Inventory management, parts ordering, order tracking… At Herbelin, data has long been firmly embedded in the business. The renowned watchmaker, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, has always placed data at the heart of its business strategies and has continuously evolved to compete with its main Swiss and American competitors.
We started with notebooks and pencils, then moved to file-based accounting, before implementing our first ERP around thirty years ago. That was when we laid the foundations for our production orders and pricing calculations. Since then, we have continued to develop and refine them.
Managing Director, Herbelin
Cédric Gomez Montiel
Inventory management, parts ordering, order tracking… At Herbelin, data has long been firmly embedded in the business. The renowned watchmaker, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, has always placed data at the heart of its business strategies and has continuously evolved to compete with its main Swiss and American competitors.
From Design to Costing
The company uses its sales data, collected from Dynamics 365 Business Central, as well as market data from the very start of designing its new collections.
Every year, we launch hundreds of models. Data helps us predict what will work and what won’t. We then go through a comprehensive costing phase. Because our tools enable us to determine the exact cost price of the components of a future watch, we can set its initial selling price in advance.
Managing Director, Herbelin
Cédric Gomez Montiel
Data plays a key role in managing the production chain. Herbelin creates exceptional, handcrafted products. After the initial production run used to stock the company’s reserves, watches are produced in small quantities according to demand.« The timing is quite complex. It generally takes six to seven months between ordering a component and receiving it. Data enables us to anticipate orders and minimise product unavailability in stores. »
A Transformation Powered by Business Central, Power BI and Power Apps
At the end of June, the company completed a major project: a complete overhaul of its order management software.
We were already using Microsoft solutions, but we migrated to Dynamics 365 Business Central as part of the overhaul of our ERP. At the same time, we worked on dashboards generated using Microsoft Power BI, as well as a Power Apps application that enables our field sales teams to take orders and manage stock more effectively.
Managing Director, Herbelin
Cédric Gomez Montiel
The application, which provides information across all areas of the business, also makes it possible to track watches sent to after-salesservice. This Power App is radically changing the way sales teams work in the field.
« Until now, if a sales representative delivered a new watch to a jeweller and it was sold that same day, it could take four to six months before the product was back in store, as we had to wait for the sales representative’s next visit. We can now monitor stock levels in real time, allowing us to be more responsive on the production side and, as a result, increase sales immediately. A tool that also enables sales representatives to see available stock in the company’s reserves in real time and adapt their offers accordingly.
The project deployment also involved the teams from DBE — Dynamics Business Excellence and BS-Team, transformation project partners with an in-depth understanding of Herbelin’s business challenges.
A Complete Microsoft Ecosystem
« We are very loyal by nature,” the Managing Director adds. “Throughout our ten-year collaboration, Microsoft has always met our expectations, so for us, continuing to work with the company was the obvious choice » Beyond Power BI, Power Apps and Business Central, Herbelin uses the entire Microsoft suite, from Office 365 productivity tools to telephony with Microsoft Teams.
« We are a highly visible brand, often featured in the press,” continues Cédric Gomez Montiel. “Being targeted by a cyberattack is a real possibility. Another argument in favour of Microsoft is the level of security its tools provide, which we would be unable to replicate in-house.. »
An In-House Boutique, a New Source of Data
A few weeks ago, Herbelin reached a new milestone in its success story. For the first time, the company opened its own direct-to-consumerboutique, a 140 m² space in the heart of the highly sought-after Saint-Germain-des-Prés district. A retail and exhibition space, but also ahuge opportunity for data collection.
« Historically, we have relied on a network of partner jewellers to sell our products. There has always been an intermediary betweenus and the end customer. The store allows us to really understand who our customers are. This is extremely valuable for our data analysis.. »
The next step: harness Microsoft technologies to connect directly to the point-of-sale systems of jewellers selling Herbelin products,enabling an even better understanding of consumers and further improving inventory management.
These innovations save time, improve efficiency and reduce errors. These new processes should enable us to increase our turnover by atleast 15% and improve our net cash position by optimising inventory levels.
Managing Director, Herbelin
Cédric Gomez Montiel
