"Everything works so much easier."

Since 1987, distribution in Belgium and Luxembourg has been done from Motix. In order to keep an overview of the daily orders and the projects circulating simultaneously, the company needed an ERP package that really works from production. No cumbersome structures, but ease of use, transparency and flexibility. Knight iQ came at just the right time.

Modular technology, it's what Motix stands for. The company officially came into existence only in 2016. Previously, as PEC Products, it was part of machine builder PEC. That was allowed to call itself exclusive distributor of ITEM for Belgium and Luxembourg since 1987. Managing director Gerrit Taverniers: "ITEM is a company that prides itself on the quality associated with the made-in-Germany label. They make profiles with which machines, screens, work tables, etc. can be assembled in a cheap, fast and efficient way. What we add as a distributor is flexibility and expertise. And we actively look for partners to further strengthen ITEM's offer. Pick-to-light solutions, for example, or a range of conveyor belts. But we always start from those aluminum profiles." 

From products to solutions

Its large stock in Aarschot allows it to serve customers in 24 hours if necessary. But it's about more than just products. "There is a clear evolution towards solutions. Starting from the customer's need, our project team goes to work to realize a complete design, pre-assembly included. In other words, we cut the profiles to length for him and deliver everything as a kit or fully assembled," Taverniers clarifies. Motix and its fifteen employees have a 1,200 m² workshop in Aarschot. This is only a temporary shelter. "When PEC was split up, we moved to this business park so we could quietly look for the perfect location in Leuven. We have since found it. By the summer, the new building (2,000 m²) should be completed. There we have all the room we need to grow, close to the university." 

Knight iQ as new ERP package

The move was not the only organizational measure that had to be taken. Motix also had to look for its own ERP package. A search that began where it ended at PEC. But that turned out not to be quite the right track. Taverniers: "We really needed a package that departed from production instead of accounting. That may seem like just a detail, but it means a world of difference in the way we work." That's why Trivest Software Group was also invited to the table. "With a presentation that immediately convinced. And not only the management. Everyone got involved, because they would have to work with it. We all saw that Ridder iQ was a package that would adapt to our way of working and not the other way around."

More overview, more ease of use

One thing was central to the switch: the customer was not to be inconvenienced in any way. "We already had experience with an ERP package and therefore knew that it is better to do the preparation but thoroughly. At our request, Trivest Software Group worked out a blueprint. A clear timeline of how the process would proceed. Of course this brought with it healthy stress but all deadlines were met," Taverniers says. On September 1, 2019, Ridder iQ went live at Motix. "On Friday we were still working in the one package. On Monday we could start working in Ridder iQ." The benefits were clear to Taverniers and the rest of the team from the start. "Everything works so much easier and is so much clearer thanks to the widgets. It is also not an unwieldy program, you can easily make adjustments yourself in Ridder iQ to make it to your liking. That the customers effectively noticed nothing of the switch is the best proof that we chose an excellent package."

Completely paperless

It doesn't stop there. Motix's ambition is to work completely paperless in the future. A first step will be the implementation of a paternoster system, fully integrated into Ridder iQ, for digital picking. "We want to improve the software year after year and extend it into all our processes. The flexibility and accessibility of Ridder iQ makes it possible. The intention is also to take advantage of that once the user events can start up again to learn from other companies. How they look at the system, how they benefit from it," Taverniers concludes.