former systems no longer provided the support Avant Tecno and their network of partners needed to support the business. More up-to-date situational awareness and coordinated visibility of all key business processes were needed.

A solution for the processes and needs of the manufacturing industry

Avant Tecno set out to find a scalable ERP solution, suitable for the manufacturing industry, that would help take the business to the next level. The aim was to find a platform in which, over time, all core processes, including marketing, sales, account management and customer service, could be integrated. The Microsoft Dynamics 365 solution family and easy integration immediately attracted interest.

ERP was decided as the starting point. Dynamics 365 Business Central was chosen as the ERP system for Avant Tecno, to serve as the core of the solution package. The core systems important for the company's business, such as the product configurator and production management and inventory management systems, are integrated into it. This platform allowed for easy scalability to other business processes as well.

Avant Tecno chose Fellowmind as its partner, relying on Fellowmind’s technological expertise and knowledge of the manufacturing industry.

“It was the entire package that convinced us. Fellowmind provided us with a comprehensive solution to meet our operations and needs, and the professionals to deliver the project. The professionalism of Fellowmind's experts has been evident from the start, in the way the solution has been designed to support the needs of the manufacturing industry and in the way the development work has been realistically scheduled to meet our requirements”, says Jani Käkelä, CEO of Avant Tecno.

Approach

The building of the business platform started with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, which brings ERP and financial management together and integrates them within a single entity. Business information is transparent and up-to-date throughout the organisation.

Avant Tecno made a big technological leap by migrating to Dynamics 365 Business Central from the old Dynamics NAV system. The modern, cloud-based solution is scalable and adaptable to the future needs of the business. Regular updates keep the system constantly up to date.

For Avant Tecno, a very important selection criterion was that the new ERP solution fits into the industrial operating environment and works seamlessly with the eCon product configurator. Now, the data for the loader, designed along with the product configurator and the associated spare parts package, is transferred directly to the Business Central system, where the sales and financial processes are managed.

The modern solution package includes an electronic invoice processing system, which speeds up and facilitates the work of the financial administration and reduces the number of possible errors. In addition to the ERP system, Avant Tecno simultaneously implemented the Microsoft Power BI solution, which facilitates sophisticated and visual reporting and analysis to support decision-making.

The ERP system, combined with the product configurator and reporting solution, formed a functional backbone. The next step was to digitalise other business processes around it.

Fellowmind's comprehensive solution improves service capability and supports knowledge-based management

With all production management integrated into the same platform, information about equipment manufacturing and the entire supply chain remains well-managed in Dynamics 365 Business Central. The new solution package perfectly supports the core processes, operations and needs of a company in the manufacturing industry.

From the perspective of productivity and efficiency, it is equally important to integrate the processes of marketing, sales, account management, maintenance, and customer service into the whole. That is why, in the next phase of the development project, the other Dynamics 365 solutions were introduced alongside Business Central.

The major focus was on the digitalisation of customer management and the entire customer life cycle. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement was chosen as the CRM solution, and the same platform solution was built into a seamless whole, with Dynamics 365 Customer Insight Journey as the marketing solution, Dynamics 365 Sales as the sales solution, and Dynamics 365 Customer Service as the customer service solution.

This will improve service capability and enhance customer life-cycle management throughout the service chain. The same customer can be the subject of several simultaneous actions, and different functions now share a view of the same data. In a step-by-step approach, this solution will enable harmonisation of processes between different country entities and allow significantly more transparency in the operations of country companies. The management of a large international sales network is based on up-to-date situational awareness and a shared common business platform through which actions are taken.

The utilisation of data and analytics will be further developed. An ongoing project includes the implementation of Microsoft Fabric as the data and analytics platform. This will facilitate the effective use of AI in the future and even more extensive automation of basic processes. Avant Tecno and Fellowmind are collaborating on the utilisation of AI in areas such as customer service and purchase invoice verification. The aim is to automate routine tasks as extensively as possible and free up people's time for more important tasks. Microsoft business systems, such as the Dynamics 365 platform and AI, will also support human face-to-face customer service and many field service processes.

Results

The development path that started with the modernisation of the ERP system has extended to cover the digitalisation of the entire business. Together with Fellowmind, Avant Tecno has improved processes, introduced best practices, increased automation, and modernised systems. The business benefits have been clear and measurable: operations have become more efficient, and productivity has increased.

The whole has been built piece by piece.

“We have not needed to build a mammoth system, and that has involved great added value for us. Fellowmind is able to deliver a comprehensive solution, and to build it with us piece by piece so that the whole is under control”, says Terho Hyrylä, Vice President, ERP and Order Delivery Process, Avant Tecno.

Avant Tecno feels that it has been easy to work with Fellowmind, not only on the implementation of the system, but also on the business processes. The supplier partner's experience of the industry and other solutions provided to the industry has been valuable. For example, the development of Avant's sales approach was further boosted by Fellowmind's expertise and experience.

Operational benefits have also been emphasised in unexpected situations.

“The new systems helped us manage during the Covid-19 pandemic. The forecasting model enabled us to order components on time and avoid production downtime”, says Terho Hyrylä, who adds: “We have always received personal service from Fellowmind, which has made our cooperation smooth and efficient even in unexpected urgent situations.”

Positive impact on brand and customer experience

Avant Tecno's customers have been pleased with the new systems, which have improved the accuracy and transparency of delivery times. Importers can manage their own orders and track their progress. Import partners and Avant Tecno's country organisations are also satisfied with the modernised system.

The business platform has also had a positive impact on the Avant Tecno brand. When seeking growth in a highly competitive international market, customer experience and customers’ perceptions of the Avant brand play a key role, alongside production control and supply chain logistics management. The contribution of marketing, sales and customer service are emphasised in the customer experience alongside the product itself – Microsoft's Customer Engagement platform facilitates the development of operations towards a coherently managed whole.

Customer relationships are becoming data-driven. This also allows greater transparency in international business and a gradual harmonisation of processes between the different country companies and import agents in the more than 70 countries where Avant Tecno has customers.

“Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and its integrated systems, delivered by Fellowmind, provide excellent support for Avant Tecno's business and growth. We are now able to provide a better and more consistent customer experience and to create more added value for our customers. We are very pleased with the cooperation”, concludes Jari Heininen, CIO, Avant Tecno.