Iv-Groep: Building the organization of the future together

"It’s great to have a partner who understands our systems and people, and knows how we think and work. That is what I see as the real added value of the partnership."

Iv-Groep, a leading and specialized engineering firm offering technical solutions, faces various challenges in an ever-changing market. The group operates across different industrial sectors, including infrastructure & transport, construction & installations, and offshore & energy. What sets them apart is their focus on creating complex technical solutions to solve client problems, rather than merely producing advisory reports. For instance, they’ve worked on the lock gates of the Panama Canal and offshore platforms for wind energy generation.

Iv-Groep specializes in complex constructions, placing them in a specific niche market. They aim to maintain and strengthen this position while contributing to a better society by providing sustainable, safe, and cost-efficient solutions. Through internal process improvements and a focused approach, they can achieve their objectives.

Intensive partnership through long-term collaboration
Iv-Groep chose to collaborate with Cegeka, a reliable partner with deep knowledge and capacity in technical implementations. Over the years, Cegeka has carried out various implementations for Iv-Groep.

A few years ago, Iv-Groep needed to replace an outdated management information system. The system was managed by a single IT specialist, resulting in long turnaround times for effective management. Iv-Groep’s finance department wanted to take control of this management. Due to the successful transition of Iv-Groep's CRM system to the cloud, Cegeka was entrusted with solving this issue as well. Cegeka introduced Dynamics 365 and Microsoft’s visualization tool, Power BI. Iv-Groep already had a lot of data, which only needed to be properly unlocked and organized—exactly what Power BI accomplishes.

Establishing focus
The collaboration goes beyond just immediate solutions. Iv-Groep has long-term goals, and by addressing specific challenges with the right solutions, they can make real progress. Iv-Groep's business plan identifies four pillars that will be the focus in the coming years:

1. Climate

2. The brand

3. The people

4. Digitalization

By combining these pillars effectively, Iv-Groep can continue to innovate. Technology plays a role in all these focus areas, such as reducing CO2 emissions and facilitating sustainable asset management. Some engineering work already focuses on sustainability and life-extending solutions, as replacing structures is still less sustainable than maintaining them. By properly setting up systems and leveraging AI-based predictions, Iv-Groep can meet this pillar: “Thanks to predictive lifespan analysis, we can assess whether it’s better to perform maintenance now or wait, which is beneficial for sustainability.”

The biggest challenge Iv-Groep currently faces in the engineering market is capacity, due to the vast plans and demand for energy transition. The current capacity in engineering, materials, and manufacturing is not sufficient to meet the government’s needs. Digitalization and technology can help bridge this gap. Iv-Groep sees the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and data in the engineering world. “I believe we’ve been working with AI in finance for about 15 years now. Think of invoice recognition,” says Ewout Borg.

He also references the significant difference in work processes from ten years ago: “Back then, we had a repro center where we printed all the drawings for clients and sent them by mail.”

The second pillar, ‘The Brand,’ and the third pillar, ‘The People,’ go hand in hand. By being known as a good employer and working on brand awareness, Iv-Groep can more easily attract and retain employees in a niche market. Undertaking exciting projects that have a real impact attracts engineers, and creating a good work environment with the right systems and processes contributes to this as well.

Leveraging automation and real-time data
The fourth pillar focuses on digitalization, and Iv-Groep is already actively engaged in this with Cegeka. Currently, four colleagues within Iv-Groep are continuously working with Power BI, closely following developments within the system, developing, and maintaining it. In the past, Iv-Groep may have had around ten dashboards, but this has now grown to several hundred. These dashboards primarily drive more efficient work. “Some components included in these dashboards are not necessarily direct management information, but they are elements that could easily be automated, leading to efficiency gains.” For example, the goal is to eliminate the need to send out any monthly Excel sheets, as the dashboard will be ready each month with the correct real-time data.

Iv-Groep uses roles and dashboards based on users. This way, everyone has access to the information relevant to them. This starts with management and the board, who have access to information on key KPIs such as cash flow and productivity at the operational level, and extends further into detail.

Ewout acknowledges the importance of business intelligence (BI) and digitalization within Iv-Groep but also sees room for further improvement in the engineering market: “There are still many opportunities to further implement digitalization in our work. There are opportunities in the area of data and AI, but the governance of IT systems is also important.”

This includes aspects such as documenting system usage, access rights, and individual management levels. Iv-Groep aims to better leverage software and applications and further streamline the IT landscape, for example, by using Teams, SharePoint, and email for different situations and sharing information with clients.

It is crucial that data is integrated throughout the entire chain so that clients, for example, can benefit from a portal and optimal data exchange is enabled. Iv-Groep wants to digitize and data-drive processes related to secondary processes, particularly those facilitating the primary process.

The added value of technology for the financial process
Ewout mainly focuses on key supporting processes in engineering and delves deeper into those aspects within the company. During the implementation of Dynamics 365 CE Sales (CRM), Ewout was particularly involved in the back end: “I was mainly concerned with the output of CRM and how it translated into the work pipeline. We use Power BI to gain insights into the number of leads, the likelihood of success, expected scores, and the impact on revenue in the upcoming period.”

The link between CRM and Power BI aids in planning order intake and capacity. Within Power BI, they then combine more information, such as booked orders and expected orders, to make the right connection between booked orders and sales forecasts. Power BI plays a central role here as it is essential for providing management information and easily visualizing data. “Power BI truly supports our management information. My mission is to have access to the right data worldwide to make decisions, and Power BI helps with this by offering real-time access via mobile devices,” says Ewout Borg.

Project progress and various devisions
The Power BI project has been ongoing for several years, just like the CRM project, and in June, a new project will start with a Power Platform solution. Over the years, new systems have been integrated within Iv-Groep. They have transitioned from Navision to Dynamics Business Central as ERP and made connections with Excel sheets, AFAS personnel administration, staff planning, and fleet management. An opportunity still to be seized is establishing a uniform system for all divisions so that all data is centrally recorded for all employees. However, this is a challenge due to the complexity and size of the different divisions and their specific needs. Nevertheless, this does not hinder collaboration between divisions. Around 125-150 people are continuously deployed to other divisions.

Each division focuses on a specific market, and the goal is for these divisions/markets to speak the client’s language. This could mean that technical solutions are offered from different perspectives: “For example, Iv-Industrie engaged Iv-Water’s expertise for an industrial client with a water quality issue. If a road needs to be built, expertise from Iv-Infra is brought in, but the market remains Iv-Industrie, regardless of the problem.”

A partnership with an eye on the future
Ewout emphasizes the importance of a partner with knowledge and capacity who can work with them and act quickly. “It’s great to have a partner who understands our systems and people, and knows how we think and work. That is what I see as the real added value of the partnership,” says Ewout Borg.

Thanks to this knowledge and our understanding of Iv-Groep's needs, we can further support Iv-Groep in achieving their goals. Soon, we will be working on implementing Power Platform to automate more processes and truly transform Iv-Groep into a connected company.

Curious about the possibilities for your organization? Let’s connect. Want to discover more? Check out our Power Platform website or read the customer story of Cornelis Vrolijk.