Cherubini speeds up production by 80%

Founded in 1947, Cherubini evolved from a small handicraft business into a manufacturer of custom solutions for sun protection systems with 6 branches worldwide. Faced with fragmented IT and outdated management software, they turned to Cegeka to consolidate their future growth. The result: a modern ERP solution, a fully integrated IT landscape, enhanced data visibility, and 80% faster production. That’s agility made real! 

From enhanced planning to simplified administration and data-driven decision-making – at Cegeka, we’ve made agility real at numerous leading manufacturing companies. 

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Reality check: fragmented IT and outdated management software 

Cherubini produces electric motors, home automation, and manual accessories for sun protection systems such as awnings, blinds, and shutters. "In our 14,500 m2 production hall, we take care of the entire manufacturing process, from turning and tumbling to toothing and thermo-lacquering," says IT Manager Roberto Sala. "True to our traditional Italian artisan spirit, we design and create customized solutions that offer our customers the comfort they deserve. And we distribute our solutions through an international support network with branches in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, China, and Turkey." 

From an IT perspective, things haven’t been all sunshine for Cherubini. "Because of our fragmented application landscape, operational efficiency was lagging behind and we were struggling to keep up with growing customer demands. We were using multiple in-house programs, and the outdated AS400 management system no longer met our growth ambitions. For a while, we even had two different software solutions – one for operations and another for financial management. Overall, data visibility was poor." 

The real deal: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations – and more 

After a thorough selection process, Roberto and his team found Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations to be the ideal solution for their challenges. “The state-of-the-art ERP system supports both our daily operations and our long-term international expansion projects. Plus, we are able to seamlessly integrate Dynamics with our existent Microsoft solutions.” 

“The integration between Dynamics and our Cherubini Express Portal went flawlessly. Remarkably, we did not experience any service interruptions.” 

Roberto Sala, IT Manager, Cherubini 

Integration was one of the cornerstones of the project. "We wanted to build a true ecosystem of interconnected applications. On the Microsoft front, we implemented not only Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, but also Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement, Power BI, and myPlan to optimize our production planning and scheduling. The new tools have allowed us to rethink some processes, such as master data management, which is now much more structured and consistent. In particular, the integration between ERP and CRM is also a major technical improvement." 

Agility made real: 80% faster production 

Previously, we tracked and managed the progress of processes manually, whereas now it is fully automated. “We equipped each of our 60 workstations with a tablet. Now, released production orders can be viewed, prioritized, assigned to the relevant operators, and immediately executed after checking the availability of the components needed for processing. As a result, production runs 80% faster. In addition, we’ve also extended this optimization to purchase and sales price lists, all of which are now updated in the system."

"The shift from manual recording to the use of tablets allows us easily to monitor, collect, analyze, and integrate data into the system. A fundamental step forward in the continuous optimization of our business processes." 

Roberto Sala, IT Manager, Cherubini 

Real partnership: a reliable, approachable, and professional team 

For Roberto, it was not so much the software, but the people that made the difference. "In next to no time we established a relationship of trust with the team at Cegeka. They are all very professional, flexible, and human, whether it's the project leads, technical profiles, or even the CEO. Without Cegeka, we wouldn't be where we are today." 

“Cegeka’s human approach was the real added value to this project.” 

Roberto Sala, IT Manager, Cherubini 

Here comes the sun 

Thanks to the structured approach, smooth collaboration, and the right technology mix, Cherubini is all set to make the most of its integrated IT ecosystem. "I’m very pleased with what we’ve achieved. The transition to a new system often presents critical operational challenges. Yet, throughout the project, we were able to continue production, shipping, and billing with zero downtime." 

“Throughout the project, we experienced zero operational disruptions.” 

Roberto Sala, IT Manager, Cherubini 

"Today, we’ve achieved much more concrete and attentive data management. Thanks to Power BI, which collects data as output at all critical process stages, we now have access to an amount of data at the reporting level that we didn’t have before. Moreover, we are confident that the data collected is accurate, which in turn aids decision-making. With all these improvements, the future of our business looks bright."