To help you develop a sustainable brand and bring out the best of your business, I surround myself with a panel of experts. Today, I've chosen to talk to you about the importance of centralized management of your workshop in order to optimize your entire production chain and gain time and efficiency.

To better understand this complex issue, I interviewed Thomas Lamy, CEO of Néo-Logix, a company specialized in publishing and integrating management software dedicated to jewelry professionals. I met Thomas and his team during the implementation of their software in our jeweler's workshop in Geneva, l’Atelier de Benoit. Faced with the challenges of optimized production management for jewelry brands, a partnership between our two complementary activities became obvious. Meet us.

Hello Thomas, thank you for accepting this interview. Before getting to the heart of the matter, can you tell us more about the creation of Néo-Logix ?

Néo-Logix was born in 2004. While I was still a university student, I met a jeweler in Lyon who told me about some very specific needs of his trade. This is how the development of NEO-FUGU® started. I visited several workshops and I quickly realized the expectations of the watchmaking, jewelry and goldsmithing professions. Just like the needs of our customers, our solution adapts and innovates itself to best satisfy them. Whether you are a small workshop, a manufacturing company or a jewelry designer, this ERP specialized in jewelry allows you to pilot and follow up orders, products, materials and works on a daily basis to optimize your management, save time and enhance the work of your craftsmen. We also offer an MES which aims to manage the workshop in real time.

Some clarifications are needed... What do “ERP” and “MES” mean?

The ERP is also called PGI: Pro-Logiciel de Gestion Intégrée. This software allows the management of trade flows: orders, delivery notes, invoicing... But it also allows the management of other processes essential to a company such as human resources or accounting.

The MES (Manufacturing Execution System) is a production management software that allows to collect and follow in real time what is happening in a workshop as well as to follow the profitability of the projects via the implementation of touch tablets or collective terminals. This software also allows the workshop's craftsmen to participate in the development of the brand.

Why implement an ERP when you are a manufacturer, a designer or a jewelry brand?

There are several advantages to activating an ERP as a jeweler.

First, an ERP allows you to be more efficient by digitizing and centralizing all production information in one tool. This is a time-saver that should not be overlooked. Thanks to the collection of data from the workshop in real time, you improve the monitoring of the profitability of your projects and you facilitate, for instance, customs management.

Secondly, ERP meets the growing requirements for raw material traceability. The entire production chain is tracked, allowing you to follow your metals and precious stones at every stage, from their transformation to their marketing. Transparency is an increasingly important issue in jewelry. Being able to certify to the customer what he buys and where the pieces that make up his jewel come from is a considerable asset for a brand.

It is also essential to carefully manage all of its components...

That's exactly right. This is why we have developed a tailor-made solution: our software is perfectly adapted to the jewelers' activity and has been built specifically to meet his or her needs and expectations.

As a jeweler, it is important to build a clear bill of materials with precise components to detail each characteristic of a piece. This is called the SKU (Stock Keeping Unit). The advantage of this classification is to be able to follow the product easily, to optimize the inventory management and to analyze the sales by SKU.

Our ERP allows you to go further and manage your sourcing, production and marketing chain at 360°. You will be able to:

✔️ Accurately track the parts produced

✔️ Monitor inventory

✔️ Manage the entire trade flow (order, delivery note, billing)

✔️ Manage the aspects of French customs (police book, punch...)

✔️ Manage outsourcing contracts (entrusted voucher).

Now imagine a brand that does not yet have ERP software or that has general-purpose software that does not necessarily meet the specific needs of their business. Perhaps this brand even manages its workshop via Excel and has a hard time keeping track and pooling data. How would you help them implement your custom solution?

As with any new project, it's essential to take the time to develop a list of needs and goals. Every brand is different and it is essential for us to develop a customized solution to help them achieve their ambitions. Then, we need to define the relevant KPI’s and think about improvement opportunities. Before defining the specifications that correspond to your business and your objectives, we develop a schedule for implementation. Next, we define a budget together.

As you can see, implementing a specific ERP software, like Néo-Logix, has numerous benefits: to centralize production information, better monitor and control your business, track your production in real time, trace your raw materials, and finally, satisfy your customers rapidly and efficiently with complete confidence. It is an effective tool that will help you save time and gain peace of mind!

I hope that this meeting will enlighten your choices in terms of managing your workshop. If you are interested in the NEO-FUGU® solution, please contact me for more information or contact Thomas and his team directly from their very own website.

Photo crédit :  

• Neo-Logix