With 2,400 partner farmers and 2,000 employees, Milcobel is Belgium’s biggest dairy cooperation. For over two years, this market leader has been using Mendix to build its applications, enabling the company to get the most value out of fresh milk while keeping waste to a minimum.
“We introduced rapid application development because our IT department was overwhelmed by requests for applications,” says Robert Moeyens, group business process change manager at Milcobel. “Our people have lots of good ideas and plans to improve our business processes, yet we often do not have the time to actually implement them.
“Moreover, we wanted to keep our ERP environment clean of all kinds of ‘digital extras’. RAD allows us to keep an overview, because users can build applications around the core instead of customizing it. Another reason for choosing RAD was the accelerated lead time. Building applications is not only faster, but also cost efficient. With a little help from IT, every employee can get started with RAD.”
RAD allows you to build applications without prior knowledge of programming languages, encouraging your employees to develop their own ideas.
Milcobel has already built numerous applications with RAD, including business-critical solutions for payments and stock management. “Every year, 1.8 billion liters of milk pass through Milcobel,” Robert asserts. “We want to turn this milk into high-quality dairy products as efficiently as possible. To do this, we need to take different factors into account. What does the market want? What can our partner farmers offer? What is the quality and shelf life of the available dairy products? How much stock do we have? How much can we store? All these factors are equally important. That is why we built an application which makes our stock management more efficient. In doing so, we are able to get the most value out of fresh milk while also keeping waste to a minimum.”
Of course, introducing low-code RAD doesn’t happen overnight. “It is important to enable your employees to understand and experience RAD’s potential. You should expect some questions and maybe even some resistance to change. When you choose RAD, you choose a new mindset, and that’s why you should reserve some time for your employees to get acquainted with the platform,” Robert adds.
“Today, our IT department fully understands the benefits and are our key RAD ambassadors. Next up are our business analysts. Sound agreements and a clear policy are crucial for a successful transformation.”
Interested in introducing your company to low-code RAD? Our experts are ready to guide you through a smooth and effortless transition.
