Digitali­sation at manufacturer Autodrop

Twelve million kilos of sweets roll off the conveyor belt of manufacturer Concorp, known for Autodrop. The third generation of this family business is preparing for the next phase of growth, and is focusing on innovation of both products and processes.

It is every child's dream: to have a candy factory director as a father. For Maarten Ebbens, his sister and three brothers, this was sweet reality. Today, the five of them are the owners of the sweets manufacturer Concorp. In the 1960s, their father became involved in his then father-in-law's business in chewing gum, a post-war symbol of prosperity that blew over from America. In the years that followed, other candy brands were added to the range, including Fisherman's Friend. "In 1987, my father took over a liquorice factory in Friesland, because he wanted to be independent from other producers. We still produce Autodrop and Oldtimers there. Later, the production location in Waddinxveen was added, where the new head office is also located," says Ebbens. 

Rebellious

Concorp now has around twelve million kilos of sweets rolling off the production line each year, mainly Autodrop, Oldtimers and Candy Cars - Autodrop for the foreign market. The company also distributes a number of confectionery brands from other manufacturers, including Fisherman's Friend, Ricola and Skittles. Concorp handles the marketing for all brands, an area in which the manufacturer is keen to raise its profile. Ebbens: "We believe that people want to identify with products, especially now that the world is becoming increasingly differentiated. So we add identity to our impulse products. Autodrop, for instance, stands for rebelliousness, which is where the well-known slogans originated – “Always that Autodrop, it should be forbidden!” We make a mass product, but we try to appeal to a target group that recognizes itself in our products. 

'The new spirit of the times compels us to digitise as well'

In order to reach these target groups, we are always looking for new moments of impulse that lead to purchase. A challenge since the pandemic, says Ebbens: "People stop by petrol stations less often, which is normally a large volume channel for us. And supermarket visits are shorter; consumers run down their list quickly and with focus." 

Vegan, organic and sugar-free

Other social changes also called for further development of the products. "Fortunately, we have always been at the forefront. We were the first candy manufacturer in the Netherlands to use natural colourings and flavourings. And we now also produce a vegan, organic and sugar-free range for many brands."

Experience kitchen

With so much choice on the shelf, the next phase of Concorp's growth is being challenged to respond to the needs of the younger generation and a different way of consuming in general. Ebbens: "Our factory in Waddinxveen, which is currently undergoing renovation, will house an experience kitchen: a collaborative place where we will work on innovations on a small scale. Creative ideas and entrepreneurship will meet there again." The new spirit of the times also forces the company to digitalise. Ebbens: "Self-service, e-commerce, fewer shops, big data and social media are the new normal. In order to keep up, we had to catch up. We wanted to gain control of our order management, for example, and our process was mainly based on customization, which made us too dependent on employee knowledge and excel sheets."

Knowledge

For the digitalisation, Concorp searched for a proven food template that would fit within the business process. "In terms of production process, a sweet differs little from a biscuit," says Ebbens, who himself has a master's degree in supply chain management. The company also wanted a committed partner to implement the system. After an extensive selection period, this was found in Delaware. "From day one, they asked the right questions, even to the key users we had involved. Furthermore, Delaware gave us a clear overview of the intended process. And the ERP system they provide - from SAP - makes everyone's job easier," Ebbens says. "SAP is very intuitive to use," adds Roy Meenderink of delaware. He has been working in the food industry for 35 years and knows the issues in the sector: "Knowledge is our greatest asset, which is how we help customers in the food industry and beyond to really improve their processes." 

Ebbens can only agree: "The implementation has given us control over our order management and made the integration between logistics and finance easier to understand; we now know what the actual cost price of an Oldtimer is, so including staff costs, and other fixed and flexible costs. The system also helps us to define the strategy on impulse sales - very important for our future!" 

delaware 

delaware assists customers worldwide in sectors such as food, automotive and engineering with their business and digital transformations. In the Benelux, the company's services are used by around 100 food customers, from meat processors to biscuit manufacturers. delaware is the largest food partner for the SAP system in the Netherlands. The company employs more than a hundred consultants here, each with their own field of expertise. 

'We add identity to sweets'

www.concorp.nl
www.delaware.pro/foodnl

Photos: © Bert Jansen Fotopersburo