Kooijmans & zn. chooses Odoo.

A.H. Kooijmans and Sons is a family business from Schijndel, Netherlands, with a rich history. The company dates back to 1814 when André Kooijmans started a basketry business. Seven generations later, they established a beautiful family business specializing in professional equipment for sectors including landscaping, agriculture, and horticulture.

The transition to Odoo

The old situation was described as a complex arrangement by director Tijn Kooijmans.

“Before transitioning to Odoo, we used multiple systems. One for accounting, another for the website and yet another for the warehouse management. While the systems functioned well together, the set up was complex. And with complexity comes the risk of breakdowns. Therefore, our goal was clear: to migrate to a single, comprehensive system.”

Why Odoo? 

“When considering our options we explored several systems, not just Odoo. There were multiple reasons why we eventually chose Odoo. Firstly, it was crucial for us to adopt a system with integrated apps. Additionally, the open nature of Odoo was an important factor. This allowed for scalability and provided transparency into the systems working. Lastly, the modern user interface was a good reason to choose for Odoo.”

The choice of implementation partner

Making the selection of an implementation partner, you face a tough job. Director Tijn shares how he tackled this challenge.

“I began by compelling a list of all Dutch partners of Odoo. I visited all of these companies and reached out to their consultants. Eventually, we chose erp|open, primarily due to their excellent references. It was also crucial for me to ensure that our project wasn’t the first major project of erp|open, which fortunately was not the case. Therefore, our decision landed on erp|open.”

“The first few days after going live, the consultants of erp|open were available continuously for us. If you encounter any issues, you can address them immediately.”

• Britt. Team lead Sales and Logistics

And then; the implementation

“We started researching in October 2021 and then began preparing. Our system went live in August 2022. I expected the switch to be tough. It takes time for the employees to get used to the system, and there are always technical issues. So, we had to get through a rough path. That’s why we planned the transition in the summer holiday in 2022 when our business slows down anyway. It gave us a few weeks to get things running smoothly, and it worked out well!”

The outcome?

What can you do to effectively involve your employees in the process? Kooijmans was perfectly prepared for this.

“It’s crucial to maintain contact with all colleagues. We kept them informed about what was going to happen and prepared them for the tough parts ahead. We stressed the importance of being creative together. Having Odoo experts in the team was crucial. They could help others and stay ahead of the game. In the end, our colleagues handled the transition really well.”

“With Odoo we’ve achieved a user-friendly solution. Now, we’re working on refining the process and making our company’s operation even better. The Odoo software also helps us with that!

• Britt. Team lead Sales and Logistics.

Kooijmans & Sons utilizes the following apps:

Supply, Sales, Direct Print and accountancy