Upgraded and Equipped for Growth

MERIT CUSTOMER PROFILE

Upgraded and equipped for growth

When Trondos and Coop Inn-Trøndelag merge to form Coop Midt- Norge [Central Norway], they will be equipped with Infor M3 upgrade Coop Midt-Norge SA version 13.2. As with previous upgrades, the project is running Coop Midt-Norge SA [Coop Central on schedule, since few businesses can match Trondos in terms of Norway; SA is the abbreviation for routines and experience with upgrade projects. the Norwegian legal entity “cooperative enterprise”] A merger of the former companies Norway’s third largest consumer superb interface for the different IT systems Trondos and Coop Inn-Trøndelag cooperative - ranging from warehouse management to formed on 1 January 2016. Coop checkout systems - used in various parts of Midt-Norge, with 150,000 mem- Coop Norway is undergoing comprehensive the organisation,” he said. bers, encompasses 12 municipali- restructuring with the aim of reforming the ties in the counties of North and country’s 19 cooperatives into seven larger Upgrade every three years South Trøndelag. The company has entities. After the merger of Trondos and used Infor M3, with Merit as its Coop Inn-Trøndelag, Coop Central Norway The 2015 upgrade project is the third to solutions supplier, since 2007. The SA will become the country’s third largest be rolled out since Trondos installed M3 as company and Merit collaboratively cooperative, with a turnover of approx. NOK the company’s ERP system in 2007. The carried out the upgrade to version 4.6 billion, 1500 employees and 150,000 strategy of rolling out upgrades at relatively 13.2 between February and October members. Trondos has been using Infor M3 frequent intervals has proven to be efficient 2015. as the company’s ERP system since 2007. and cost-effective, and Terje Skjelvik According to IT Systems Manager Terje states that the company has reduced a Skjelvik, continuing to use M3 after the large number of modifications with each merger was the only viable alternative. “The upgrade. He is in no doubt that using the choice was obvious. M3 is the hub of our latest version is well worthwhile, despite the IT operations, gathering all our raw data in fact that upgrades take valuable time and one place. Infor M3 has proven itself to be a resources.

Merit is a leading provider of consulting services and software for business processes and implementation of ERP systems. Merit offers customers higher competitiveness through the implementation and operation of modern and integrated standard solutions. Merit Consulting - Turning Knowledge into Value. For more information visit www.meritglobe.com. MERIT CUSTOMER PROFILE

Coop Midt-Norge SA

“By now we have established good routines for upgrades, where many of the key staff have had the same roles for each roll-out. In our experience, it is necessary to release the staff from their line obligations to facilitate the upgrade in a separate setting, where our staff work together as a task force with consultants from Merit on set days. The collaborative climate has been excellent the whole time, and we have nothing but praise for the consultants. It’s all about the people involved, and Merit’s consultants are dedicated and knowledgeable, and they also have a good understanding of our business model,” says Skjelvik. Testbase as management tool

Anybody who has been involved in rolling out an upgrade knows that thorough testing is a prerequisite for success. The IT Systems Manager emphasises that quantity is not the only important factor, but also quality. “Our experience has been that it is useful to conduct tests across different business areas, for instance by testing processes that include both finance and logistics. You can never do enough testing, which is why is it even more crucial to test wisely and utilise good testing tools,” he points out. On this occasion they used Testbase as the management tool, which was Coop Midt Norge is the third largest consumer cooperative a positive experience. “It’s the best test management tool we have with 70 stores and over 150 000 members and owners. used - it’s well-structured, and gives us good control of all the bugs CMN is a strong, member-owned organization, with roots that need to be covered. By using the latest version of M3, can cut in Trøndelag. With Shops in 12 municipalities: Trondheim, down on the number of modifications and simplify users’ daily IT Stjørdal, Levanger, Melhus, Verdal, Malvik, Inderøy, Skaun, experience. Prior to 2007, we used an ERP system that was hardly ever upgraded, which gave us a lot of unpleasant surprises after a Klæbu, Selbu, Meråker and Snåsa municipality. while. Even though an upgrade requires a lot of resources, it brings benefits in the long run. In addition it gives us super users and staff with an increased sense of ownership of the processes and solutions,” he says. Equipped for the future

There are exciting times ahead for Coop Midt-Norge, in an industry with narrow profit margins and increased competition for customers. So how does Coop’s collaboration with Merit figure into their plans for the future?

“Firstly, we consider M3 to be our business’ core ERP system. We’re constantly rolling out new applications, and we have found M3 to work well with most of them. Our ERP system is one important aspect, and our supplier is the other. By collaborating closely with Merit on upgrade projects and on day-to-day issues, we have gained a cooperation partner who firstly knows us and our technical solutions well, and secondly always takes a solution-oriented approach to the problems we’re working on. That gives us the confidence that we will be able to deliver optimal IT services, even after the organisation becomes much larger than it previously has been,” says IT Systems Manager Terje Skjelvik.