
Lasaulec
30% fewer disruptions and ambiguities
Stolt-Nielsen Limited (SNL) is a global service provider of integrated transport solutions for liquid chemicals, vegetable oils, acids and other 'specialty liquids'. We have been supporting around 5,000 employees in using their digital business processes since 2016.
Six 'business units' fall under the umbrella organisation Stolt-Nielsen Limited. Three of these are represented in the Netherlands. Stolt Tankers in Rotterdam, Stolthaven Terminals in Rotterdam and Moerdijk and Stolt Tank Containers in Rotterdam and Botlek. Previously, Stolt-Nielsen used outsourced services, but this did not deliver the cost savings it envisaged. The number of disruptions was high and a high staff turnover meant the knowledge level was lagging behind. We were able to ensure that less communication was needed to achieve the same goal. By offering continuity and providing training and information to Stolt-Nielsen employees, we have ensured that 30% there are fewer disruptions and ambiguities. Besides day-to-day support, we also provide optimisations in business processes.
At Stolt-Nielsen, we help transition from standard legacy reporting to the modern Microsoft Power BI platform. This makes use of the Microsoft Azure (cloud) stack. The focus is on the extraction, transformation and processing (ETL) of raw data into structured management and operational data. In addition, the cost aspect is also taken into account, by merging historical data and loading only the most recent data into partitions in memory. We also recently incorporated dynamic currency conversion, making it possible to display amounts in different currencies in the currency to be reported on.
An upgrade we carried out for Stolt-Nielsen recently was a transition to the very latest version. The entire technical underlay was replaced, the user interface was revamped and new features were realised through the upgrade.
Stolt-Nielsen asked us to take a look at their collections process. At a time when customers are in arrears, a streamlined and well-organised process is important. Not only does this reduce the outstanding balance, it also maintains a good relationship with the customer through clear and unambiguous communication. But how best to deal with different customers from different countries? Which customers require customisation and which channels are used to contact them? How can it all fit seamlessly into the regular accounts receivable administration? By working closely together in a scrum project, we were able to form a good picture of this together with our client.
We have now set up Oracle Advanced Collections for several branches. This has ensured that customers are now automatically and periodically notified of overdue balances. Dispute invoices and payment notices are recorded in the system and monitored and dealt with through tasks. Due to the uniform and professional way of corresponding (in several languages), customers now pay earlier and are better informed. In addition, prioritisation within Oracle Advanced Collections gives handlers a better idea of which customers need attention. And, not insignificantly, the outstanding balance had been reduced by 50% a few months after the completion of the project.