Copesco & Sefrisa Case Study

Company Profile:

• Founded in 1853 in Spain, as a family business importing and distributing cod
• Spanish market leader in smoked and specialty foods
• 100% organic product range

Challenges:

• An integrated system was needed to improve the management of the business in a highly competitive marketplace
• Copesco & Sefrisa needed to increase productivity and reduce their cost of operations
• More accurate planning and forecasting capabilities were required

Benefits:

• Reduced product lead times and improved customer service
• Integration of all business areas providing operational efficiencies and higher throughput 
• Accurate, reliable and real-time visibility of all operations

Spanish food distribution company Copesco & Sefrisa needed an IT system which would give it the flexibility to enter new markets and be more productive than the competition. The implementation of Microsoft Dynamics by Qurius resulted in significant business and operational improvements. The system has helped Copesco become market leader in the preparation and distribution of smoked salmon in Spain, with its product line Royal Salmon.

Established in 1853, Copesco & Sefrisa is a Spanish family owned business. In the 1990’s, the company focused on growth and diversification of the business. With the construction of a new plant in 2006, the company increased its turnover by 16% with the traditional “cod sales” business of Copesco.  As part of its strategy, the company entered new markets such as smoked fish (including salmon, trout and eggs) under the Royal brand. This diversification gained Copesco a 10% market share in the domestic smoked fish market, representing 35% of the company’s turnover.

Process improvement as a competitive advantage
From day one, Copesco & Sefrisa has produced a 100% organic product range. Copesco has built up a network of selected suppliers where value is not only quality but also a track record of sustainable fishing. This commitment to quality and use of natural products requires high operational efficiencies, control of costs and a strong focus on margins.

Copesco & Sefrisa focuses on added value both in terms of products and services. To ensure fulfilment of contracts and to maintain customer service levels, the long lead times mean accurate planning and forecasting is crucial otherwise missed shipments or spoiled products can damage reputation and profitability.

The high number of customers makes picking and storage management very complex. Juan Ignacio Monfort, CEO of Copesco & Sefrisa explains, "In terms of management, although Copesco & Sefrisa is an SME, we have nothing to fear from the market leaders." The professional management team and efficient implementation of new technology have been crucial in supporting the management of a complex company and ensuring the continued growth of the business.

Information technology as a process improvement enabler
In 2001 Copesco decided to undertake a process of technological improvement, which resulted in a decision to purchase Microsoft Dynamics, the enterprise resource planning system. This was in order to support features such as EDI and establish a platform capable of supporting the growth of the company.

Copesco & Sefrisa’s sales force of about 25 people has started managing orders and quotations by using PDA's with GPS satellite connectivity, meaning that orders are directly transferred to Microsoft Dynamics. This forward processing of orders has reduced errors and allows more accurate planning.

Juan Ignacio Monfort comments, "With the new system, we have managed to reduce our delivery times to between 24 and 48 hours whilst avoiding manual processing of orders, reducing billing errors and improving customer service.”

The staff who used to resolve incidents and errors have now seen their workload reduced, converting their department into a real Customer Service operation, giving better service and more added value to customers. With Qurius as an implementation partner, Copesco & Sefrisa has also incorporated production into the system, along with finance, purchasing and sales.

The availability of accurate, real-time data has resulted in a more dynamic management style. "The analysis of information using multidimensional OLAP cubes in Microsoft Dynamics quickly facilitates our decision making, giving us a solid foundation on which to make immediate changes in our business decisions. Supported by a flexible and integrated software solution, our company was able to adapt its business model and is now a value-added manufacturer with a significant penetration into new markets." concludes Monfort.