About Calefactio
Since 2013, Calefactio, a Quebec-based family business, has succeeded in establishing itself as a leading player in the plumbing market, earning consumers’ trust across North America, particularly in Canada. With warehouses located in Canada and the United States, the company focuses on product innovation and quality to meet the needs of an ever-changing market.
They aim to offer quality products at competitive prices, while providing accessible and attentive customer service to meet their customers’ needs constantly. Calefactio is proud to present a range of over 350 products, all designed, manufactured and distributed by local professionals.
The challenge: Choose a user-friendly cloud tool to centralize and manage all multi-site and multi-currency data.
For many years, the family business had been using an accounting tool and Excel files, which proved inadequate for managing transactions in several currencies and managing inventory in the various warehouses. Calefactio’s impressive growth over the last few years has necessitated a re-evaluation of its technological infrastructure to integrate all aspects of the business, from production to assembly and shipping.
Business Central: the starting point for process digitization
After examining various ERP options, Catherine Pichette, General Manager, and Evelyne Beauchamp, Operations Manager, opted for Microsoft Business Central because of its comprehensive range of features, flexibility, regulatory compliance and solid reputation. The integration project was carried out in stages, with the aim not of revolutionizing internal methods, but rather of setting up a more efficient organization, replacing scattered Excel sheets and centralizing all processes in a single tool.
Implementing Microsoft Business Central represented a substantial investment compared with the previous system, but it proved to be an essential one to support the company’s growth and ensure that the right information was available to the right people at the right time. Streamlining processes has enabled us to better manage and optimize data from the various warehouses. During the first phase of the project, the aim was to reproduce the existing processes on Business Central, which was successfully achieved without any impact on the business.
A successful transition thanks to Big Bang’s expertise!
The choice of a one-off implementation thanks to Big Bang was motivated by the desire to adjust processes and ensure efficient use of Business Central. The project team was very attentive and responsive when necessary.
“We felt we could trust Big Bang, and they were always ready to listen and be proactive! This enabled the project to move forward, sometimes even faster than expected”.
— Catherine Pichette, CEO, Calefactio
In the run-up to the project launch, we took the time to finalize training, obtain all the necessary user authorizations, and finalize all the crucial settings and layouts.
The professionalism, flexibility and commitment of the teams, as well as the exemplary monitoring of the project, contributed to an excellent collaboration between the Big Bang and Calefactio teams. The launch went off without a hitch, allowing operations to continue without disruption to customers. This project was a true collaboration between Big Bang and Calefactio, enabling both partners to co-construct and meet Calefactio’s specific needs.
“We’re pleased with the integration, we’ve been able to guarantee continuity of operations without any major impact on our customers.”
— Evelyne Beauchamp, Directrice Process, Calefactio
Project perspectives
In the project’s second phase, the main focus will be on several crucial aspects designed to further enhance operational efficiency and exploit the full potential of Microsoft Business Central.
The next stages of the project are clear:
- optimization of existing processes: identify areas of friction and implement improvements to streamline workflows and reduce inefficiencies
- making the most of all the functionalities offered by Microsoft Business Central: identifying under-used or little-known functionalities, and integrating them into existing processes to maximize benefits
- in-depth training sessions to familiarize users with these functionalities and encourage their adoption, thus guaranteeing optimal use of the ERP system
Big Bang expertise
Each customer has unique needs, influenced by their industry, internal resources and growth objectives. From the outset of our collaboration, we were committed to acting as a trusted third party, providing the resources required to validate prerequisites with Big Bang’s approach, carry out testing, provide training and proceed with implementation.
The collaboration was a real success, with integration going as smoothly as hoped. By working closely with the Calefactio team, we were able to implement Business Central efficiently, offering greater visibility and control over their operations. We are proud to have contributed to this digital transformation, and look forward to continuing to support their growth.
“We are delighted to have supported Calefactio in its digital transition by integrating Microsoft Business Central.”
— Akym Bonheur, Project Manager, Big Bang
