Case Study ELSIC Schreibbüro

ELSIC sells products that serve to ensure the operational safety and accident prevention of electrical systems. For an optimal process flow, ELSIC is dependent on a powerful and at the same time user-friendly Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system: the ELSIC Schreibbüro.

The previous software solution could only be controlled via console and ran exclusively on outdated hardware. The goal was to emulate the previous software so as to facilitate familiarization with the new software. The main challenge was to create a modern user interface that met the requirements of the sector. The UI had to be both easily accessible and have a high level of functionality that would suit the whole range of the various departments. In addition, the new ERP system was supposed to optimize existing processes and automate them where possible.

We offered ELSIC a fully comprehensive software solution written in Java, from development into implementation and customer support in day-to-day business, which we continue to this day. Thanks to the agile development process, the needs of the individual departments could be appropriately mapped in the program. By ensuring a proportional downward compatibility to the previous software, the changeover to the new software was accelerated. We designed the software to meet ELSIC’s specific needs, but its modular architecture can simultaneously form a basis for the development of future ERP systems.

The new software solution's self-explanatory UI reduces training time, even for new employees. The tool is also able to streamline this work process enormously by providing a wide range of templates for document creation and an associated Word plug-in. In this context, internal communication also benefits from the integration of hardware interfaces to printers, which allow several devices to be controlled simultaneously with different documents. Serial letters and review files can be created with just a few clicks. Waybills can also be created fully automatically in the new software solution instead of using a typewriter, and printed out directly. Likewise, DEL values are read out on a daily basis in order to fully automate the price calculation.

ELSIC can handle customer service, from the request for quotation to invoicing and shipping, within the new ERP system. The numerous process optimizations have led to a reduction in processing time and effort, thus facilitating both internal and external communication. Accessibility and performance to the new software is ensured from the start by taking up existing functions as well as a proportionate downward compatibility to the predecessor product. The UI facilitates the operation and ensures the functionality of the tool in the future.