Marabu, a leading manufacturer of printing and hobby inks, partnered with Hitachi Solutions to replace fragmented legacy systems with a unified Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform for ERP and CRM. Dynamics 365 Sales, Customer Service, Finance, and Supply Chain are being rolled out across multiple countries, harmonising processes, improving data quality, and creating a scalable foundation for Marabu’s international growth.
The customer
Marabu was founded in Stuttgart in 1859 and is now one of the world’s leading manufacturers of printing and hobby inks. Through innovation and a forward-thinking approach, the company has expanded its portfolio to over 20,000 products available in 80 countries. Marabu also embraces progress in IT, aiming for an efficient, unified, and scalable system landscape to optimise its global business processes.
The challenge
The company’s continuous growth and increasing internationalisation resulted in a fragmented IT environment with numerous, partly outdated subsystems. This complex structure led to high costs, additional manual effort, and inconsistent data quality. Marabu therefore opted for a unified Customer Engagement (CE) system and a standardised, cross-border Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The challenge lay in efficiently modernising the IT landscape, harmonising processes, and implementing a user-friendly, scalable solution. To achieve this, Marabu relied on the Microsoft solutions Dynamics 365 Sales , Customer Service , and Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain.
The solution
As an experienced partner for Microsoft technologies, Hitachi Solutions supported Marabu in transitioning to a standardised IT infrastructure. The implementation was carried out in phases, starting with Germany and the USA for CE, and Scandinavia for ERP. This allowed global processes to be unified effectively and a future-proof platform to be established.
Features of the solution:
- Integrated business processes: Globally consistent customer management and seamless communication.
- Advanced system integration: Centralized management and real-time access to relevant data.
- Action-oriented dashboards: Instant insights into KPIs for informed decisions.
- Optimised workflows: reducing manual tasks and increasing efficiency.
The implementation
The parallel implementation of CE and ERP in various countries involved close involvement of local teams. Blueprint templates ensured efficient adaptation to regional requirements.
Important steps:
- Integration and automation: Optimising inefficient processes and eliminating redundant tasks.
- Global implementation: Standardised templates facilitated the rollout.
- Training and support: Practical training for smooth use of the new systems.
A key success factor was the early involvement of Marabu employees . Workshops and training sessions helped to overcome reservations and promote acceptance of the new systems. Hitachi Solutions placed great emphasis on considering individual requirements and actively involving the teams. This enabled a seamless transition and made it easier to use the new solutions.
Thanks to Hitachi Solutions, we were able to significantly optimise and internationally harmonise our digital business processes. The close collaboration and in-depth understanding of our requirements contributed significantly to the project’s success.
York Boeder
CEO, Marabu
Benefits of partnering with Hitachi Solutions
- Industry-leading expertise: As an experienced partner for Microsoft technologies, Hitachi Solutions was able to provide a scalable solution that perfectly fits Marabu’s requirements.
- Optimising efficiency: The standardisation and automation of processes led to higher productivity and reduced error rates.
- Global scalability: The solution grows with Marabu and supports international expansion.
- Security and compliance: Advanced security features and custom audit processes ensure compliance with international standards.
The result
Within six months, the CE system was successfully rolled out in six countries. Employees received practical training and were able to test the system with test data to optimally prepare for the implementation. Transparent communication from management and the active use of the new CE system by CEO York Boeder contributed significantly to the acceptance of the digital transformation. Doris Pauli, Account Director at Hitachi Solutions, emphasises: “The close collaboration with Marabu was characterised by a clear focus on goals and a pragmatic approach. Management recognised the importance of proactive leadership early on and invested targeted resources in its successful implementation.”
Improvements achieved:
- Increased efficiency: The automation of routine processes and the integration of data led to a significant increase in productivity and a reduction in errors and manual tasks.
- Faster decision-making: With better data access and clearly structured dashboards, Marabu can make faster, more informed decisions.
- Global transparency: The centralized data platform enables business processes to be controlled and monitored across different markets.
- Cost reduction: By optimising and standardising processes, Marabu can achieve significant savings.
- Employee satisfaction: The more efficient workflows and user-friendly system integration lead to greater employee satisfaction, who now have to spend less time on administrative tasks.
- Increased flexibility: Marabu can now react more quickly to market changes because its processes are harmonised and digitalised worldwide.
The future
The rollout of the CE and ERP systems is being consistently advanced, and the international rollout will be gradually expanded to additional countries. In the coming months, the focus will be on integrating additional production functions and further optimising global business processes.
Future steps include:
- Extended functionalities: Additional modules for production planning and supply chain optimisation are to be integrated into the system.
- Long-term partnership: Hitachi Solutions remains a long-term partner of Marabu and supports the company in the continuous development of its IT infrastructure.
