Giuliano Sosi's business thrives on precise production and logistics, ensuring timely deliveries to all retail channels by 7:00 AM.
Business case
By 2020, Giuliano Sosi found itself at a crossroads, needing to define its future direction and adapt to a rapidly changing business environment. Their 20-year-old ERP system had become a major obstacle, lacking the flexibility to adapt, complicating updates, and hindering communication between stores and headquarters.
The company needed a modern system that could handle complex logistics and production needs while simplifying operations for non-technical staff. Their goal was clear: modernize their infrastructure without compromising the efficiency and essence of their daily operations.
Solution
To achieve their goals, Giuliano Sosi embarked on a digital transformation project, transitioning from their legacy system to LS Central and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central using the Software as a Service (SaaS) model. "We wanted something secure, easy to use, and fully cloud-based,” says Filippo Dalpozzo, Head of IT at Giuliano SOSI. “We partnered with local LS Retail partner EOS Solutions, who immediately understood our needs, and together, we began this ambitious project."
The company went live with all 14 stores on the same day. The key challenge was integrating production and logistics, which had previously been managed outside their ERP system. However, Business Central and LS Central provided an effective solution, making the process much easier for their staff. "None of our people were really tech-savvy, but the solution was easy to use, and it worked perfectly from the start," says Dalpozzo. “Our goal was to use only the standard solution, and we have achieved that.”
Benefits
Giuliano Sosi is highly satisfied with their new business management software and has already achieved numerous capabilities that were previously out of reach. These include:
- Simplified tasks for employees: With LS Central, Giuliano Sosi was able to streamline their operations, allowing stores to independently manage activities and orders. "We created a simplified dashboard on the store computers, allowing employees to click a button and access all the daily functions they need,” says Dalpozzo. “Our goal was to make their user experience as easy as possible."
- Improved customer personalization: The ability to manage promotions and loyalty programs in real time has greatly enhanced the customer experience, enabling personalized deals and rewards that were previously impossible. “Now we can set a huge variety of promotions, like for a specific article, group of articles or for specific sources,” says Dalpozzo.
- Better communication flow between front and back office: Bringing together the stores and headquarters under one system has greatly improved the flow of information between channels, allowing for better decision-making by the team.
- Simplified IT management: The SaaS model provides automatic updates and reduces the need for on-site IT support. “Previously, when we had to make an update, we had to customize the integration to our old ERP because it was not able to support all the updates,” says Dalpozzo. Any issues with the POS systems can now be resolved remotely, improving response times and minimizing downtime. “Our POS are all online, which means that when stores encounter issues, they can call me, and I can resolve the problem from the office in real time.”
Giuliano Sosi is preparing to open a new department to centralize food preparation for sandwiches, salads, and other fresh products sold in stores. With the new system in place, they are confident in their ability to handle the logistical challenges of scaling production and are well-prepared for new store openings in the coming years.
