President of the “Produs in Bucovina” Association turns crisis into opportunity with the ERP system Turn crisis into opportunity with the ERP system
“Crisis means danger, but also opportunity. I am not afraid to invest, even in these difficult conditions, and I recommend my colleagues do the same.”
Gabriel Lemnariu, President of the “Produs in Bucovina” Association and General Manager of Laktotrio 2001 Prod
Company management is developing the business through investments in technology, without compromising traditional values, in order to ensure sales growth and optimal resource management.
With products sold in over 500 physical stores and, more recently, home delivery services, the Suceava based company preserves traditional cheese production specific to the region while adapting to new technologies to keep pace with market evolution. As a result, the producer selected from the Senior Software portfolio the SeniorERP solution – for resource management, with 100% remote implementation, and the E-commerce platform – for online sales.
More about the necessary investments in a traditional products business and how new challenges can be addressed without compromising company values is shared by Gabriel Lemnariu, General Manager of Laktotrio and President of the “Produs in Bucovina” Association.
“Data centralization had become increasingly difficult and was taking up a lot of my time.”
1. How did you reach the decision to implement a resource management solution?
Gabriel Lemnariu: We needed software because, as business activity increased, the number of employees and the flow of information also grew, and data centralization, which I relied on for decision making, had become increasingly difficult and very time consuming. Therefore, I looked for a provider that could offer a software solution capable of supporting the development and execution of our operations, by selecting the necessary data required to make the right decisions for company growth.
We are very skilled in production, with our products positioned above the market average in Romania, but our main challenge as a Romanian producer lies in sales. In recent years, we tried to understand why we were not growing at the desired pace, yet it was very difficult to track data and perform analysis by client, region and product, which would allow us to move in the right direction.
2. What motivated you to consider expanding the business into the online area and investing in an E-commerce platform?
Gabriel Lemnariu: For about two years we had been considering investing in E-commerce because we wanted our product to reach the final consumer as quickly as possible and pass through as few stages as possible, without intermediaries. The current market situation caused by the virus was the trigger for us and convinced us that it was the right time to develop the online store by acquiring the Senior Software E-commerce platform.
Through the E-commerce platform, we can reach the final consumer much faster, with significantly lower costs and much better visibility for both the company and its products in the market.
From what I see, many producers have already started promoting themselves online, launching online stores and selling through digital channels. Especially in the food industry, I believe that in the coming period sales will increasingly shift toward this channel, as buyers are also moving more and more in this direction.
3. What changes do these investments bring to the company and what expectations do you have from the Senior Software solutions in the long term?
Gabriel Lemnariu: In March, we started delivering products directly to customers’ homes, and without the necessary software and hardware tools, you can imagine the workload involved in answering phone calls, writing down each order manually and then checking stock availability. Until now, reports were created in Excel and it was very difficult for me to track them, perform business analyses, evaluate sales performance and make the right decisions. I have high expectations from this new project because when I make a decision, I will be 100% or 99.9% confident it is the right one, as it will be based on real data, with a much lower risk of human error.
After completing the online store development, end consumers will be able to place orders electronically, which will be automatically centralized and sent directly into the system for picking. SeniorERP and the E-commerce platform together represent a future ready solution that ensures success for producers, creating the short supply chain required in the food industry. Reaching the final consumer directly, without intermediaries, is every producer’s dream.
Following these investments, we expect to reduce workload and human errors and optimize order processing stages and workflows. Therefore, all orders, whether coming from sales agents or through the online store, will be sent directly into the software system and processed immediately.
4. How will the SeniorERP system contribute to the activity of field teams and to the organization and management of the entire sales department?
Gabriel Lemnariu: Without having adequate software to manage field sales activities, it took a long time for information to reach me regarding market competitors, their actions, price changes, campaigns and other updates. In addition, we had no way to verify the accuracy of the data because sales representatives recorded this information manually on paper and later centralized it at home before sending it through a laptop form. As a result, essential information could not be transmitted and filtered in time, and human error was also a constant risk in such situations.
