Strong platform prepares Geia Food for the future
A new ERP system with PIM integration and Business Intelligence on top means that Geia Food can already take advantage of future growth opportunities.
From NAV in the basement to Business Central in the cloud
Digital development is a crucial key to growth and competitive advantages for Geia Food, which is why they have an unwavering focus on how the company can streamline processes and ensure future workflows.
Geia Food previously had a 20-year-old Navision solution that they could no longer develop and expand in the desired direction. The ambitions for the digitalization of the business had simply outgrown the system’s capabilities.
Therefore, Geia Food wanted a solution that did not limit development and growth potential. A solution that could keep up with and support the digitalization of the company.
It was time for an upgrade, and Geia Food decided to move from their old NAV in the basement to Business Central in the cloud.
A good experience for customers
One of the most important success criteria for Geia Food’s new solution was that customers should have a good experience when shopping with the food company.
Geia Food wanted a system that was agile and geared to quickly send, share, and pass on data and information to customers, suppliers, and third parties.
This way, the right products would arrive at the right time, and customers would have the best possible experience. In other words, the new system should generate maximum value for customers.
The solution strengthens competitive parameters
Geia Food wanted a Business Central partner who could effectively lead the implementation of their new Business Central solution. They needed a partner who could provide them with security throughout the process and in the new system. But also a partner who dared to take the lead and challenge them on existing business processes. A true sparring partner. The choice fell on NORRIQ.
The implementation went well, and today the new system helps support Geia Food’s most important competitive advantage: being able to deliver products on time. Transactions between Geia Food and customers now occur smoothly, quickly, and with as little involvement from both parties as possible.
With the new solution, Geia Food ensures that they provide customers with the best possible experience and maintain a strong position in the market. Integrations between Business Central and their EDI solution help ensure reliable and fast data exchange between Geia Food and their suppliers. It streamlines both data and processes.
Strong digital tools supporting the entire business
Business Central is the core of Geia Food’s solution. Around this core, a PIM system from Perfion, a Business Intelligence solution from Microsoft Power BI, and Invoice Workflow from SignUp Software have been built. All integrated with each other.
With PIM (Product Information Management), Geia Food can now effectively manage all their product data. The solution gathers all data, such as materials, sizes, ingredients, and product types. Food products have a lot of product data and information that can be maintained and enriched in the PIM system.
With the direct integration to Perfion PIM, Geia Food can share their product data across other systems, departments, customers, and suppliers. In other words, they have obtained a smart “Central Hub” for all product information.
On the Power BI side, Geia Food has acquired a tool to visualize all their available data. It has become easier to produce dynamic reports in Power BI that can be shared with the rest of the organization. This enables Geia Food to analyze business data and respond to potential opportunities in their business. Invoice Workflow streamlines and automates Geia Food’s invoice handling. The solution is integrated directly with Business Central.
Scalable solution geared for the future
Geia Food now has a platform that is scalable and ready for the future. This means they can respond to changes and opportunities in the market by quickly adjusting the platform. They can continuously connect new systems when it is a competitive advantage – and the opposite if the need changes again. In other words, the food company has become more agile and adaptable.
Geia Food has a platform built to follow changes in the market and IT landscape, making it possible to continuously develop and streamline their processes. If Geia Food wants to establish, for example, a webshop in the future, they will be able to add it as an “add-in” to their solution. They do not need to build anything from scratch again and can reuse the data and logic already present in the solution’s IT architecture.
Geia Food’s new platform gives them the opportunity to think big and develop new business areas.
Perfion PIM handles the many product data
In Geia Food’s solution, Perfion PIM has become the cornerstone for their product data. There are many product dimensions in the food industry that can be overwhelming to maintain – but not in a PIM system. All product data is gathered in one central place, and Geia Food now has a “Single Source of Truth” for their many product data. This means that all data registrations only need to be made in one system.
Products are created in one place, and from here, Geia Food can effectively enrich their data on products – also on fields used in Business Central (imported from Perfion). The exchange of data between other systems, departments, and third parties has been made as smooth as possible, and all product information is up to date. The maintenance of product data can be delegated to many people who can work in parallel, right from the creation of the item number.
This way, Geia Food avoids bottlenecks in the process. Product data in Perfion is now quickly and easily sent between the company’s departments in the Nordics – without compromising on quality.
With the PIM system, Geia Food has eliminated many heavy, manual workflows with product data in Excel sheets. Time has been saved, data quality has been raised, and Geia Food can deliver even better product data to customers and partners.
Power BI provides the necessary insight
Geia Food works with small margins on their products and therefore needs a full overview of the entire value chain to maximize their earnings – this is where Power BI comes into play.
Geia Food now has access to accurate data on products, customers, and suppliers. Data that can be visualized in all conceivable ways in their dynamic reports in Power BI.
With this insight, Geia Food can see where in the business there may be high product costs or which customers they sell the most of a given product to. In other words, Geia Food can identify areas in the business where they can optimize to maximize earnings or exploit new opportunities. Business Intelligence is anchored throughout Geia Food’s organization – from trainee to director.
Geia Food uses their Power BI daily and updates data every 3 hours to get the best possible insight into the business. The new Power BI solution is used, among other things, for:
- Monthly follow-up
- Tracking inventory values
- Tracking financial entries
- Controlling across the entire group
Power BI helps Geia Food ensure that the business is always on the right track.
Bo Bjørn Jensen , Group CFO Group CFO
Geia Food A/S
About Geia Food
Geia Food is a robust business partner with extensive expertise across a wide range of product categories – from frozen and chilled goods to groceries and beverages.
Geia Food has a broad product selection through their partnerships with more than 370 loyal suppliers. Geia Food was established on January 1, 2014, as a merger between A-Frost A/S and Mortensen Food A/S.
In the summer 2021, the private equity fund Triton acquired a majority stake of Geia Food. Triton invested in Geia Food alongside management and key employees.
The ambition is to grow the company organically and through M&A, mainly in the Nordics, and to develop Geia Food’s offerings.