Sensus B.V., Roosendaal, Netherlands

Sensus B.V., part of the Royal Cosun group, an international developer, manufacturer, and supplier of natural food, has production sites in Roosendaal and Zwolle in the Netherlands. The company is specialized on processing chicory roots to extract healthy ingredients such as inulin and oligofructose.

Sensus’s more than 150 employees generate sales of about EUR 72.5 million.

About the Project

Sensus Cultivates Growth by Standardizing SAP ERP with it.agriculture

Adopting Agricultural Best Practices

Sensus is a Dutch company committed to making the world a little healthier. At its production sites in Roosendaal and Zwolle in the Netherlands, it processes chicory root to extract healthy ingredients such as inulin. As a long-time SAP user, Sensus is fully aware of the capabilities that SAP ERP can offer. However, due to the unique demands of the agricultural industry, considerable customization was required within the system.

For this reason, Sensus contacted NTT DATA Business Solutions to integrate all its business processes into a single ERP system based on the best practices in the agricultural industry. Wilfert van Veldhoven, Finance and Control Manager at Sensus, explains, “NTT DATA Business Solutions is on top of the developments in the agricultural sector and develops based on industry-specific standard ERP solutions that can easily grow with our needs. This way, they can help us prepare for future developments in our industry.”

it.agriculture – Sowing Seeds for Success

Using it.agriculture, NTT DATA Business Solutions’ preconfigured ERP template for the agricultural sector, Sensus set out to simplify and standardize its existing ERP solution. This involved integrating a wide range of processes, including contracting, goods receipt, quality assessment, validation, pricing, self-billing, and invoicing. Additionally, all relevant data about cultivation, harvesting, and receipt was consolidated into a comprehensive system.

As a result, Sensus has simplified its exchange of data with suppliers and customers. “This allows us to optimally guide our suppliers to achieve the best harvest results by linking our data with the data of farmers in a smart way,” says Veldhoven. Sensus can now determine the best sowing period, analyze which seed is best for certain soil types, and keep track of what grew last season, for example.

Planting the Roots for Future Growth

For Sensus, standardization is one of the biggest benefits of it.agriculture. The template offers employees familiar interfaces that support standard processes for plant maintenance, purchasing, and self-billing, while still offering the possibility of flexibly capturing abnormal situations or adding new functionality. Furthermore, the user-friendly interfaces ensure that new employees can quickly and easily start working with the system.

By streamlining the purchasing process from receipt of goods to invoicing, Sensus has reduced the amount of time spent on these tasks by 25 percent. “We can also easily manage this system and are not dependent on those who customized our previous system,” says Veldhoven. Sensus was very satisfied with NTT DATA Business Solutions’ role in the project’s success. Veldhoven summarizes: “Thanks to NTT DATA Business Solutions, we now have a system that forms a solid foundation for the further development of our organization.”

“In the food sector, quality control and supply chain management are very important. With it.agriculture and SAP ERP, we can move toward more simple data exchange.”

Wilfert van Veldhoven, Finance and Control Manager, Sensus B.V. (Royal Cosun)