News

• 11th May 2012

  Microsoft Dynamics NAV – An introduction

  Do you want to know what Microsoft Dynamics is all about? Well, now you can find out what Microsoft Dynamics NAV can do for you without having to read long brochures.

  How? Watch these interesting videos, presenting an introduction on how to get the most out of your business with NAV. You’ll notice how easy and user friendly Microsoft Dynamics is. By watching the examples, you will quickly understand how NAV could facilitate manageable business processes in your company, how it streamlines different flows and how it makes working easier, faster and more efficient.

  Each one of these videos highlights a topic of a feature of Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

  You can watch these videos just as an introduction or to get familiar with certain features in your version of Dynamics NAV that you’re not using very often at this point. Your staff or your co-workers could even use these videos for training purposes.

• 5th April 2012

  SPHINX-IT in the press

  March has been a busy month for SPHINX-IT when it comes to P.R.

  First of all, one of our new customers was interviewed by ‘Schrijnwerk’ magazine about their experiences with SPHINXprojects. This software package, designed for the project oriented industry such as builders of greenhouses, carports, windows and doors companies, ... manages all flows from administration, customer information, invoicing, etc.

  SPHINXprojects enables companies to work faster and more efficiently, to plan their projects easily and to keep track of all relevant customer information.

  Read the article in Schrijnwerk here! (Dutch)

  Secondly: as exhibitors at Autotechnica in Brussels March 24 untill March 27th, the people from Infogarage magazine published a small article about our latest product: SPHINXcarparts.

  SPHINXcarparts is an integrated software package for car parts distributors and wholesalers. And again, the assets are the same: it will streamline administrative, sales and aftersales processes. A major advantage is the article management feature: it matches different articles produced by different manufacturers. Customer satisfaction guaranteed.

  Read the article in Infogarage here! (Dutch)
  Read the article in Infogarage here! (French)

  Read more about SPHINX carparts here!

• 14th February 2012

  SPHINX-IT @ Autotechnica 2012 - Hall 12/Booth F06

  

  SPHINX-IT recently launched its brand new software package: SPHINX carparts, a tailor made integrated software package for car parts distributors and wholesalers.

  January 1st 2012, two of our clients - early adopters - made the transition from their former LINUX-based package to SPHINX carparts. Thanks to our devoted team of developers and product the go lives were a real succes!

  At Autotechnica 2012 (March 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th) we'll take the opportunity to show you why our customers (and your colleagues) prefer SPHINX carparts over any other software.

  Do you need tickets? We'll be happy to give you some. Just call us on 09/386.33.00 or send us an email: info@sphinx-it.be

  What to expect?

  * Full demonstration of SPHINX carparts.
  * A relaxed chat about your business, while having a drink or a coffee.
  * Testimonials of other customers.

• 26th January 2012

  SPHINX-IT @ Polyclose

  

  Polyclose, the largest event in the Benelux for window, door, sun-blind, façade and entrance technology proved again to be very succesfull this year.

  SPHINX-IT was present for the first time, to demonstrate its software solution for the industry: SPHINXprojects. Our salesteam complemented with our developers and product managers introduced SPHINXprojects to those who were completely new to our software package. Laurence Debruyne (product manager) explains: we showed everyone how easy to use SPHINXprojects really is! And not only did we prove SPHINXprojects to be very user friendly, but our software does exactly what the industry needs. Because the planning, follow-up and administration of projects is faster and more efficient, companies really can save a lot of time and money by implementing SPHINXprojects.

  Bruno Conil (Managing Partner SPHINX-IT) adds: and because we’re convinced that SPHINXprojects is essential for everyone in the industry, we have an offer you can't refuse. You now can try out SPHINXprojects for two months for just 99€! And to get you started we organise a training session once a month.

  So why wait?
  Give us a call on 09/386.33.00 or mail us at info@sphinx-it.be for more information, and you could be up and running in a just a day!

• 6th December 2011

  Visit SPHINX-IT @Polyclose!

  Remember this one?

  We still invite you to visit us and our booth number is still 1544. We now offer you free entrance cards!
  Mail us: lynn.van.schandevyl@sphinx-it.be or give us a call! 09/386.33.00

  We’ll be happy to send you the invitations you need.

  What to expect? Free demonstrations of our state of the art software ‘SPHINXprojects’, a hot coffee or a nice glass of wine.

  Discover our cloud-offer and start working with SPHINXprojects in just a few days. Because we can tell you what we want about SPHINXprojects, the proof of the pudding is still in the eating! Test us for two months for only € 99,00. On top of that you get 4 hours of free training to get you started.

  And all this because we’re sure that once you start working with SPHINXprojects, you will not want anything else!

• 6th December 2011

  SPHINX-IT proudly presents SPHINX carparts

  Are you a car parts distributor or wholesaler? Then we have excellent news for you!

  SPHINX-IT proudly presents SPHINX carparts, a tailor made integrated software package for you. SPHINXcarparts enables you to streamline your business processes, thus working more efficiently.

  For some years now, SPHINX-IT is a well known supplier of hardware and software services in the sector of car parts distributors and wholesalers. We developed our software package SPHINX carparts based on that expertise.

  Item management, scrap management, and extensive statistic reporting are only a few features that ensure a high ROI.

  More information?
  Visit our product page here

• 18th October 2011

  Greatest Dynamics NAV promotion ever!

  

  Well, it looks like Santa Clause came early this year and he’s planning on staying for a while!
  Microsoft announces another great promotion for new customers!
  'Get 5 users for one low price!'

  For only € 2.000 you now get 5 user licenses Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

  This offer is valid from October 3rd until June 22nd 2012 and saves you up to 11.250 € in license fees!

  Do you want to know what Microsoft Dynamics NAV can do for your company?
  Visit our product pages here!
  Give us a call on 09/386.33.00 or mail us at info@sphinx-it.be for a free demonstration.

• 1st September 2011

  Demo session SPHINXdistri Mat

  Traditionally, most constructors and related companies have their annual holidays in July and the beginning of August. During that cooling down period, managers start to think how to work faster and more efficiently. How to reduce costs and how to do better than the competition.

  At SPHINX-IT, we’re well aware that after a holiday, people have a clear mind and are full of new energy to make things happen. That’s why we decided to invite all wholesalers in construction materials for a free demonstration of our software SPHINXdistri Mat.

  

  Read all about SPHINXdistriMat here!

  Monday 29th of August, all invitees were expected at 4 o’clock for a free demonstration, focused on two topics.

  Firstly, Kris Vandeweyer, Project Team Lead at SPHINX-IT, showed how easy it was to import excel files. As you probably know, wholesalers usually receive pricing information from their suppliers on a regular bases. The import of that information in their software system is a hell of job, if it needs to be done manually. Not only does it take a very large amount of time to update the prices of all the different items, but the risk of making mistakes is very big. SPHINXdistri Mat allows you to import all prices from excel files in one go.

  Needless to say that those present were all very pleasantly surprised to discover that feature of SPHINXdistri Mat.

  Secondly, Kris Vandeweyer and Bruno Conil (Managing Partner) explained what Business Intelligence is, and why even SME’s need it. Business Intelligence is a toolset designed to make information stored in your software system accessible. With B.I. it’s really very easy to have reports sent to your mailbox every week, month or trimester with that information that’s really important to you: articles sold and to what price? What’s my margin? Where do my customers live, and what’s the impact on my transportation costs?

  The possibilities are nearly endless! Bruno Conil stressed the fact that a couple of years ago, tools like B.I. were only available for large companies, and the implementation costs were huge. Nowadays, BI-tools are included in the SPHINXdistri Mat offering. And they make it easier to take strategic decisions, based on facts and figures.

  Want to know more about BI & reporting? Read it here!

  Once the demonstration was finished and all questions answered, it was time for a relaxing talk with a couple of drinks and a bite to eat.

  Interested in getting more information about SPHINXdistriMat? Our team will be pleased to provide you any additional information.
  Email us at: info@sphinx-it.be or give us a call: +32 (0)9 386 33 00

• 8th August 2011

  SPHINX-IT @ Polyclose 2012

  

  SPHINX-IT announces its participation in Polyclose. This trade fair takes place January 12th, 13th and 14th 2012 in Flanders Expo, Ghent.

  Polyclose is the largest fair for windows, sun-blinds, gates, fences and entrance technology in the Benelux.

  With our dedicated software solution SPHINXprojects, SPHINX-IT is the preferred partner for all companies active in the construction and installation of windows and doors, sun-blinds, greenhouses, gates, solar panels … We know their needs, and what those companies expect their software to do: easy planning, easy follow-up and administration of projects, full inventory control and automatic invoicing, and the right management information anywhere, anytime.

  Visit us at Polyclose, booth 1544! Apart from a warm welcome, we’ll be more than happy to give you a free and full demonstration of our latest software!

• 16th May 2011

  Lees dit artikel in het Nederlands | Lire en français

  SPHINX-IT: Trends Gazelle 2011 – East-Flanders

  Every year, Trends Magazine announces its ‘Gazelles’. These ‘Gazelles’ represent the fastest growing companies in a certain area. Those companies are a positive influence on the entrepreneurial spirit and tend to be pioneers when it comes to innovation and employment.

  Companies who want to be taken into account as a Trends Gazelle have to at least 5 years old and should have created at least 20 jobs during that period.

  SPHINX-IT is especially proud to be nominated a Trends Gazelle 2011. We consider it as an encouragement to keep aiming for excellence and innovation, and to make sure that we deliver constant quality to our customers.

• 17th March 2011

  Lees dit artikel in het Nederlands. | Lire en français

  Huis van de Bouw – GHENT

  On March 17th, SPHINX-IT organized a free information session for all companies in the construction and installation line of business. Manufacturers of greenhouses as well as installers of windows and doors, gates, sun protection screens, solar panels etc. were invited to an introduction to SPHINXprojects, an integrated software package especially designed to help them manage their projects portfolio from A to Z.

  

  As a result, companies using SPHINXprojects work better and more efficiently and deliver optimal quality, wich results in significantly higher rates of customer satisfaction.

  Want to know more about SPHINXprojects? Click here.

