Jeeves ERP at Ekesiöö
Offers professionals and private customers a broad range of top-quality building materials at good prices
One of the oldest family businesses in building materials retail, still owned and operated by the same family
With 20,000 m² of building materials store and timber yard, it offers everything from the spade that digs the foundations to the final ridge tile on the roof
Ekesiöö – a household name
Ekesiöö is a household name in Stockholm. It has sold timber, building materials, hardware and paint since 1922, always as an independent family business. Few companies in the industry have shown such resilience. Economic conditions have fluctuated and competition has sometimes been fierce, but timely, wise decisions have strengthened Ekesiöö’s market position.
Since the late 1940s, operations have been based on Karlsbodavägen by Bromma Airport. Once on the outskirts, the site is now sought after for housing development.
“We will probably have to relocate in the not-too-distant future,” says Anders Ekesiöö, one of three brothers in the company and responsible for IT, among other things. “We have a long-term lease on the site, but the city wants the land and has offered us a suitable site across the airfield. Whether and when we move is uncertain, but the location is good and would let us build a much more practical facility. Until then, we must improve efficiency in other ways. We have now implemented a new ERP system with Systemstöd. They developed a Jeeves-based building materials solution used by Bygg-Ole, among others, which we chose after careful consideration.”
Late computerization
Ekesiöö was relatively late in taking advantage of computerization. Until seven years ago, employees exchanged handwritten notes and wrote delivery notes by hand.
“We had not felt the same pressure as businesses collaborating in a chain,” says Anders. “When we began computerizing, we agreed with Byggtrygg to use the system many of its part-owners used – Trygg 2000. But we did not fully exploit the possibilities. For example, accounting was not connected to the system, and there was no less paper either.”
Almost like starting over
“We started work on a new ERP system a year ago, and it has been an exciting year,” Anders continues, “almost like starting over. A relatively small internal team has worked closely with Systemstöd. They analyzed our workflows and how Ekesiöö interacts with its surroundings, then developed a system that is unique to us in many ways. Project Manager Marie Cole and their CEO Fredrik Jansson have helped us understand and get started in a very clear, educational way. We worked as efficiently as possible and actually needed few meetings. The investment is estimated at between two and three million Swedish kronor, plus associated costs.”
Benefits for customers
“We are now beginning the final tests before putting the system fully into use. It is very exciting. Once we know everything works, capacity will be freed up to take even better care of customers. There will be fewer errors and less time spent on checks. Things will be easier for customers; for example, a couple of processing steps will disappear for account customers. At last there will be less paper and easier, clearer document handling. All details of a sale or quote will be in the same file, accessible to everyone in the company, to name just a few benefits.”
“Jeeves gives us a modern, flexible standard system that meets our needs together with Systemstöd’s building materials industry solution. Another positive is that we can adapt it to our requirements and develop it over time,” Anders Ekesiöö concludes.