Switching to the new software represents a significant leap forward. Sales representatives will be equipped with tablets to enter data and photos directly from the field, which will be automatically collected and centralized in the system. It would mean a great deal for me to receive accurate information in real time that I can quickly analyze, including photos from locations visited by sales teams, shelf placement, pricing data, campaigns and competitor activities.
The sales director will be able to manage the sales team much more efficiently and will easily monitor assigned tasks and the key performance indicators that we track month by month.
5. What would an online sales platform mean for a producer with traditional values and regional distribution?
Gabriel Lemnariu: Not all producers have dedicated marketing budgets, and if you are not a large producer with nationwide distribution, promoting products in specific regions becomes complicated. The online environment gives you the opportunity to become visible to people around you.
One day I spent time on the phone taking orders, and the next day customers started posting photos of our products online. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the following day about 80% of orders came from new customers who did not previously know our products, even though they were from the same region, but discovered us through those posts and decided to buy. Therefore, we need visibility to grow, and the E-commerce platform, with its multiple promotion possibilities, can provide exactly that exposure and market opening we need.
Online, even a small producer, if operating correctly, can compete on equal terms with anyone. There is no longer discussion about shelf space, budgets allocated for physical retail sales or restrictive contracts. For about eight years I wanted our products to be present in large retail chains, but it did not happen, not because I did not want it, but because every contract required acceptance without any possibility of negotiation. As a result, we continued with traditional distribution. The online platform allows us to preserve our values and traditional recipes without compromise, ensuring a short supply chain while also giving us the opportunity to reach areas that were previously inaccessible to our products.
“Everyone should invest in equipment, software and people.”
6. What message do you have for producers?
Gabriel Lemnariu: My message would be the following: do not give up on what you already have. In addition, producers should definitely invest in technology and in building an online presence in order to sell through this channel as well. Investments in the right production equipment are just as important. At Laktotrio, we have already taken steps in this direction and started procedures to acquire refrigeration vehicles and other equipment.
Crisis means danger, but also opportunity. In these times, everyone should invest in technology according to their possibilities. Therefore, I recommend to my colleagues from the “Produs in Bucovina” Association and to all producers in Romania to focus on opportunities during this period. Everyone should invest in equipment, software and people. I am not afraid to invest, even under difficult conditions, and I encourage others to do the same.
They should invest in well trained people and offer fair salaries so employees are not forced to leave the country, because once they leave, they rarely return. Through these measures, production capacity will increase, and the invested amounts will bring significant returns. At the same time, producers should prepare and train people in advance to carry the business forward, prevent operational blockages and prepare the company for the future. With a strong and capable team, achieving success becomes much easier.
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7. How did the remote implementation take place and what role does the collaboration with Senior Software have in Laktotrio’s future plans?
Gabriel Lemnariu: We had a very busy period, and the Senior Software team adapted to our schedule. It is well known that any change is initially received with hesitation by employees. Experience has shown me that whenever you try to introduce change, even when you are convinced it is a positive one, employees tend to be reluctant at first because they are taken out of their comfort zone. The same happened when we discussed remote implementation, but after the first two sessions they quickly forgot these concerns and understood that things were moving in the right direction. We hope to continue on the same path.
Regarding future plans, considering that we are a producer with regional distribution, we want to expand nationwide together with Senior Software, as they are a provider capable of implementing such a project. We want Senior Software to remain alongside us with solutions that support our growth.
About Laktotrio 2001 Prod
With a turnover of 3.5 million euros, Laktotrio 2001 Prod is a company based in Horodniceni, Suceava county, which for nearly 20 years has been producing cheeses and other dairy products made using traditional recipes. The company operates regional distribution, with products sold in approximately 500 physical stores, the most representative being under the “Produs in Bucovina” brand, an association that includes 48 producers, among them Laktotrio.
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