  In the Cloud

  SME’s with only a few computer users, usually find it a bridge too far to invest hugely in IT. But on the other hand, those companies could very well do with a powerful software package to manage their projects, invoicing, stock and to plan their construction teams and subcontractors. SPHINX-IT prides itself in being innovative and therefor offers SPHINXprojects ‘in the cloud’ from now on. This means that smaller companies will be able to rent this state of the art technology, for only a small fee per month per user.

  Attentive listeners

  About 20 companies, mostly from East- or West-Flanders registered and paid close attention to the different speakers.

  ASPEX

  To begin with, ASPEX, SPHINX-IT’s partner when it comes to hosting, made a few things clear about what ‘Cloud’ is all about. A lot of attention for the aspect ‘safety and security’, since it is of major importance to any company, to be assured that their data are stored safely, without being accessible for third parties. ASPEX has got some serious credentials when it comes to security: as a subsidiary of SDWorx, they’re already serving more than 100.000 end users, who have their payroll and accounting running ‘in the cloud’.

  SPHINXprojects

  After this session, Laurence Debruyne, product manager of SPHINXprojects started an extensive demonstration live in the cloud. Step by step, he explained how a client file is created and how one plans installation teams and projects, how to follow up on invoicing and how the stock is automatically managed. Laurence then answered the many questions of the audience until it was time for a break.

  Janssens ALUSYSTEMS

  SPHINX-IT is very well known in this line of business. For years now, we’ve been serving our clients. We honestly think we know what the needs and challenges are, and we know how to answer them. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so we asked one of them to speak freely about SPHINX-IT as a company and SPHINXprojects in particular. Mr. Peter Janssens, managing director of Janssens ALUSYSTEMS rose to the occasion.

  Want to read the full story (in Dutch)? Click here.

  Mr. Janssens started with a short history of the family business he’s now running and explained how there are two separate production lines: greenhouses, mostly designed for export and conservatories, for consumers.

  With a production of 25 greenhouses and 4 conservatories per day, you obviously need a solid software package and an ITpartner to match it. Janssens ALUSYSTEMS finds both in SPHINX-IT, emphasized Mr. Janssens.

  Again, everyone was paying fully attention, and Mr. Peter Janssens got his fair share of poignant questions to answer.

  Cloud offering

  After Mr. Janssens’ testimonial, it was almost time for the information session to wrap up, so everybody could enjoy a drink in the bar. But before that, Mr. Jan Snyers, General Manager of SPHINX-IT had a couple of things to say. He thanked everyone present, and still had to announce what the great offer of SPHINX-IT was.

  • 99 €/month & per user to rent the hosted SPHINXprojects software
  • Set up, implementation and training for the standard version: only 4 days.
  • Customization of the standard version remains possible, to suit your specific needs and working method.
  • Monthly rental fees remains unchanged after customization, you just pay the work of our programmers on an hourly basis.
  • Guaranteed upgrades: you’re always working with the latest version, for free!
  • Backups included, up to 2 months back in time.
  • Flexible: add or remove users as you please, without notice.
  • Switch from ‘on-premise’ application to ‘cloud’ application or the other way around
  • Not satisfied? Money back warranty (within 3 months after go-live).

  Interested in getting more information about SPHINXprojects or Cloud offering? Our team will be pleased to provide you any additional information.
  Email us at: info@sphinx-it.be or give us a call: +32 (0)9 386 33 00

• January 2011

  Lees dit artikel in het Nederlands. | Lire en français

  Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2

  BETTER, FASTER, STRONGER...

  Early 2010, Microsoft released Dynamics NAV 2009 in Belgium. Just a year later, the company presents its first major update:
  Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2

  TAILORED & CUSTOMIZED

  To begin with; Microsoft went even further with the role tailored client (RTC). Remember how in the previous edition of Dynamics NAV 2009, each department could dispose of just that information that was relevant for them? Accountancy had an overview of invoices, paid or due. Sales could access the right and useful information about stocks and prices, …
  With this new version, each employee can easily customize the version he or she is working with to their own professional needs. No more unnecessary information or buttons everywhere, just the essentials. This new way of working reduces confusion, clarifies any ambiguities and increases efficiency and productivity of everyone working with Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2.

  A SOLUTION FOR ALL YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS

  Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 integrates and streamlines all aspects of your business: financials, production and manufacturing, supply-chain management, sales and marketing, HRM, project management, service management,..
  Everyone is working on and with one and the same software solution.

  
  [click to enlarge]

  WHAT'S NEW?

  Integration with Microsoft CRM

  Chances are that you’re already using a CRM system to manage your customers, contacts and sales order information and an ERP system to manage your back offce operations.

  By integrating the CRM system and the ERP system, you’ll now be able to synchronize all information. No more losing time, data and valuable customer knowledge and insights.

  

  You're the boss!

  Although Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2 provides a complete package for companies in various lines of business, you may want to customize and extend the solution specifically for your own needs. Sphinx-IT – as a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner – has the necessary competencies, background and experience to help you boost your business with customized Microsoft Technology.

  Online payment services

  The feature that’s really revolutionary is the integration of an online payment service for Microsoft Dynamics NAV. This will allow you to process payment transactions automatically, and to accept credit and debit payments. Needless to state that all the necessary security is built-in, making sure that you and your customers are protected and payments are safe.

  The best news is that you can start using this new service without the need for a third-party installation or configuration. You just upgrade your version of Microsoft Dynamics NAV, and you’re ready to go!

  This means, of course, that you don’t need to change interfaces. You keep using your familiar user interface.

  And it wouldn’t be Microsoft, if we didn’t accept all major credit cards, most debit cards and allowed most of the financial transactions: authorizations, settlements, voids and refunds in more than 20 currencies.

  WINDOWS 7 & MICROSOFT OFFICE 2010

  Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2 will support the usability and visual improvements in Windows 7 and MS Office 2010.

  - Jump lists to take you right to the actions, tasks and pages you use the most.
  - Configure your ‘jump list’ to your own personal needs and increase efficiency and avoid waste of time.

  In general: jump lists make it easier for users to access recently used Microsoft Dynamics NAV actions, tasks and pages.

  Need help? Just place your mouse over the Microsoft Dynamics NAV icon on the task bar to see a thumbnail preview of each open window including company name.

  With the Jump List, you’ll find it easier to navigate and it minimizes the number of clicks required to reach the information you need.

  ALL'S WELL ...

  • Do you want to know what Dynamics NAV 2009 R2 can do for your company?
  • Do you want to improve the way you do business?
  • Do want to be able to operate faster? Do you want to make smart decisions, based on facts & figures?

  Interested in getting more information about Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 R2? Our team will be pleased to provide you any additional information.
  Email us at: info@sphinx-it.be or give us a call: +32 (0)9 386 33 00

• 16th November 2010

  DIGIBOUW: Information session Confederatie Bouw Oost-Vlaanderen

  On the 4th of November 2010, the ‘ConfederatieBouwOost-Vlaanderen’ organized an information session about Information Technology in the construction business, as part of their “Digibouw” initiative. Over the past couple of years, SPHINX-IT has built a solid reputation in the construction industry. Reason enough for us to participate in the event and share our knowledge and expertise with all those present.

  About 65 attendees paid a visit to the information stands of the different software and hardware suppliers. Meanwhile, 3 breakout sessions were held, highlighting the latest IT trends for the different types of companies within the construction industry. One session for instance focused on ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning): what is it exactly and what companies should be using it? Another presentation that drew lots of attention dealt with ‘Distributed Work’: how can a foreman send a list of all completed and inspected daily tasks through to the office? How to check which employee is at the wharf, and for how long?

  Lots of visitors attending the SPHINX-IT booth after the presentations! Laurence Debruyne, Product Manager, demonstrated on the spot the many advantages of the SPHINXprojects software suit for contractors who build and install porches and greenhouses, windows and doors, shutters and gates, solar panels etc. SPHINXprojects delivers what those contractors really need:

  Easy and automatic project file management: all information on customers and their projects is being managed in one central application.

  • You fill in all the necessary data just once!
  • You’ll work faster.
  • You’ll have all accurate information at hand.
  • You’ll make less mistakes.

  Planning and execution: automatic planning of all your installation teams and subcontractors..

  • Graphical & clear overview of the planning of all your teams & resources.
  • Avoid loss of time.

  Throughout the demonstrations, all booth visitors got quickly convinced that SPHINXprojects is straightforward, easy to work with and offers real added value to their daily business activities. No wonder that many of them requested a full and personalized demo in their offices in the coming weeks.

  A very successful night it was, not only for SPHINX-IT but for every one of the attending construction companies as well. In just a few hours, they got an extensive overview of the IT solutions and services on the market that might make a difference for them in the future. More than ever, SPHINX-IT is eager to continue to offer first class IT-solutions for the construction business.

  Interested in getting more information about SPHINXprojects?
  Our team will be pleased to provide you any additional information.
  Email us at: info@sphinx-it.be or give us a call: +32 (0)9 386 33 00

• 7th October 2010

  SPHINX-IT present at Prologistics 2010

  Professionals in the field of logistics, warehousing and supply chain management were present last week at the fair Prologistics, to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and to meet up with each other.

  SPHINX-IT seized the opportunity to present its state of the art Warehouse Management solution SPHINXwms. This software solution makes sure that your concerns and issues about automatic data capture, barcode scanning, traceability, intelligent management reporting and much more, are finally history.

  No wonder that our SPHINX-IT booth was visited many times! Our consultants gave an answer to all of the specific questions IT-managers andLogistics managers were asking. Others were given a full demonstration of the SPHINXwms application, on the spot.

  Thanks to GOURMAND NV, already steering their supply chain and production with SPHINXwms, passers-by were invited to enjoy a tasty croissant or some other sort of viennoiserie from their range.

  Needless to say that the fair Prologistics was a success for SPHINX-IT: we've reached out to many potential new customers and convinced them of our logistics software solutions product (SPHINXwms) and our industry expertise.

   

  Do you want to know more about us and our solutions? Download our free whitepaper on SPHINXwms here.

  Thinking about implementing a WMS solution?
  Then you must read our tips before you start here:
  Duch version
  French version

• 26th August 2010

  SPHINX-IT at PROLOGISTICS (Brussels) September 29th & 30th

  

  Are you a professional looking for solutions for your warehousing & and logistics department? Do you want to know how to manage your supply chain in an efficient way? Then you should definitely visit the fair PROLOGISTICS in Brussels on September 29th and 30th.

