Max Straube Industrial Piping Systems decides in favor of COSMO CONSULT and Microsoft Dynamics

The roots of Max Straube Industrierohrleitungsbau GmbH, which specializes in heating and pipeline construction, date all the way back to 1946. In the turmoil of the postwar period, the company’s two founders, Max Straube and Otto Fiedler, took over an engineering company based in Chemnitz. In the GDR, the company succeeded in staying mainly in private hands until the 1970s. Following its compulsory nationalization, the company’s founder Straube took it private again long before the Unification Treaty was signed after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Twenty-five years later and after a new generation had taken over, the company now belongs to the Austrian Kremsmueller Group, an internationally active industrial supplier.

Looking for a software partner that can get things done

In the area of IT, the Max Straube Industrierohrleitungsbau GmbH is now faced with the challenge of replacing its existing enterprise software with a modern ERP system. "We want to make the transition by the end of the year and therefore have to act fast. Despite the time constraints, the project of course needs to be planned professionally", emphasizes Managing Director Andre Höring. However, the Microsoft Dynamics 365 (formerly Dynamics AX) ERP system in use in the Group far exceeded the actual requirements of the medium-sized company - and was therefore out of the question. "Our focus is mainly in the area of order processing, for example, in setting prices for offers. The less extensive Microsoft Dynamics NAV software is structurally much better suited to our needs. This is especially so given that the software can be easily integrated into the existing corporate structure", said Höring when explaining how the product was chosen in August. The contract for implementation was awarded to the COSMO CONSULT Group, Europe's leading Microsoft Dynamics partner. The decisive factor was above all the Berlin software company’s capacity. "We only have four months left for the implementation. Therefore, we have to have a correspondingly large project team at the start. There are only a few software partners capable of doing this. COSMO CONSULT is one of them", said the Managing Director. Another important point was COSMO CONSULT’s competence and many years of experience as an IT company working in the field of project-oriented construction and manufacturing companies.

An industry solution that ensures a short implementation time

In the coming months, the project team will supplement Microsoft Dynamics NAV with the industry solution cc|project construction, which is specifically geared to the needs of project-oriented companies in the construction-related industry. There are also additional modules for cost accounting, payroll, finances, and payments. "With the additional modules, we are able to keep the software in line with the standard for the most part. This not only saves money, but a massive amount of time as well. This is especially important in our case. We will also be able to maintain our ability to update over the long term," explains Höring. Starting in January 2018, around 15 work stations will be equipped with Microsoft Dynamics NAV at the Chemnitz site. And that will surely not be the last Microsoft Dynamics NAV project for the Kremsmueller group.