MCA is committed to a future-proof cloud solution
MCA furniture GmbH is an internationally active furniture wholesaler. Its extensive portfolio offers furniture for living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, entryways, offices, and bars. Currently, the company—founded in 2007 in Schieder-Schwalenberg, North Rhine-Westphalia—is upgrading its own systems: a new IT infrastructure is needed. The existing one cannot keep pace with the company’s rapid growth. It dates back to the company’s early days and includes its own inventory management system. Now, MCA is relying on a future-proof cloud solution—specifically, SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Public Edition—with io as its implementation partner. The project began in August of last year. “We recommended the public cloud to MCA as an end-to-end solution,” explains Nikolaus Locker, Principal Consultant at io. “We’re currently carrying out the implementation. In the process, we’re mapping out all systems and optimizing them based on best-practice processes to establish proven, cross-industry standards. After all, the existing system landscape was extremely heterogeneous.”
The furniture industry presents specific challenges
The “fit-to-standard” approach adopted by the cloud ERP is technically quite easy to implement. However, it requires change management to transition from customized processes to cross-industry best practices. Everyone must be brought on board—from warehouse staff to administrative personnel—which is quite a challenge, as Locker points out. After all, specific development needs usually only become apparent during the process. “For this project, for example, we developed our own app.” In addition, the furniture industry itself presents a specific challenge. This challenge stems from the fact that furniture is usually divided among several boxes—so-called “colli”—which are stored in different locations, something everyone is likely familiar with from visiting certain furniture stores. “Of course, this has to be reflected in the system,” Locker continues.
MCA establishes two companies during the course of the project
In addition, the MCA Group consists of a total of six companies. Two of them were founded during the course of the project. “We knew about one of them in advance. However, the founding of the other—which specializes in upholstered furniture—had not yet been finalized, which meant that the scope changed within the planned processes. So we had to adapt and think ahead—while keeping an eye on the configuration options for ottomans and couches, for example. In addition, the company has its own logistics firm, which needs to be integrated into the cross-company processes.” So there’s a lot on the plate for Locker and his team. Now, however, MCA has laid the groundwork for transparent, standardized processes in the cloud—from purchasing and accounting to transportation and warehouse management, all the way to controlling and complaint handling. The go-live is scheduled for early 2025.