  PROLOGISTICS is an excellent opportunity to meet with hundreds of professionals and brings together manufacturing, industrial, wholesale and service firms, thus making the exhibition a true networking event.

  SPHINX-IT, with its outstanding knowledge in the field of logistics and warehousing will also be present, and we would be more than glad to welcome you at our booth B015. We’ll bring you up-to-date with the latest developments! Enjoy a tasty snack (courtesy of GOURMAND, already working with our SPHINXwmssoftware solution) while watching a practical demonstration. Our software specialists will be available to answer any of your questions, so you can experience our customer-focused approach.

  Click here to sign up for your free admission!

• 18th June 2010

  Cavalor sits firmly in the saddle with SPHINXdistri

  Cavalor is a young Belgian company that has quickly established a leading position in the equine feed industry. Already back in 2008, Cavalor selected SPHINX-IT as preferred software partner for implementing Microsoft Dynamics NAV enhanced with SPHINXdistri. Today, Cavalor is galopping towards new markets: ambitious but in a very secure and controlled way. Want to know how they realized this? Read about it here!

  Dutch version read it here.
  French version read it here.

• 10th June 2010

  Seeing is believing!

  3rd June 2010 – A free demo session was held on “Planning software for project oriented companies” (Greenhouses, orangeries, sun protection, windows and doors, gates).

  Laurence Debruyne, Product Manager SPHINXprojects, started with a very clear overview of the many possibilities provided by this software solution.

  • User-friendly and highly adaptable screens for customer files and projects.
  • Planning: number of phases, automated planning depending on capacity of your teams, calendar per team, …
  • Invoicing: follow-up of supplementary works, customer payments, credit management, advance billing, …
  • After-sales service: with just one click, you create an after-sales file …

  Demonstration of the new planning interface SPHINXprojects.

  
  [click to enlarge]

  This brand new planning and scheduling screen is inspired by the Microsoft Outlook interface, which implies a very clear lay-out. One doesn’t have to adapt to new screens and interfaces, because SPHINXprojects looks just like the familiar Microsoft Office environment. In one glance, it gives a full overview of where and when the construction teams are about at any given moment. The schedule can be adapted, based on available time or on each team’s capacity.

  Business Intelligence by SPHINXprojects: interact with your business like you’ve never done before!

  Karel Deloddere, R&D Manager of SPHINX-IT, demonstrated why Business Intelligence is a must for every company, on every level of its organization. Management can now take the right strategic decisions, based on data which may originate from various sources throughout the company. Accountant, Sales Manager, Dispatcher, and Service-Manager: all of them now have access to that particular piece of information they need to do their jobs efficiently and effectively. Thanks to the integration of Business Intelligence into SPHINXprojects, the whole company works intelligently together to realize its objectives.

  The necessary data is not only being presented in a visually attractive and insightful way, what’s more is that one can easily create his own reports. Just change the right parameters, and your customized report pops up immediately.

  A few examples...

  • A report showing the available capacity for a particular construction team in a particular month.
  • Need to know how occupied your construction teams are in a certain area? A report shows you general and detailed information on all your teams. Using Bing maps, you can visualize the entire travelpath any given team.
  • Working with Office 2010? Export your data with Powerpivot and create your own Excel-reports.

  Read here more about SPHINXprojects.

  

  [click to enlarge]

  26th May 2010 – Free demo session for an audience of building material wholesalers, showcasing the latest version of SPHINXdistri Mat on Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009.

  In today's changing economy, materials wholesales are facing increasing customer demands and competitive pressure. SPHINX-IT has acquired extensive experience working together with materials wholesale companies for years. Based on this, a unique business software solution was conceived for and by the building material wholesale: SPHINXdistri Mat.

  The afternoon session started with a keynote by Dominiek Theys, Account Manager at SPHINX-IT, followed by Koen Brackenier, Product Manager for SPHINXdistri Mat. Koen knows better than anyone what is important for a building material wholesale in order to be able to work in a very efficient way:

  • Fast order entry with intelligent conversion of multiple units of measure
  • Easy handling of customer and vendor discounts
  • Multiple warehouses and shop locations, including optimized backorder management
  • Extended management reporting with export possibilities to Microsoft Excel,

  A demo session at SPHINX-IT is not a lecture and from the very beginning of the demo session, a lot of questions were asked by the interested and very attentive participants. Koen Brackenier responded to every question with real live examples and experiences from recent project implementations in the building materials industry. This convinced the participants even more of the substantial added value of SPHINXdistri Mat for their specific business situation.

  If you want to subscribe for a next free demo session, just leave your coordinates and we'll keep you posted!
  Email us at: info@sphinx-it.be
  Give us a call: +32 (0)9 386 33 00
  Fill in the form

  

• 13th May 2010

  Microsoft Office 2010: a serious increase of productivity

  May 12th is the day we’ve been waiting for: the worldwide launch of the MS Office 2010 suite. And it’s not about major changes in design or lay-out. It’s all about those little changes that make your life and your business easier to handle and thus increasing your day-to-day productivity.

  Excel & business intelligence

  Productivity is definitely the keyword. Take the new feature called ‘Sparklines’, for instance. Sparklines are small, cell-sized charts that you can embed in a worksheet next to data to get a quick, visual representation of these data. One glance tells you all you need to know. And if you’re a user of reporting tools (Business Intelligence), we’ve got some pretty good news for you too: with ‘PowerPivot’ you are now the one in charge. With PowerPivot, you can now define your own sources of information to come up with any report you want in Excel. A source can be any file or application that contains structured data (Microsoft Dynamics NAV, MS Word, MS Access, but also websites and other files). For example if you want to analyze the influence of the new product prices you just received from your supplier. Well you no longer have to wait for IT to import those new prices in your system, you can grab the new prices in the Excelsheet you received from your supplier, combine them with the margin information that’s already in Dynamics NAV, and start analyzing them right away with PowerPivot. How productive is that?

  You need to process large amounts of data? Very large amounts, even? As of today, that is a piece of cake: with PowerPivot, your worksheets can contain hundreds of millions of rows. (And yes, that is correct: hundreds of millions of rows, in just one sheet).

  
  [Microsoft Office Excel 2010 - click to enlarge]

  The Ribbon.

  If you have been using MS Office 2007, you’re probably already acquainted with this feature. In the MS Office 2010 version, all applications now share the common Ribbon interface, including Outlook. With the Ribbon, you can access your most used commands easily, quickly and in just one-click.

  Now that is what we call productivity.

  The new Outlook.

  In today’s world, be it private or business, we’re practically lost without our e-mails. With this new version of Outlook, the handling of your e-mails will prove to be simple and fast. But you will be really charmed by the new way Outlook now rearranges your messages once you start using the Conversation View. This way, you can now overlook all e-mails in one particular conversation, in one single view.

  Also the quick step functionality (you can group a series of actions you often perform in Outlook behind 1 single quick step button) are a real time saver.

  MS Office 2010 goes mobile.

  From now on, you can access your documents, presentations, worksheets and other MS Office applications from wherever and whenever. MS Office 2010 is now available as a web-based tool that you can open in a webbrowser on any lap-top or PC. While you’re on the move, you can now alter, change or review your documents, worksheets or presentations.

  Interested in getting more information about Microsoft Office 2010?
  Our team will be pleased to provide you any additional information.
  Email us at: info@sphinx-it.be or give us a call: +32 (0)9 386 33 00

  

• 3rd March 2010

  Gedimat Bouwgroep NV kicks off with SPHINXdistri Mat.

  Over the past 45 years, Bouwgroep NV has built up a rock solid reputation in the fields of construction materials, floors and natural stone. Business was growing at a very good rate. But until recently, the software automation of Bouwgroep NV only consisted of a limited invoicing software package and a separate accounting program. This software environment had become obsolete and could not cope any longer with the growth ambitions of Bouwgroep, with its 3 locations and its 30 odd employees. Mid 2009, Bouwgroep NV selected SPHINXdistri Mat to automate their business processes. SPHINXdistri Mat is a an advanced vertical business software solution, based on Microsoft Dynamics NAV, especially conceived for wholesales in building materials.

  

  Today, having implemented SPHINXdistri Mat, Bouwgroep’s financial administration is fully integrated with all sales, logistic and purchase operations. Double data input is prevented. Bouwgroep specifically appreciates the ease with which purchase orders are created and followed up on. Another great advantage of SPHINXdistri Mat is the built-in pallet administration. Bouwgroep determines for each customer and supplier their pallet credit. This easy-to-use and always up-to-date pallet control system represents substantial added value for Gedimat Bouwgroep NV!

  Because of its 3 locations, the overview of item availability and movements between the different locations of Bouwgroep NV is critical. The comprehensive SPHINXdistri Mat Tranfer Orders system provides 100% control of all goods and movements.

  Interested in getting more information about SPHINXdistri Mat?
  Our team will be pleased to provide you any additional information.
  Email us at: info@sphinx-it.be or give us a call: +32 (0)9 386 33 00

  

• 4th January 2010

  Microsoft releases MS Dynamics NAV 2009 in Belgium

  During challenging economic times, companies are seeking tools that can help streamline operations and find ways to use their resources more efficiently. As part of its commitment to continuous innovation across its business software products, Microsoft released Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009, in Belgium.

  In everyday life, how do you simplify things? Remove the clutter? Organize what's left? Put things where you can get to them easily and quickly? That’s exactly what Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009’s role tailored user experience does to your desktop environment. It promotes the actions and information that you need, helping you prioritizing your tasks and keeping your work productive and fun! Microsoft Dynamics NAV produces the most effective user experience ever created for a business management solution and maximizes business productivity!

  Interested in getting more information about Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009?
  Our team will be pleased to provide you any additional information.
  Email us at: info@sphinx-it.be or give us a call: +32 (0)9 386 33 00

  

• 17th November 2009

  New company magazine "KEYBOARD".

  

  We are pleased to present you our latest edition of our company magazine 'KEYBOARD'. In this edition the SPHINXdistri Mat product managers sketches the present and future of this solid software solution for building material distributors. In addition Mr Laurent Verbrugge testifies how SPHINXdistri Mat improves business operations and boosts employee productivity at Daldecor NV.

  Mr Sven Machielsen, CEO at Van Oirschot NV, states that high availability management, ERP and WMS are indispensable in his organization, in order to deal with the increasing complexity of the business.

