From training to innovation: How Yakult uses Dynamics 365 for maximum efficiency

Yakult, known for its small bottles filled with good bacteria, collaborates with Axelio, formerly Mprise, to use their systems more intelligently and effectively. The company is originally Japanese and has been active in the Dutch market since the early 1990s. From the office in Almere, which is also the production site, the entire European market is supplied.

'We produce the Yakult bottles here. We do this from the raw product to what you buy in the supermarket. We even make the bottles here on site. But of course, also the bacteria that makes Yakult unique.' In conversation with Gerard Bot, Manager Finance & Control at Yakult, we discuss his challenges and reflect on the long and successful collaboration between Yakult and Axelio. A partnership that started in 2008. 'I started at Yakult in 2008. From my background, I had no experience with ERP systems. So I searched online for Dynamics training and ended up at Axelio Academy. We were still using Navision at that time. The training I attended was very well balanced. Practice and theory complemented each other nicely.' That laid the foundation for the collaboration.

Years later, Yakult chose to replace Navision with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations. Gerard talks about this: 'Our implementation partner indicated that they did not provide training themselves and wanted to engage Axelio for that. Hylke and Sicco provided training on Finance, Accounts Payable, and Supply Chain. We saw them frequently after the training, as Sicco also helped set up the Master Planning system later on.'

Axelio helps Yakult, among other things, in the Finance area with scheduled days. Dynamics 365 trainer, expert, and MVP Hylke Britstra visits monthly to address 'accumulated' issues. There is always an agenda, and we go through it on that day. All finance colleagues from Yakult in Europe join these kinds of days. And we now also have 'Gert days'. Consultant Gert Goris (Production, Planning, and Supply Chain) helps us during these Gert days to optimize the production process in D365 F&O.'

Technology at Yakult

Yakult has traditionally been a user of the Microsoft Stack. This has remained the case after the implementation of D365 F&O. 'We have the principle of Cloud-first and Microsoft-first. For example, we are currently working with Power BI and Power Automate, Power Apps.'

The journey to optimization began when Yakult transitioned from using Navision On Premise to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations in the Cloud. This migration was a technological shift. During the implementation, it was also a strategic decision to start the process with the French branch as a small-scale pilot. This resulted in a smooth implementation and gradual rollout to other subsidiaries. 'That turned out to be a good decision. We went live there on June 1, 2019. From there, we also started implementing the other OpCo's. The last one went live in March last year. That was later than we initially planned, but that was due to an external package that could not be transferred easily.'

Process Mining with Power Platform in Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations

The initial involvement began around training and optimizations. We are now exploring new technologies in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations together. With a focus on Process Mining, we are working with the help of Power Platform to identify and optimize processes. 'A simple example is that we sometimes have to write off inventory because the shelf life has become too short to sell. It is still in stock at that moment and needs to be destroyed. In some OpCo's, they chose to communicate such instructions via a sales order. If you do not notice that in time, you will see that such actions pollute your data.'

Special role in the ERP lifecycle

Axelio with Improve, the unit that provides services for Yakult, does not implement Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, but has decades of experience with Microsoft Dynamics and knows the ERP system better than any organization in the Netherlands. Generally, we fulfill a role that is particularly valuable during the initiation and after an implementation. 'I think everyone has found the implementation phase complicated. The implementation partner came by for a day or half a day to demonstrate a component and indicate what needed to be set up. But such a comprehensive and complex system like Dynamics 365 F&O is so far removed from what you are used to at that moment that you really do not know what you are doing. You only learn that after you have worked with it for a while.

We took a number of years to document our processes. In retrospect, that proved unnecessary, as during the implementation no one looked at those documents anymore and we essentially started from scratch. We could have started much sooner if we had paid less attention to making our processes readable for the implementation partner.

The people we had asked as key users for the project team probably did not fully realize what was expected of them. If we had trained them in their role at the start of the implementation, we would likely have been a more effective project team. We probably would have tackled some problems upfront that we are now experiencing because people did not know exactly what was expected of them.'

'A collaboration that gives me a comfortable feeling'

From Axelio, we are very pleased with a collaboration like the one with Yakult. Across all lines where we can contribute, we do so with Yakult. In this role, we feel like a fish in water. Gerard endorses the strength of our collaboration: 'What is unique is that your consultants possess a lot of knowledge and are very enthusiastic about sharing it. They are committed to helping us use the system in the best possible way. That commitment is unique. You are really there to set up a failsafe fool-proof system. Compare it to teachers in high school. One teacher recites their story and never checks if anyone understands what they mean, while the other teaches with passion and enthusiasm. The latter motivates everyone to engage with a subject and really be involved.'

At any moment, in any situation, the Dynamics specialists from Axelio can help. Due to the enormous practical experience and diversity of situations they have built up over the years, they always have an answer. 'In the past, we once had a business-critical problem where the consultant from Axelio proactively took on a coordinating role to bring together the various parties - Yakult, partner, programmer, key user - to jointly resolve the issue without interrupting our operational processes. So in the case of such a problem, we always call Mprise,' says Gerard.

'I really derive a lot of confidence from the people at Axelio. We are currently working on the implementation of Slimstock. Gert has analyzed and documented the mapping from Dynamics 365 F&O to Slimstock. The way he did that, no one else could. It was then easy for the query team to create the interface.'