Sempergreen flourishes with vPlan

• 

• Location

  Odijk, Netherlands

• Industry

  Manufacturing

• ERP

  AFAS

• Founded

  1996

• Key features

  Calender, timeline

Results
Overview
"We can see at a glance where we are, whether we are forgetting something, whether we are ahead or behind."

Insight
"If a customer indicates that he would like to schedule delivery in week 45, we can see at a glance whether that is possible. With that, you can create much better expectations."

Improved efficiency
"We used to work with many separate lists, chores and worksheets in Excel. Now we have everything in one place in vPlan. And we only have to meet once a week now."

Sempergreen flourishes with vPlan

From seedling to lush growth: where Sempergreen once started out producing just Sedum roofs under the leadership of Corné van Garderen, today the company is the world's largest and leading supplier of sustainable quality products for green roofs, ground covering and green facades. Producing horizontal and vertical green solutions proved fertile ground for the Sempergreen Group's growth.

Growth and prosperity

The marketing department of vPlan decided to flower itself and planned a trip to Odijk, where Sempergreen is located. The building is beautiful: completely covered in greenery both outside and inside. How could it be otherwise? We are shown around by Michael Filmer (Manager Operations) and Wijnan van Ingen (Maintenance).

They tell us how Sempergreen has grown rapidly in recent years: "It once started with Sedum, as roof and ground covering. A few years later it was joined by Sempergreen Vertical Systems, i.e. green facades, and walls. Initially that was pioneering and was a 'by-product' for Sempergreen, but now it has been a tremendous success. Applications have really exploded. Green cities are becoming increasingly important. We have noticed that in terms of applications. So much so that Sempergreen Vertical Systems has become a separate branch. For which we are therefore responsible," Michael explains. "Here from Odijk we serve all of Europe, but with our various branches of the Sempergreen Group we can deliver worldwide. You guessed it: this requires clear planning and clear communication."

Endless scrolling in excel

He continues, "We install internal and external walls and also do the maintenance of these. We do maintenance two to four times a year: in spring and autumn. In addition, we come a few times a year to check how the plant walls and the plant care system in the technical area are doing. In Excel, we had several worksheets to keep track of, all different lists, a separate chore list.... The first time I saw that Excel list, I thought: there is no end to this. I scrolled and scrolled and scrolled. All available information was just put there. You had to search endlessly. It wasn't clear, and when there was a change, we had to communicate with everyone all over again."

Looking for the perfect planning tool

It was soon clear: something else was needed. Michael: "We wanted to get rid of Excel. From my previous job, I had some experience with other programmes, including vPlan. I just started messing around. In doing so, vPlan quickly stood out. The ease of use is a big plus. And the fact that vPlan is Dutch is just super nice. I have also tested English programmes, but then you run into technical terms."

"vPlan quickly stood out." - Michael

"In addition, the first contact with vPlan was immediately very pleasant. There is a lot of interest from the company itself. If I do not understand something, I like it when someone thinks along. It was also no problem to extend the trial period. There was no pressure at all. And the link with AFAS is of course especially important. Together with Romy, we stripped out the manual work and set everything up so that we could switch to vPlan straight away. Just super."

Sempergreen's plan(t) process

The planning process starts, of course, with the customer and sales. What the entire process looks like, Wijnan explains to us: "It starts with a customer who has a property, often companies, that wants to apply green. The account manager contacts the (potential) customer, or he/she visits for a meeting. Together, the possibilities are looked at. Are those possibilities there? Then AFAS comes into play. Customer data are registered, and a forecast is made. The moment the decision is made, and the world gets greener, it becomes a project. That's the trigger for vPlan, a ticket then lands in the backlog."

Integration AFAS and vPlan

He continues, "During this process, a file is created in AFAS, with all appointments and necessary information, which vPlan automatically takes over. We check in vPlan which project leaders are available. Sales adds the project leader and estimated hours to the project in AFAS. Then, in vPlan's backlog, we have the entire schedule."