  Click here to download the Dutch version of the latest KEYBOARD.

• 3rd November 2009

  Greater operational flexibility with Dynamics NAV and Windows 7

  

  Moving an ERP system to a new operating system is, by its very nature, fraught with peril.
  But upgrading to Windows 7 won't be a problem for Microsoft Dynamics NAV customers because Dynamics NAV 5.0 is compatible with Windows 7, as well as with Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2.

  By supporting Windows 7, Microsoft has made it possible for Dynamics NAV customers to move to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 while leaving their Dynamics installations in place.
  That means that Dynamics NAV 5.0 customers won't have to go through upgrades of the application just to get onto the new operating system.

  "Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0 SP1 installed smoothly, without a complaint. Microsoft Windows 7 runs Dynamics NAV, and does so even better as any previous Windows version." says Rik Vanbrabandt, Business Unit Manager Infrastructure at SPHINX-IT.

  Interested in getting more information about Dynamics NAV and Windows 7 compatibility? Our infrastructure team will be pleased to provide you any additional information. Email us at: info@sphinx-it.be or give us a call: +32 (0)9 386 33 00

• 2nd October 2009

  SPHINX-IT presents Intelligent 3D warehouse management tool at Transport & Logistics

  From 20th till 22nd October, SPHINX-IT will be present with pioneering technology at Transport & Logistics on booth stand 4219. Discover our brand new multi-touch Intelligent 3D warehouse management tool for SPHINXwms running on Microsoft Surface!

  

  The 3D WMT (Warehous Management Tool) has been developed as a software concept that allows people to edit, measure and manage warehouse content by means of the ‘natural user’ interface. The natural user interface refers to natural gestures (commonly known as I-Phone usage).

  Karel Deloddere, CTO at SPHINX-IT says:
  "Combining 3D, business intelligence and multi touch technology results in a new, natural experience when managing your warehouse. It enables people to gain instant insight in complex environments like WMS. Real-time integration with a warehouse management system (eg. SPHINXwms) creates a completely new way of mastering your warehouse operations".

  Register here

• 5th September 2009

  SPHINX-IT welcomes 3 new Distribution-oriented customers in September!

  BE NETWORKS bvba, Zaventem

  BE Networks, a fast growing international distributor of computer networking equipment, situated in Zaventem, decided to automate their administration, payroll and logistics with Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0 SP1. BE Networks is specialized in selling and buying computer networking equipment worldwide to Telco’s, ISP’s, Integrators and resellers. By using mobile scanning devices connected to Microsoft Dynamics NAV, BE Networks will gain full control over its inventory. The inventory control starts with the receipt of all goods, full automated order picking, stock control, and equipment tracking. Other warehouse operations are to follow quickly. With the full support and the extensive knowledge of SPHINX IT, Microsoft Dynamics NAV is able to grow with BE NETWORKS who can in their turn fulfill the needs and meet the demands of their clients and markets

  Gedimat – Bouwgroep/ Den Dam , Turnhout & Beerse

  Bouwgroep NV and Den Dam NV are leading suppliers of building materials, located in Turnhout and in Beerse. Bouwgroep NV is an affiliate member of GEDIMAT, Belgium’s largest building materials purchase association. In close collaboration with the project team at Den Dam NV and Bouwgroep NV, SPHINX-IT will deploy SPHINXdistri Mat. SPHINXdistri Mat is a Microsoft Dynamics NAV enhancement created by SPHINX-IT specifically for the building materials wholesales. Building on its proven track record of very successful installations, SPHINXdistri Mat will certainly also deliver a high ROI (return on investment) to Den Dam and Bouwgroep.

  Gedimat Van der Velden Bouwmaterialen

  Another building material wholesaler, Van der Velden Bouwmaterialen, has signed up with SPHINX-IT for a SPHINXdistri Mat software solution.
  Van der Velden Bouwmaterialen is located in Meer and has been supplying construction materials to wholesalers, professionals and consumers since 1967.
  For the past years, the company was using a software application that had reached the end of its lifecycle and could no longer support the growing needs of a modern wholesale. Like its fellow members of the Gedimat group that also implemented Microsoft Dynamics NAV and SPHINXdistri Mat, Van der Velden Bouwmaterialen will now dispose of a state-of-the-art ERP system that will enable them to work in a much more efficient and integrated way.

  

  "We selected SPHINX-IT because they have good knowledge and expertise in our branche." says Erik Kenis of Van Der Velden Bouwmaterialen.

• 14th May 2009

  SPHINXwms showcase on 23/04/09: a great success!

  

  

  On Thursday 23 April 2009 SPHINX-IT organized a seminar regarding Warehouse Management. The seminar aimed to inform customers and prospects about the enhanced possibilities of SPHINXwms, SPHINX-IT’s software solution for warehouse automation.

  Bruno Conil, Sales & Marketing Manager of SPHINX-IT, welcomed the audience and focused on SPHINX-IT’s "People Ready" product strategy. SPHINXwms is a people ready solution that enables warehouse employees to excel in their logistics tasks. Warehouse automation results in a significant increase in efficiency and in lower costs of warehouse operations.

  Guest speaker, Sven Machielsen - CEO of Van Oirschot NV, highlighted the value of SPHINXwms for his company, the recent changes in his warehouse organisation, some key facts and figures, etc.
  During the very lively Q&A, lots of attendees took the opportunity to get practical ideas from Sven on how a WMS-solution could be introduced in their own business environment.

  Koen De Cooman, Account Manager of SPHINX-IT, gave an appealing demo of the SPHINXwms application implemented at Konings NV. Konings NV is a leading producer of beverages and liqueurs, located in Zonhoven. A virtual tour of the Konings logistic premises by means of short video shootings, combined with live feature demos of SPHINXwms, sparked the attention of the audience. Koen demonstrated how the Dynamics NAV system enhanced with SPHINXwms fully guides inbound, outbound and internal warehouse tasks.

  Karel Deloddere, Technology Manager of SPHINX-IT, demonstrated how SPHINX-IT’s intelligent reporting toolset, branded as Dynamic Intelligence, offers lots of added value by offering a complete overview and analysis possibilities of all warehouse operations’ metrics. Getting the right information, in the right format on the right time enables all employees in the organization to take the right decisions.

  Jan Snyers, General Manager of SPHINX-IT, provided a roundup of the seminar illustrating the SPHINXwms approach. "Logistics Managers today face major challenges in the fields of resource cost, risk, customer focus, globalization and above all the growth of data and how to gain insight in that pile of information. Sphinx-it aims at building smart supply chain solutions such as SPHINXwms, equipped with advanced analytics tools such as Dynamic Intelligence".

  

• 20th April 2009

  Schelfhaut NV opts for fully redundant Fujitsu infrastructure

  

  Schelfhaut NV is a leading supplier of roller shutter components for new buildings and renovations. The company has branch offices in Dendermonde (Flanders) and Bertrix (Wallonia). Recently, Schelfhaut NV also integrated Cannoot NV (Erpe-Mere) as new subsidiary into its business infrastructure.

  For more than 20 years, Schelfhaut NV successfully worked with Fujitsu Siemens infrastructure. Due to the continuous internal growth, the incorporation of new companies and activities and therefore the increasing number of users, the current infrastructure could not cope anymore. Because of the many years' experience with the reliability and the low cost of ownership, Schelfaut NV decided to invest once again in Fujitsu hardware and peripherals and their installation partner SPHINX-IT.

  Schelfhaut NV took the option to to scale the infrastructure to a state of the art Fujitsu Technology rack configuration, housing a series redundant rack servers, based on Microsoft technology (Windows Server 2008). Because of the advantages of the built-in Terminal Services Gateway feature a.o., moving to Windows Server 2008 will instantly deliver considerable security and productivity benefits to all the users of Schelfhaut NV.

  

• 23rd January 2009

  5 successful go-lives with SPHINX-IT's business software solutions in January 2009

  The past few months SPHINX-IT worked hard to prepare the launch of several business critical applications at an important number of customers. In close collaboration with these customers' project teams, SPHINX-IT managed to successfully meet all planned go-live milestones:

  

  Kerremans NV, a leading building materials wholesale in the Antwerp region, successfully migrated from a UNIX-COBOL based system towards the latest version of Dynamics NAV enhanced with SPHINXdistri Mat. SPHINXdistri Mat is a Dynamics NAV enhancement specifically built for companies in the wholesale and distribution of building materials. 15 users at KERREMANS NV are now confidently relying on Dynamics NAV to support their daily purchase, sales, distribution and finance processes.

  

  Thalys International (Brussels) provides commercial passenger rail transport services on behalf of SNCB and SNCF to the following destinations: Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Cologne. Thalys International went live on Dynamics NAV 5.0 enriched with specific enhancements for finance, extended budgets and expense approvals

  

  Belgosuc NV, located in Beernem, produces semi-finished products based on natural sugars. As from January 5th, their all new SPHINXtrace.net system with online data collection guarantees full traceability from receipt, through manufacturing and quality control to order shipping. The .Net solution developed by SPHINX-IT works fully integrated with the existing back-office solution (Brilliant).

  

  Chalets Verhaeghe NV in Harelbeke is a leading manufacturer of summerhouses and saunas. In July 2008 Chalets Verhaeghe NV decided to automate their complete set of business processes with Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0. Today, Dynamics NAV is already used for order-entry, shipping, invoicing and accounting. The manufacturing and inventory management processes will be automated in the course of 2009.

  

  Franki Geotechnics, headquartered in Tubize,is active in the Belgian and Luxemburg market for deep foundations of buildings and civil engineering constructions. Franki Geotechnics decided to upgrade their outdated Navision 2.6 system to Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0. Franki Geotechnics, who was recently acquired by the BESIX Group, can now rely on a stable, up to date system to support their further expansion.

  The very first days of a new calendar year are traditionally very busy in an IT-company providing ERP solutions such as SPHINX-IT. Professional project management, on site go-live assistance and continuous support proved vital for the trouble-free launch of these new business software system and subsequently, their good acceptance by all users.

  As Robby Smolderen, CFO at KERREMANS NV says:
  "After a few days working with Dynamics NAV, I am 100% convinced of the user-friendliness of this system. Our partner SPHINX-IT made sure NAV works according to our business needs."

