One AI layer across the ERP, Microsoft 365 and Excel, which knows every colleague's work. Every employee now has their own AI assistant.
Active in the world of performance parts since 2005. From a 3,000 m² distribution centre in Harderwijk, APP Europe, part of the international APP Automotive Group, supplies brake systems, suspension and aftermarket performance parts to dealers and customers around the world.
A lot of information flows back and forth at APP, and it was spread across different systems: the ERP system, the web shop, mailboxes and Excel lists. That meant a lot of retyping, a lot of searching and little insight into what the data actually says.
The solution was one AI layer across all those systems. That layer is connected to the ERP, Microsoft 365 and Excel, and knows every colleague's work. A large part of the retyping and searching disappears, usable insights come out of the data and the first tasks are automated. That is the AI infrastructure.
"By doing it yourself it becomes tangible straight away, and you learn fastest."
Saskia van den EndCo-owner, APP Europe
We set up the AI infrastructure in five weeks, in four steps:
Context per person. Every employee was interviewed in person about their own work, the systems and where the time goes. This produced individual context documents, so that their AI knows from day one who they are and what they are working on.
One AI environment, connected to all systems. The ERP system, Microsoft 365 and Excel, supplemented with connections per role. Employees ask their question in plain language and get the answer from all sources combined. Reading is allowed straight away, changing something requires approval first.
Use cases per person. Every team member received concrete use cases for their own work and the connections relevant to it. On the training day everyone got to work with them. That saves everyone hours per week.
A chatbot for customer service. It prepares draft answers, looks up the order status in King and gets better with every conversation. An employee checks and sends every answer.
Within a week of the training, every department was working with the AI infrastructure. Digging around in the ERP, email and Excel has largely disappeared.