In the constantly changing startup landscape, managing resources, processes and data effectively quickly becomes a key success factor. To meet this need, more and more young companies are turning to ERP solutions in order to improve their performance and structure their growth. It is in this context that Laurent Joffre chose IPANOVA to deploy SAP Business One for his company KEYIA, a fast-growing business in the technology sector.
In this interview, Laurent Joffre shares his impressions of implementing this ERP solution, the challenges he came across, and the gains in productivity and organisation for his company. A valuable account for any startup looking to structure its operations and accelerate its development.
Interview with Laurent Joffre
Tell us about yourself
Laurent Joffre, I am the CEO and founder of KEYIA, which I created 3 years ago after more than 15 years in various international industrial groups, in finance and operations, and nearly 15 years as an entrepreneur. KEYIA is the 3rd company I have founded.
Could you tell us about your company and give us an overview of its business and its mission?
KEYIA is an equipment manufacturer for the “smart lighting” and “smart city” markets. Our customers are mainly local authorities (towns, regions), but also private players looking to make substantial savings on their outdoor lighting consumption. We design sensors that adjust lighting according to observed needs and that can collect data on public roads. Our know-how lies in image processing, IoT communications and artificial intelligence.
What are your challenges and your objectives?
Some of our products, in particular those aimed at energy savings, are low-margin products designed to be mass-produced. We have to keep a close eye on our cost prices and, although we are a small company, therefore aim for excellence in our processes.
What criteria led you to choose the SAP Business One ERP?
SAP Business One follows the same philosophy as the large-enterprise version of SAP, a product I already knew from having used and audited it in several major groups. SAP Business One is a robust, very broadly integrated and general-purpose product, and one that brings a great deal of structure to an organisation. It is perfectly suited to our business, which is strongly hardware-oriented. We chose to install it quite early in the company's development so that it could support its structuring and its growth.
What benefits does the SAP Business One ERP bring to your company?
SAP Business One lets us keep all our management information in a single system and handle all our transactions: accounting, sales management and purchasing of course, but also precise tracking of our stock, our production, all our maintenance contracts or the warranty extensions we invoice, as well as the information relating to every manufactured product through serial number tracking. While being very complete, the product brings structure yet remains flexible given the possibilities its design offers.
How did Ipanova meet your needs?
Ipanova, who really have an excellent command of the product, were able to be flexible and to adapt to the specifics and constraints of a small company. Installing an ERP in an SME is completely different from installing an ERP in a large company, and Ipanova knew how to make that difference and “customise” their approach.
Ipanova's view: implementing SAP Business One for a fast-growing startup
The implementation of the SAP Business One solution for the startup KEYIA was entrusted to a team of experts, each with a key role. One focused on the functional side, as the reference for business and financial processes, while the other specialised in the technical side.
The project was designed for four users, with a clear objective: to deliver an effective and simple solution to use, while adapting to the company's specific needs. SAP Business One was deployed in the Cloud with our partner Cloudiax, a specialised SAP-certified host.
By following the proven SAP Business One methodology, the implementation process ran in a structured way, while remaining flexible enough to match the size and the nature of the startup. Our expert consultants took up the challenge of helping Keyia stabilise its processes, production in particular, for a lasting digitalisation.
Frequent, constructive exchanges made it possible to fine-tune the implementation, and the solution was deployed successfully. After the usual post-go-live support phase, the users are today completely self-sufficient. As the SAP Business One solution was built on the standard, the support and maintenance costs are reduced, giving Keyia a durable and scalable foundation to support its future growth.