  

• 22nd December 2008

  SPHINX-IT adds the Business Intelligence competency to its Microsoft Gold Certified status

  SPHINX-IT has always recognized the importance of making business data more visible and more usable for analysis. Having empowered several of its customers with enhanced reporting tools, SPHINX-IT has now officially earned the Microsoft Business Intelligence competency, with BI platform specialization.

  SPHINX-IT is extremely pleased to have attained this Business Intelligence competency in the Microsoft Partner Program, because it clearly shows that Microsoft acknowledges SPHINX-IT's expertise in this domain. Our current and future customers will continue to enjoy the benefits of a strong partnership between a global software vendor and its solid local business partner SPHINX-IT.

  The benefits provided to SPHINX-IT through this earned Microsoft competency, will allow us to continue to enhance our business software solution offering to our customers and provide them with ever better tools to maximize their business potential.

  

• 9th December 2008

  0% Financing promotion to New Microsoft Dynamics NAV customers

  

  Build your company's future while keeping your cash in your pockets by financing Microsoft Dynamics software at 0% interest!

  SPHINX-IT provides powerful business software solutions that pay off in the nearest term and over the long haul. Our solutions help you to dramatically improve your productivity and maximize your efficiency, to make your company ready to respond to the challenges of the fast changing economic climate. With the Microsoft 0% Financing promotion, you can now prepare the future and still maximize your current cash flows.

  So don't delay investments that can help your business improve its competitive position for 2009! It's easy to take advantage of the Microsoft 0% promotion: simply contact our sales department at +32 (0)9 386 33 00 or info@sphinx-it.be.

  (0% financing promotion available until March 20, 2009 - subject to credit approval)

  

• 14th November 2008

  SPHINX-IT launches the second edition of its company magazine "KEYBOARD"

  

  In the second edition of KEYBOARD you can find interesting items about the warehouse management solution SPHINXwms, mobile working and electronic invoicing.

  Some SPHINX-IT team members explain why they have choosen to work for SPHINX-IT and how they experience their job.
  The customer case TONICKX NV indicates how a tailor made software solution, FIRMWAREfashion, supports the unique and complex business processes within a stable and performant platform.

  If you are interested to read the magazine, download here the Dutch version [PDF - 2,3 MB].

  

• 13th October 2008

  SPHINX-IT had a full program of marketing events the last few weeks

  On 19th September, SPHINX-IT welcomed its customers and business relations to the "GET TOGETHER 2008". The 'GET TOGETHER' is an important marketing event at SPHINX-IT, that aims to provide insight about the new product strategy of SPHINX-IT.

  Karel Deloddere (Technology Manager) brought the Dynamic Intelligence concept to the audience. Dynamic intelligence is a complete set of intelligent reporting tools, developed by SPHINX-IT. Dynamic Intelligence uses Microsoft technology and provides business insight leading to better, faster and more relevant decisions.

  Bruno Conil (Sales & Marketing Manager) introduced TradePoint, a highly acclaimed web based solution for Microsoft Dynamics NAV. TradePoint can be configured as a public e-commerce web shop or a b2b self service portal.

  Kurt Juvyns, (Partner Technology & Solution Advisor Microsoft Dynamics) gave a general overview of Microsoft's roadmap for Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The attendees could see an impressive preview of the upcoming release, Dynamics NAV 2009.

  Jan Snyers (General Manager) stated the importance of automation investments, especially during economic uncertain times. SPHINX-IT stays committed to significantly invest in knowledge and technology, resulting in state of the art business solutions that empower customers' business performance.

  After the software show, everyone pushed the gas pedal at straight lines and high-speed corners, fighting for the best round time on the indoor carting race track.

  

  SPHINX-IT and SDT-Informatics at PROLOGISTICS

  SPHINX-IT showed its warehouse software solution at PROLOGISTICS. On a common fair booth SPHINX-IT and auto-ID partner SDT informatics gave live demos of automated inbound handling, internal handling and outbound handling using wireless handheld scanning devices.

  The latest version of SPHINXwms integrates lot-nr traceability and quality follow up. SPHINXwms increases inventory accuracy, reduces receiving times, ensures product availability and exceeds customers' expectations.

  

  

• 12th September 2008

  SPHINX-IT will be present at PROlogistics on 24th & 25th September

  On 24 & 25 September SPHINX-IT will be present at PROlogistics, the trade fair for total supply chain in Brussels Expo. This trade show is a unique platform where approximately 190 exhibitors provide supply chain professionals with strategic information about logistic optimisation.

  In cooperation with SDT-Informatics (partner for wireless barcode and auto ID solutions), SPHINX-IT will demonstrate, at a common fair booth, a real-life case of SPHINXwms along with automated data collection. SPHINXwms is an enhancement-suite for warehouse management based on Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The primary purpose of SPHINXwms is to increase inventory accuracy and reduce operational warehouse costs. Directed receiving, directed internal handling and directed shipping are the key elements within SPHINXwms.

  Meet SPHINX-IT and SDT-Informatics in hall 5 at booth 1175:
  Wednesday 24 September 2008: 10.00 am to 8.00 pm
  Thursday 25 September 2008: 10.00 am to 8.00 pm

  Want to visit us? Click here to ask your free badge!

  

• 8th August 2008

  SPHINX-IT adds TradePoint.net as e-business solution in product offering.

  On Friday august 1st, SPHINX-IT has signed a partner agreement with ScripServer Intl. and has become product distributor of TradePoint.net. ScriptServer Intl., located in Sweden, is a Gold Certified Microsoft partner who creates and sells internet applications, in particular TradePoint - a software application for bringing Dynamics NAV (Navision) to the web. TradePoint.net is a secure and powerful web based solution for Microsoft Dynamics NAV and provides customers and employees access to a professional set of Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Consumers (B2C) features.

  TradePoint.net can quickly be configured as a public e-commerce web shop, a B2B self service portal and/or an employee portal.

  
  [click to enlarge]

  TradePoint.net handles all e-commerce functionality while the business data and calculations are performed in Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Any object in Dynamics NAV can be presented in the e-commerce solution, together with extended information, whether it is product descriptions, images, PDF-documents, Flash movies or any kind of new media.

  Interested in getting more information about the e-business offering at SPHINX-IT?
  Our team will be pleased to provide you any additional information.
  Email us at: info@sphinx-it.be or give us a call: +32 (0)9 386 33 00

  

• 20th June 2008

  Microsoft announced the release of Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0 SP1.

  The functionality enhancements released with this version are significant. More than 300 product enhancements have been made based on feedback to Microsoft Support Services from partners and customers worldwide. The improvements can be split into three areas - the Microsoft Dynamics NAV platform, application enhancements and new business opportunities with Microsoft Dynamics NAV Mobile enablement.

  Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0 SP1 provides customers with even more opportunities to increase productivity and realize business success.

  Need more information about Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0 SP1?
  Our team will be pleased to provide you any additional information.
  Email us at: info@sphinx-it.be or give us a call: +32 (0)9 386 33 00

  

• 15th May 2008

  SPHINX-IT company magazine available for download

  

  SPHINX-IT took the initiative to release twice a year a company magazine called KeyBoard. KeyBoard magazine is ment to inform SPHINX-IT's business relations regarding its business software solutions. Without an overload of technological information, the magazine focuses on the everyday business reality.

  In this first edition we enlight SPHINX-IT's vision of implementing quality business software solutions. Read about how the Dynamic Intelligence concept can help your company to measure information and take appropriate decisions. Our customer Galoppin Papier explains how his Business software improves operational activities.

  If you are interested to read the magazine, download here the Dutch version [PDF - 1MB].

  

• 10th April 2008

  SMEKENS Safety & signal products successfully managed with Microsoft Dynamics NAV

  

  SMEKENS Safety & signal products specializes in distribution safety products such as respiratory protection, head/ear protection, hand protection, full body protective gear, eye protection and disposable clothing.
  The company has 15 employees and serves more than 600 active customers. SMEKENS nv is present in a broad range of markets where each customer has its own specific needs and requirements.

  Because of the recent growth of the organization, SMEKENS needed to replace their existing administrative applications by an integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. In order to be able to support the activities of its employees, as well as the key processes of SMEKENS nv, the ERP system had to respond to the needs of a company active in import/export and distribution of material goods.

  

  SPHINX-IT was selected to implement a Microsoft Dynamics NAV solution, enhanced with its own import / export / distribution specific enhancement: SPHINXdistri.

  This enables the different type of users (sales, purchasing, logistics .) to really exploit the new system as per their individual needs, to automate data input and data transfer between departments and doing so to reduce the margin of error. The already very strong inbuilt CRM functionality of Dynamics NAV leads to a very quick way of insight of the customers and customer segments and enabling smooth interactions with both the individuals and the organizations.

  "After implementing the new system we have increased our speed both on order entry and order handling. This has had its effect on customer service and raised the level of customer satisfaction, hence customer retention. These factors are critical for the success of our business. We have chosen SPHINX-IT as our IT partner because of their clear offer, the technical solution as well as the expertise they brought to the table and of course their experience in helping companies active in import/export & distribution such as ourselves", says Geert Massart, CEO of SMEKENS nv "Because of our recent growth we thought it was absolutely necessary to deploy an integrated system for all the departments and the employees within our organization. The extended management reports offered by SPHINX-IT through its software enhancement SPHINXlayer, also enable us to monitor performance on a day-to-day basis."

  The next phase in the project consists of the automation of the warehouse of SMEKENS nv by introducing datacollection and scanning capabilities. SPHINX-IT possesses the necessary enhancements and expertise to automate warehouse processes. The MS Dynamics NAV enhancement SPHINXwms is already preset for this step. The development capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics NAV will facilitate the further adaptation of these components to the specific needs of the employees and the logistical processes of SMEKENS nv.

  

• 4th March 2008

  Gold Certified

  

  SPHINX-IT has been named a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner! A Gold Certified status is the highest possible recognition in the Microsoft Partner Program.

  A Gold Certified status is awarded by Microsoft towards Microsoft partners who represent the highest level of competence and expertise with Microsoft technologies, and have the closest working relationship with Microsoft. The Golden certificate has been awarded towards SPHINX-IT based on proven competencies regarding Microsoft Dynamics and Infrastructure solutions.