Starting up projects

"Then the project leader gets to work. He or she reads up, sees what needs to be done and schedules all the work for the project in vPlan. The drawing work is assigned to external drafters. This makes it clear to everyone which draughtsman is on which project. Based on the drawing, the green wall is drawn in with all facilities. Think of piping, power supply. Upon approval by the customer, the order is placed, and the implementation planned," concludes Wijnan.

"Scheduling installation with vPlan much easier"

Wijnan: "When planning the installation, we make sure all the facilities are there. So obviously the plants themselves, but also irrigation systems with advanced sensors and any special plant lighting. And the materials and equipment we need during installation, such as an aerial platform. The tricky thing is that planning on a construction is often delayed. Some projects have a lead time of up to two years. With vPlan, the project manager can check on site when they have space again. They can communicate faster and schedule a new appointment, which is really a big improvement."

Instant overview & higher delivery reliability

Michael adds: "What I like about this is that we have an instant overview in vPlan of which week we still have space. We use the calendar and the timeline. If a customer indicates that he would like to schedule the delivery in week 45, we can see immediately whether that is possible. Before, we really had to puzzle and do a lot of back and forth appending with the planning and installation team to see if it was possible. Now we open the timeline and immediately see that there is room. Sales can also see this. With this, you can create much better expectations."

Flexible planning and shifting

What about after the completion of a project? Wijnan says: "After execution, we move on to maintenance. For this, we use a separate planning board. Indoor maintenance is quite different from outdoor maintenance. And with outdoor maintenance, you are very dependent on the weather. Indoor maintenance is about four times a year, quite stable, because there are no weather conditions. Outdoor maintenance is different: you must prune more and sometimes you need scaffolding. The time distribution is different. We first consult with the customer and then we shuffle the schedule. What is genuinely nice now is that, thanks to vPlan, we no longer must consult with the entire maintenance team. Everyone sees what needs to be done in the app and is immediately informed in case of changes. Very pleasant," says Wijnan.

What do mechanics think of vPlan?

Michael laughs. "We steered towards a hard transition, but with a soft landing. We showed the mechanics your instructional videos. During the quarterly session, we explained vPlan so that everyone could then "play" and practice with it and be familiar with it. Then we asked the mechanics: what do you want to see? Drawings, travel time? vPlan was here several times to set everything up properly, that support was genuinely nice."

"And then came the moment: Excel went out the door. So, we had to. And the mechanics now find the app damn handy. They now check each other's planning and increasingly come up with their own ideas. For example, they ask: "Wouldn't it be more convenient if I went to that customer tomorrow, because afterwards I have to go there?". It is nice to see how they deal with it. It has worked out even more positively than expected," Michael concludes.

"We can see immediately where we are, whether we are forgetting something, whether we are ahead or behind. Ideal." - Michael

Conclusion: the green benefits for Sempergreen

Michael and Wijnan are unanimous: "Saving time! That is really the biggest gain. We used to work with lots of separate lists, jobs, and worksheets in Excel. Now we have everything in one place in vPlan. Communication with the fitters has greatly improved. We do not have to meet so often anymore either, only once a week. A real improvement in efficiency. We have an overall view of our process. We can see immediately where we are, whether we are forgetting something, whether we are ahead or behind. Ideal."

"Before, we often had to look for the drawings. Do we have the latest version? Often, we did not, which would sometimes lead to discussions with the customer. Now the project manager simply puts the latest version into vPlan, so no one can get the wrong one. In addition, our failure costs have been greatly reduced. Many manual actions are gone. We are less human-dependent and are making huge strides in quality and process. The support from vPlan is great. The aftercare is also fine, forward-thinking, and very accessible. Great, such a flat organisation!", the gentlemen conclude.

Thanks for your time and the pleasant conversation in your beautiful building, Michael and Wijnan!