ANDA SAUCES FOCUSES ON THE FUTURE WITH CCE'S ERP APPLICATION LISA
Spices, sauces and condiments
Today, the third generation of Vandenwyngaert is at the helm at Anda NV. The need for digitisation was strongly felt by the younger members of the family. CLAERHOUT COMPUTER ENGINEERING's (CCE) excellent reputation in the food sector, combined with impressive references and thoughtful demos and presentations, convinced Anda's business managers to decisively choose CCE's LISA.
The history of Anda Sauces describes one the founders of the modern Belgian snack sector: Lea De Boeck. In 1962 she started sauce production and all-round wholesale of deep-fried products. She noticed the need for more variety in cold sauces at chip shops. Lea responded to the demand and started her own production of mayonnaise, tartar, pickles and so on. "A chip shop without sauce is like a pub without beer," Lea argued. The market responded enthusiastically and was eager for innovation. For two years, this inventive lady worked on developing a new Andalouse sauce. Over the years, this sauce would become extremely popular.
ANDA
After an unfortunate decision (looking back) to raise external capital, Lea sold all her shares. She did not get discouraged and started a new wholesale fryer business. She soon started producing sauces with her son Jimmy, which would eventually form the basis for what was later called Anda NV. Mother and son chose high-quality sauces prepared with real herbs and spices. Their mission was to introduce creamy Belgian sauces, rich in flavour and top quality. Both businesses were initially located in Leuven, later moving production to Boortmeerbeek. Meanwhile, wholesale ended up in Charleroi. Again, grandmother Lea's influence on Anda's success could not be overstated. Through her efforts, Anda's sauces became popular in Wallonia and Brussels. Other wholesalers also knocked on the sauces manufacturer's door. In early 2000, Lea sold the wholesale business. The family's focus now turned entirely to the preparation of sauces.
PRODUCTS
Today, Anda has 25 employees and serves the entire Belgian hospitality market. Anda's team is responsible for the production, packaging and sale of cold sauces. Jeroen Vandenwyngaert, son of Jimmy and active in the company since 2015, notes: "We still produce those thick, creamy sauces that stay nicely at the top of a bowl of fries. Meanwhile, our range has greatly expanded with 37 product references. There is a lot of choice in terms of packaging volumes. The 10-litre pack is the most popular."
DIGITISATION
With a focus on the future, growth and expansion opportunities, digitisation was a necessity. In the early 20s, Jeroen Vandenwyngaert started looking for a suitable ERP vendor. He informed himself online and offline and discovered CCE's LISA through the trade magazine Food Industry. He asked seven suppliers for a demo comparing a variety of real-life scenarios that occur every day. Jeroen: "CCE's LISA stood out from the start because of the well-crafted demo and solid answers to the questions we asked. I did not rush into choosing the ERP application. Finding a solid partner was important to me. This is a long-term collaboration. You are therefore looking for a partner you can trust and rely on. Moreover, we were also impressed by the extensive reference list of food companies already using the ERP application LISA. We heard nothing but praise for the application. LISA was flexible, user-friendly and offered many functionalities specifically tailored to the food industry. We decided to partner with CCE."
PHASED
In August 2021, Anda began implementing LISA. CCE worked closely with Anda, not only on the software and hardware, but also on how to implement it. This process went through several stages. Bart Van Beversluys, project leader at CCE, explains: "Most companies already use a digital tool in the sales department. This was also the case with Anda. We replaced it, and from there we automated all further processes. In the first phase, we tackled the sales and shipping department. Then we moved on to the purchasing department, then we took on the production of sauces, and finally the preparation of mixes and pulps." Jeroen adds: "It was a pretty tough time. In the beginning, the CCE consultants came once a week to work out the implementation with Anda's 3 key users. For Anda, that mainly meant collecting and delivering master data; CCE then configured that data and provided the necessary training. The staff at Anda responded excellently to LISA's arrival. Most people were enthusiastic, thought about automation and provided interesting input. Overall, the integration went smoothly."
TIME SAVING
Two years later, Jeroen is very pleased. He speaks highly of the ERP application: "Since the switch to LISA, the processes of production, administration, purchasing, shipping and so on have been highly optimised and perfectly aligned. Our team manages to work more efficiently, faster, and flawlessly. Duplication has also disappeared. Without LISA, this would not have been possible. LISA now forms the beating heart of Anda. We can save a considerable amount of time in numerous food-specific tasks; for example, when compiling product specifications, determining nutritional values, or creating ingredient lists and allergen information. Previously, such tasks would take me a day; now I have all the necessary information at the touch of a button. The same applies to lot tracking. Regarding invoicing, as well as purchasing and production, a lot of specific information used to be in the heads of a just few people. Today it is all stored in the application, and LISA guarantees a perfect run."
FUTURE
All our business processes have now been automated. Jeroen Vandenwyngaert: Our sales CRM package is now also linked to LISA. Vendors receive information from LISA. We may integrate additional modules in the future, such as EDI (electronic orders) and Power BI (reporting)." Bart Van Beversluys stresses that CCE is constantly working on optimising LISA. A law requiring electronic invoices (paperless invoices) will come into force within a few years. Anda is already prepared for this development within LISA. Jeroen: "Thanks to LISA, we benefit from the knowledge and information accumulated by the entire CCE team from dozens of companies in the food industry, as well as their eye on the future."