  SPHINX-IT is very pleased to attain the Gold Certified Partner status. This achievement is considered as an important recognition by Microsoft for the good work all our employees are delivering every day.

  The incremental benefits provided through the new Gold membership will allow SPHINX-IT to continue to provide innovative business software built on the Microsoft platform and enhance the offerings that we provide for customers.

  

• 15th February 2007

  SPHINX-IT participates in "Pimp IT up", an IT mentorship day organized by Hogeschool Gent.

  
  [click to enlarge]

  Nowadays, and for many years to come, there is a serious lack of skilled IT professionals in Belgium. It often appears that high school students can hardly imagine what an IT job is all about. As a result of stereotypes and wrong prejudices, many of those 18-year olds choose to not study informatics. Through the "Pimp IT up" project, Hogeschool Gent wishes to give students the chance to inform themselves correctly about the real value and opportunities of a career in the IT sector. The students are given the opportunity to spend an entire day in the company of some of the professionals that practice an IT job in an IT company and discover the job contents for themselves.

  When asked to participate in the project, SPHINX-IT was immediately enthusiastic to welcome some students for a full day program. In the morning, SPHINX-IT gave the students presentations on the company's activities, lively and interactive demos on its main ERP-product lines Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Firmware and in a panel discussion, some of the SPHINX-IT's consultants and analyst-programmers highlighted their personal background and experience in the IT industry.

  Visit of a SPHINX-IT key customer: INSITES NV

  In the afternoon, the students were taken on a visit of the brand new premises of Insites NV, a leading provider of innovative market research solutions and marketing consulting, based in Ghent. The Insites crew gave an interesting presentation of the company's activities, the various competencies and tasks of their inhouse IT Services department and finally, the possibilities and advantages of their business management solution Microsoft Dynamics NAV, installed in 2007 in close cooperation with SPHINX-IT. Due to its rapid expansion in the last few years, Insites decided to install a new project planning and backoffice administration system, consisting of Microsoft Dynamics NAV seamlessly integrated with Microsoft Projects 2007. Microsoft SharePoint was also introduced to take care of document management and to serve as a collaboration portal for every employee.

  VRT Radio 2 and the regional television channel AVS were also present to take some interviews of the students and the SPHINX-IT employees.

  IT is fascinating! That was the conclusion of the students after a very full but interesting day at SPHINX-IT. Their future IT career is already planned.

  

• 7th January 2008

  5 stars for Microsoft Dynamics NAV

  

  Microsoft Dynamics NAV, the business management solution for small and midsize businesses, has received a number of national and international technology awards and recognition. The reward and reviews of CPA Tech Advisor highlights the best-in-class features and broad functionality of Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

  Microsoft Dynamics NAV was ranked among top four high-end accounting systems in the market place. The review emphasized that Microsoft with the release of NAV 5.0 introduced a variety of application enhancements that focus on user flexibility and the user experience, including data-entry screens, which are easy to use and easy to navigate. Moreover, product security is satisfactory at all levels.

  Click here to read the CPA Tech Review:
  Microsoft Dynamics NAV won an award in CPA Tech Advisor 2007 Review of High End Accounting Systems.

  

• 21st December 2007

  Business Intelligence, yesterday's hype, today's must..

  

  In the course of the month of December, SPHINX-IT spreaded the 'Business Iintelligence' message through marketing communications and fairs such as the Plan to Perform event organized by Microsoft and KPMG.

  SPHINX-IT demonstrated integrated Business Intelligence solutions based on Microsoft technology for a public of CFO 's and CIO's at a common fair booth.

  Corporate Performance management and Business Intelligence are no longer "nice to have" but have evolved to "absolutely necessary" for each company wishing to become and remain more competitive. To be able to constantly improve revenue streams and enhance customer satisfaction, all employees (both operational managers and strategic decision makers) need to be able to make fast and accurate business decisions. Therefore, they need to have access to relevant business data.

  They also need to be able to easily analyse the factual data and share their findings with colleagues and partners, in order to implement decisions and support strategical actions. This will allow them to act according the company strategy, measure and adjust where needed and help them into achieving company goals.

  SPHINX-IT demonstrated during the 'Bedrijven Contactdagen' in Kortrijk that this integrated Business Intelligence solution is also available for Small and Medium Businesses. During this event, SPHINX-IT demonstrated Business Intelligence directly from the business software source (Microsoft Dynamics NAV), through a Data Warehouse (SQL server 2005) architecture, towards the different types of end users/information workers.

  "To have the right information at the right time in the right format" seems the most suitable way to realize a strategic ROI (Return On Investment) for Small and Medium Businesses.

  Interested in getting more information about the Business Intelligence solutions of SPHINX-IT ?
  Our team will be pleased to provide you any additional information.
  Email us at: info@sphinx-it.be or give us a call: +32 (0)9 386 33 00

  

• 8th November 2007

  Microsoft extends Dynamics product support beyond industry practices

  

  On Microsoft extends its Support Lifecycle policy for the Microsoft Dynamics product lines. With Extended Support, Microsoft Dynamics customers will receive an additional five years of product support beyond the current five years offered for Mainstream Support.

  This total of 10 years product support exceeds industry practices that business management software vendors have typically offered to midsize companies. By raising the bar with these additional years of support, Microsoft is providing customers with increased flexibility to either keep their existing products or upgrade as they desire.

  "Our Business Ready Customer Care commitment underscores Microsoft's unwavering pledge to protect customers' product investments now and into the future," said Kirill Tatarinov, corporate vice president of Microsoft Business Solutions. "We're proud to go beyond industry practices, delivering the peace of mind that our customers deserve through increased product insight, freedom of choice for product support, and the assurance of a clear future for technology advancements."

  Additionally, Dynamics customers who subscribe to a Microsoft Dynamics Business Ready Enhancement Plan can access valuable online tools, including unlimited organizational access to all online training content, product download documentation, discussion boards, a searchable knowledge base and support webcasts, via CustomerSource, Microsoft's award-winning 24x7 online customer portal.

  Microsoft Dynamics support efforts have been recognized by the industry on multiple occasions for its professional services and customer satisfaction, including the Service & Support Professionals Association and Localization Industry Standards Association in partnership with the Association of Support Professionals.

  Need more information about the Microsoft Dynamics Support Lifecycle Policy?
  Our team will be pleased to provide you any additional information.
  Email us at: info@sphinx-it.be or give us a call: +32 (0)9 386 33 00

  

• 9th October 2007

  SPHINX-IT has renewed the prestigious Qfor Satisfaction label for training and consultancy companies for another 3 years.

  

  During the audit conducted by Management Information, a large sample of its customers were anonymously questioned about the project approach, project management, reporting & tools used towards the customers, the competency of the consultants, and the quality of the after sales support service.
  Overall, the customers were very satisfied with SPHINX-IT's performance and quality, leading to an outstanding global satisfaction score of 96%.

  The Q*For label not only implies that SPHINX-IT has been re-confirmed as a high quality service provider, but also clears the way for it's customers to take advantage of the BEA subsidy measure as issued by the Flemish government.
  SPHINX-IT's goal in the next few years is to continue to improve the quality of it's service offering and thereby create even greater customer satisfaction.

  

• 3rd September 2007

  Herman Desserts renews its business software together with SPHINX-IT to improve efficiency and trace products throughout all company processes.

  

  Herman Desserts, located in Ostend, manufactures and distributes natural fruit and chocolate mousses since 1986. The company sells its products to distributors such as Carrefour Belgium, Delhaize and Spar under private label or brand name. About 20% of the turnover is realised in foreign countries. "We have always tried to be on top of new trends. We have introduced many new and tasty desserts over the years" says Herman Roobroeck.

  When asked about the key success factors of Herman Desserts, Herman Roobroeck (CEO) gives the following answer: "We manufacture with natural and pure products such as 100% pure Belgian chocolate. During the production process no additives or flavouring products are added and that makes our desserts so unique".

  Solution:

  The company used to work with an accounting system in a DOS environment. "Our existing system did not support the tracking and tracing of products: we were forced to use handwritten lists. This was a very time-consuming and complicated process. So in all, the legacy system didn't meet the requirements set forward by the quality and safety standards we wish to comply with." says Herman Roobroeck.

  To address these issues, the company needed a new instrument to gain complete control of all the goods through all stages of the production and logistic processes at any given time.

  After researching the market, Herman Roobroeck got convinced of the functionalities of SPHINXtrace (the Tracking & Tracing add-on developed by SPHINX-IT based on Microsoft Dynamics NAV). This business management solution allowed him to go even beyond the minimum needs of strict food industry regulations.

  "We were looking for a solution allowed us to track the history of each single supply, component and finished good. Microsoft Dynamics NAV enhanced with SPHINXtrace meets these requirements." explains Herman Roobroeck.

  Benefits

  Since January 2006, Herman Desserts uses this integrated system for Customer Relationship Management, Finance and Supply Chain including Manufacturing and Traceability. All Quality and Traceability information is now registered in so called "lot-files", which allows Herman Desserts to track all lot numbers upstream (incoming raw materials) and downstream (goods sold). The lot numbers of all ingredients and raw materials in a single manufactured batch are stored, and the status of the products is known in the warehouse at all times; where they come from, and their destination. The system also caters for quarantining of critical raw materials (e.g. eggs) that have to undergo lab testing before they can be safely released for production. Thanks to the new software solution, employees now spend much less unproductive time on manual registration processes and achieve greater business insight.

  "Since the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics NAV, we have renewed twice our British Retail Consortium (BRC) standard for higher level traceability, a British food safety standard for supermarket suppliers. This is clearly an important indication to our customers" says Herman Roobroeck

  

• 19th June 2007

  Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0 released for Belgium.

  
  [click to enlarge]

  On 18/06/2007, Microsoft officially released Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0 (formerly Navision) in Belgium . Microsoft Dynamics NAV helps boosting productivity and driving business success for companies that want the freedom to focus on their business.

  With Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0, companies can:

  • Empower their employees to make better decisions
  • Fuel business productivity
  • Enhance speed and efficiency in performing everyday tasks
  • Improve collaboration using Microsoft Office SharePoint Server

  Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0 includes a lot of improved, redesigned and new application features:

  Integrated Innovation:

  Microsoft Dynamics NAV has been significantly enhanced regarding the integration with the Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint Server, Windows Live Local Search and Mappoint.

  The integration with Microsoft Outlook enables users to complete daily tasks within one program and have data synchronized in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0 and Microsoft Outlook.

  New and enhanced functionality in Dynamics NAV 5.0:

  • Sales and purchase document approval
  • Item tracking improvements
  • Jobs improvements
  • Service order handling
  • Prepayments

  Streamline business processes:

  Online collaboration services enable users to connect their processes to customers, suppliers and businesses of all types and bridge the worlds of unstructured and structured data.

  Record links, the new feature in Microsoft Dynamics NAV, will enable users to share information in Microsoft Dynamics NAV by adding links to documents to any record, such as a sales or purchase order. The document or order can be stored in Microsoft SharePoint or on a file server and the user can access the order form Microsoft SharePoint or give access to others.

  The tight integration with Microsoft products and Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0 enables users to export data from any form in the system using Microsoft Office XML format. That makes it simpler to access and share data quickly and efficiently.

  Microsoft Dynamics NAV offers a wide range of business intelligence capabilities, from built-in reports and wizards to create reports from scratch, to advanced tools allowing users to gain the insight required to optimize performance across the entire organization.

  With the release of Dynamics NAV 5.0, Microsoft has marked an important step forward in providing 'people ready' solutions that help companies working more efficiently, fuel business productivity and make sound decisions quickly.

  Interested in getting more information about Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0 ?
  Our team will be pleased to provide you any additional information.
  Email us at: info@sphinx-it.be or give us a call: +32 (0)9 386 33 00

  

• 10th May 2007

  On April 26th, SPHINX-IT and SDT-informatics held a practical session about "Warehouse automation with SPHINXwms & SDT - datacollection".

  
  [click to enlarge]

  About 20 interested companies were present in the seminar room (Holiday Inn Gent) to find out about SPHINXwms and auto-id.

  Bruno Conil, Managing partner - Sales & Marketing - SPHINX-IT, gave a general overview concerning the Microsoft Dynamics product strategy and the customer values of the joint solution offering of SPHINX-IT and its auto-id partner SDT-informatics.

  Koen De Cooman, Product manager SPHINXwms, showed a very appreciated live case-demo of SPHINXwms- customer Van Oirschot. Van Oirschot NV is a leading wholesale in heating equipment. The central warehouse, located in Herentals, stores about 46.000 stock items, is divided into 9 zones and a total of 30.000 Bins.

  Van Oirschot Nv went live with SPHINXwms in September 2006. Today 15 warehouse employees are continuously guided by the system to complete all warehouse tasks.

  The audience experienced the complete real-time flow of warehouse transactions: directed inbound handling (receiving & put away), directed internal handling (movements, replenishment, inventory) and directed outbound handling (picking, shipping and transport planning). During the demo session the participants discussed lively about the many features of SPHINXwms and informed about their own company-specific warehouse automation needs.

  In the second part of the session, Axel Lambot (general manager of SDT-informatics) explained the history, the current state and future development of barcode technology and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) illustrated by many practical examples. The attendees gained a better insight in the new technology and opportunities for companies wanting to use data collection with barcodes or RFID.

  Jan Snyers, Managing partner - General Management SPHINX-IT keynoted the session by emphasizing the value proposition of SPHINX-IT's business software solutions regarding ERP, logistics, document management/workflow and BI, thus highlighting SPHINX-IT's mission statement: to provide state of the art software solutions enabling companies to achieve their full potential.

  

• 12th April 2007

  KONINGS NV
  chooses SPHINXwms with datacollection to automate warehouse processes.

  

  Konings NV, located in Zonhoven, produces fruit juices, lemonades, nectars, energy drinks, tea drinks, sports drinks, distilled and fermented drinks, ciders & perries, coolers, liqueurs and wines.

  The company actively offers private labels and co-packs for partners and distributes several brands in Belgium and Holland under a foodbrokers statute.

  In addition Konings NV merchandises in the sales outlet for their own brands (Smeets gins, Trudo fruit juices, Konings & Charlemagne ciders, Rossia Vodka).

  In order to improve inventory accuracy and to streamline all warehouse processes, Konings NV recently assigned SPHINX-IT and SDT-Informatics to enhance their Dynamics Nav system with SPHINXwms and SDT-datacollection.

  Konings NV recently upgraded their Navision ERP solution towards Microsoft Dynamics Nav 4.0. Today, the company already takes advantage of the rich additional functionality offered in version 4.0.
  In close collaboration with the IT-team at Konings NV, SPHINX-IT and its data collection partner SDT-Informatics is now building complete tracking and tracing capabilities into the warehouse processes and fully automating inbound handling, internal handling and outbound handling by means of wireless handheld scanning devices.

  Because of its scope and technological advancedness, this project is considered to be of strategic importance for all 3 partnering companies. SPHINX-IT in particular marks a next important step in its product strategy by integrating SPHINXtrace and SPHINXwms into one combined offering.

  

• 1st March 2007

  Bouwmaterialen DE GROOTE NV
  improves business processes with Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

  
  "At this moment I can already say that the new system offers more possibilities. I feel we made the good choice to implement this flexible and modern system" says Piet De Groote.

  Based in Wondelgem, Bouwmaterialen De Groote NV started in '55 as a family company that sells construction materials to wholesalers, professionals and consumers. The growing company, which is now led by Piet De Groote and André De Groote, is a member of the purchase group "Gedimat". Gedimat Belgium groups +/- 30 construction material wholesalers in Flanders and Wallonia.

  Solution

  As the company grew in size and complexity, Bouwmaterialen De Groote acknowledged that their former Unix-based system could no longer support the growing needs to enhance and automate their business processes. Bouwmaterialen De Groote was on the lookout for a modern ERP system that made it possible to work in a more efficient and integrated way.

  De Groote Bouwmaterialen NV decided to install Microsoft Dynamics NAV together with implementation partner SPHINX-IT. "The product's functionality and adaptability made Dynamics NAV our first choice", says CEO Piet De Groote. "Plus it was recommended by our former IT partner (WDCS) which was taken over by SPHINX-IT 2 years ago".

  Since 8th January, Microsoft Dynamics NAV enhanced with functionality for construction material wholesales, is up and running. The conversion of the data from-out Unix into Microsoft Dynamics NAV went perfectly.

  Benefits

  Microsoft Dynamics NAV makes it possible to add new functionality specifically related to the business. For example, Bouwmaterialen De Groote NV now has a functionality in their order-entry which allows them to convert automatically different units of measure to the one requested by the customer. Bouwmaterialen De Groote NV used to make these calculations in a separate Excel file. That enhancement significantly reduced order-entry time!

  "We experience daily that the usability of Microsoft Dynamics NAV is different in comparison to our old system, but it is in a positive way! Even our infrequent users are able to browse into the intuitive system and find the information they need" indicates Piet De Groote.

  De Groote Bouwmaterialen NV now has a business software solution that fully supports the needs of their business. Now that the company is fully aware of the extensive Dynamics NAV functionalities, a number of enhancements are planned for the near future. The next step in making the business more efficient will be the usage of wireless handheld scanning devices in the showroom and warehouse, in order to quickly create quotes and orders and provide real-time stock information.

  

• 10th January 2007

  Microsoft Dynamics NAV: Top-ranked business management software solution.

  

  In an analysis performed in October 2006, utilizing The Accounting Library, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, achieved a top ranking among business management solutions in numerous areas.

  The Accounting Library is one of the most respected software tools in the USA for software selection of business software solutions, serving the needs of middle market companies. The Accounting Library, developed by Solutions Inc (USA), allows companies to compare business management system requirements against a wide range of business solutions.

  As a result of a full feature-to-feature comparison analysis of 100+ of the top business management solutions, conducted by the Accounting Library, Microsoft Dynamics NAV was determined to be among the top-ranked business management solutions in the following areas:

  • Basic functionality: This category measured software products against baseline standards for general ledger, accounts payable, purchase order, accounts receivable, payroll, human resource, inventory control, sales orders, job costing, and budgeting capabilities.
  • Overall features: In this category, the study measured the applications' manufacturing and multicurrency functionality, as well as system-wide features not associated with individual modules.
  • Out-of-the-box functionality: This category strictly measured the functionality that a product ships with and does not credit functionality that can be achieved by system modification or third-party products. This tool was also used to compare solutions in two key industry segments: distribution and manufacturing.
  • Distribution: This report assumed that the user is a distribution organization with requirements weighted toward Inventory Control and Order Entry.
  • Manufacturing: This report assumed that the user is a manufacturing organization with requirements weighted toward inventory control and manufacturing. Multi-Currency requirements were defined as many manufacturers either purchase from overseas locations or sell their products to customers in other countries.

  Microsoft Dynamics NAV figured every time in the top 5 of the different areas of analysis. The results of this research clearly indicate that Microsoft Dynamics NAV is a powerful business management solution to automate business processes in most midsize businesses.

  If you want more information about the results of this study or about Microsoft Dynamics NAV email us at info@sphinx-it.be or give us a call: +32 (0)9 386 33 00.

  

• 23rd October 2006

  SPHINX-IT's reporting offering helps companies
  to gain insight into their business.

  Business Intelligence is becoming an important strategic tool for business management. A Business Intelligence solution that provides accurate, real time business-critical information helps companies gain insight into their business, make better decisions and ultimately improve their business performance.

  SPHINX-IT's vision for Business Intelligence is to help businesses to perform better, by empowering all employees throughout the organization to make the optimal decisions. SPHINX-IT achieves this by delivering Reporting and Business Intelligence capabilities within an Internet Explorer or SharePoint environment. This makes SPHINX-IT's Reporting offering extremely scalable and user friendly, so that everyone in the organization is empowered with the right business information tools. With SPHINX-IT's Reporting solutions, making more informed decisions becomes a natural part of the every day work experience for all, regardless whether the employee is working on the strategic, the tactical, or the operational level, Based on MS SQL Reporting Services, SPHINX-IT's Reporting offering is a very good example of seamless cross-product integration (Firmware .net development framework, Dynamics Navision and MS SQL Server) and offers a wide range of reporting capabilities to gain the insight required to optimize performance across the entire organization.

  Major benefits of SPHINX-IT's Reporting solutions include:

  • Integrated on-line within MS Dynamics Navision / Firmware business applications or another line of business applications.
  • On-line interactive (web)reporting
  • Built into Windows SharePoint Services
  • SharePoint Portal Server, it is the starting point for creating a full internal information portal.
  • Easy export to MS Excel, PDF, XML,.

  
  [click to enlarge]

  
  [click to enlarge]

  This flexible Reporting solution meets the requirements of businesses that need easy-to-use, yet effective tools to have a complete overview of their mission critical business information. SPHINX-IT's Reporting offering provides the next step for SPHINX-IT's customers that want to reinforce and leverage their existing IT-investments.

  Interested in getting more information about the SPHINX-IT's reporting offering?
  Our team will be pleased to provide you any additional information.
  Email us at: info@sphinx-it.be or give us a call: +32 (0)9 386 33 00

  

• 19th September 2006

  SPHINX-IT present at PROlogistics

  SPHINX-IT will be present at PROlogistics, the trade fair for total supply chain which will be held on the 26th,27th and 28th September in Brussels Expo.

  In cooperation with SDT-Informatics (preferred partner for wireless barcode and auto ID solutions), SPHINX-IT will demonstrate, at a common fair booth, real-life cases and installations of SPHINXwms along with automated data collection. SPHINXwms is a new enhancement-suite for warehouse management based on Microsoft Dynamics Navision. The primary purpose of SPHINXwms is to control the movement and storage of goods and materials within an operation and process the associated transactions. Directed picking, directed replenishment, and directed putaway are the key within SPHINXwms.

  Meet SPHINX-IT and SDT-Informatics in hall 6 at booth 6239:
  PROlogistics: trade fair for total supply chain
  From 26-09-2005 until 28-09-2005
  Location: Belgium - Brussels Expo.

  

• 6th September 2006

  Microsoft Dynamics Navision 4.0 scalability and performance
  improved with SQL Server 2005.

  Microsoft DynamicsT Navision is a complete business solution that helps small and midsized companies integrate financial, manufacturing, distribution, customer relationship management, and e-commerce processes and data. This fully customizable enterprise resource planning (ERP) product is ideal for growing businesses with specialized needs.

  Microsoft Dynamics Navision is designed for a global market of midmarket-segment companies with typically between 5 and 500 employees, and between 2 and 100 users, Microsoft Dynamics Navision is ideal for companies with complex business processes and a strong need for a vertical focus.

  In February 2006, Microsoft Dynamics Navision surpassed 1 million users. This is a significant milestone and further proof that Microsoft Dynamics Navision provides real business value to small and medium-sized businesses and divisions of larger enterprises around the globe while offering a powerful business value proposition to partners.

  Microsoft Dynamics Navision is easy to adapt to changing business requirements, enabling companies to grow within the solution.

  Microsoft has progressively optimized Microsoft Dynamics Navision to help businesses enjoy the benefits of Microsoft SQL ServerT, and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 in particular. With the Microsoft SQL Server option, Microsoft Dynamics Navision offers businesses a secure, reliable, and productive platform for storing, extracting, and analyzing business data to help improve business decisions.

  Microsoft recently ran tests to compare the performance of Microsoft Dynamics Navision 4.0 on SQL server 2005, SQL server 2000 and the Dynamics Navision Native (C/Side) database. The benchmark test results demonstrated that Microsoft Dynamics Navision 4.0 performs at equal or superior levels with SQL Server 2005 when compared to Microsoft SQL Server 2000 and the Microsoft Dynamics Navision C/SIDE database.

  This means that Microsoft Dynamics Navision customers can fully enjoy the benefits of SQL Server 2005 while improving the performance and scalability of Microsoft Dynamics Navision.

  Interested in getting more information about the Dynamics Navision scalability and performance tests?
  Our team will be pleased to provide you any additional information.
  Email us at: info@sphinx-it.be or give us a call: +32 (0)9 386 33 00

  

• 31st July 2006

  Microsoft announced the Dynamics Business Ready Licensing and Business Ready Enhancement Plan.

  

  On July 10, Microsoft announced the Business Ready Licensing model and the Business Ready Enhancement Plan for Microsoft Dynamics that introduce simplification and improvement to the licensing and maintenance programs for Microsoft Dynamics Navision.

  Microsoft Dynamics Navision is a business management solution that enables you and your people to make business decisions with greater confidence. Microsoft Dynamics Navision works like and with familiar Microsoft software, automating and streamlining financial, customer relationship and supply chain processes in a way that helps you drive business success.

  Business Ready Licensing and Enhancement Plan provide customers a compelling way to increase the value of their investments in Microsoft Dynamics solutions, enhancing the productivity of their business, and ensuring confidence in their choice of business management solutions.

  Business Ready Licensing streamlines pricing for Microsoft Dynamics Navision by moving from a pricing model based on hundreds of modules and granules to a new model primarily based on the number of concurrent users who actually use the software.

  Interested in getting more information about the Dynamics Business Ready Licensing and Business Ready Enhancement Plan?
  Our team will be pleased to provide you any additional information.
  Email us at: info@sphinx-it.be or give us a call: +32 (0)9 386 33 00

  

• 20th June 2006

  Microsoft Dynamics Navision supports INTERPARTS' continuous growth.

  

  Interparts, located in Zwijnaarde, has acquired throughout the years a solid reputation in the Belgian market as an exclusive dealer of DOOSAN - DAEWOO excavators. Founded in 1968 as a subsidiary of a Dutch company selling components of excavators, Interparts became an independent organization in 1987, lead by Mr. Rony Mahieu.

  For the past 15 years, the company has been using "Reflexion", a character-based application that reached the end of its lifecycle.

  "We used to work with a time consuming, bespoke IT solution that could no longer support our actual needs. In order to support our clear focus on outstanding delivery and service management we have implemented Microsoft Dynamics Navision" says Mia De Groote, Financial Manager at Interparts NV. "With Microsoft Dynamics Navision, we now have an accurate system, able to manage all our data. Navision supports our vision of providing the necessary enterprise information in order to deliver quality products and after sales- service to our customers."

  The richness in functionality, the familiar MS Outlook setting and the possibility to enjoy Total Solution Financing (SPHINX-IT and Microsoft financed the software licence during 36 months) convinced Interparts NV to choose for Microsoft Dynamics Navision in July 2005.

  The implementation of Microsoft Dynamics Navision went steady, so that the employees could maintain complete control and visibility of the business process. In close cooperation with Interparts, SPHINX-IT managed, in only 6 months time, to switch on the new system and assure a successful take-off.

  Today, the information system is up and running. Service Management is an excellent integrated Dynamics Navision module, to give Interparts' customers the optimal service they need: customers are receiving their service just in time.

  "With Service Management, we can faster identify the problems. When there is a problem with an excavator and they need urgent help, we can check rapidly into the system which spare parts we have in stock and deliver them quickly" explains the workshop manager.

  "Now that we are aware of the Microsoft Dynamics Navision possibilities, a number of projects are planned for the future. Data collection of our stock with scanning devices and improved sales administration will be the next steps to make our business even more efficient with the use of Microsoft Dynamics Navision" explains the financial manager.

  "In order to stay up-to-date, we have invested in IT together with SPHINX-IT!" explains the financial manager.

  
  "Above all, the technology is easy to use. It was important that I could adapt quickly to the new solution. I really enjoy working with the system and this is the single most important factor to determine if a project is successful" says CEO of Interparts Rony Mahieu.

  

• 19th June 2007

  The fruit of a succesfull partnership:
  Van Assche Oscar Fruit NV improves efficiency with Microsoft Dynamics Navision and SPHINXtrace by SPHINX-IT.

  

  Van Assche Oscar Fruit NV imports and trades fresh fruit supplied from Spain, South-Africa and South-America.

  
  [click to enlarge]

  In 1950, Oscar Van Assche founded his fruit wholesale nearby Zulte. Mid 70-ies the company relocated towards the fruit halls in Brussels.

  Today the company, lead by Olivier Van Assche , is known as a quality supplier of fruit. Van Assche Oscar Fruit NV supplies yearly more than 2 million collies of fruit towards distribution, wholesales and fruit retailers all over Europe.

  Having worked for years on an AS400 based vertical application for fruit importers, linked with FiAd/400 financials, Van Assche Oscar Fruit was on the lookout for an integrated, modern and cost effective solution that could generate the necessary analytical, financial and logistic information on the spot. The prime reason being that in the fruit commissioning business, keeping a clear overview of revenues and costs per commissioning "dossier" (supplier - commissioner - customer) is of vital importance.

  Van Assche Oscar Fruit NV therefore selected SPHINX-IT to implement Microsoft Dynamics Navision, enhanced with SPHINXtrace and a number of additional developments for comprehensive dossier administration and follow-up. In close co-operation with Mr. Olivier Van Assche and his team, SPHINX-IT managed, in 6 months time, to switch on the new system and assure a successful go-live.

  Through the use of Microsoft Dynamics Navision, Van Assche Oscar Fruit NV gets full advantage of an accurate and easy to use system that is seamlessly integrated with MS Office. Enriched with the SPHINXtrace Tracking & Tracing module, the new solution keeps all traceability information automatically stored, thus assuring high quality standards and an absolute safety guarantee across all product lots.

  SPHINX-IT will now continue to provide ongoing system and application support as well as advise into new ways of optimizing Van Assche Oscar Fruit NV's business processes (e.g. provide online barcode scanning capability).

  

• 6th April 2006

  SPHINX-IT actively markets its business software solutions
  in Brussels & Wallonia.

  
  [click to enlarge]

  As part of its marketing campaign towards the French speaking business community in Belgium, SPHINX-IT recently organized 2 events to present its broad pallet of business software solutions and services.

  On March 16 th, in order to actively promote its presence in Wallonia, and near Brussels, SPHINX-IT held its first business software event at its local offices in Saintes (Tubize).

  Jan Snyers, Managing Partner, welcomed the audience and highlighted SPHINX-IT 's activities, mission, organization and objectives. Combining Microsoft business products like Dynamics-Navision, SQL-server, SharePoint, MS Office with quality IT-services and a strong local presence are SPHINX-IT 's best assets for successful business software installations.

  Marc Charlier, Sales Manager Microsoft Dynamics , presented the new business strategy for KMOs under the brandname Microsoft Dynamics. He showcased the advantages of integrated innovation with Microsoft Dynamics Navision and other Microsoft Office programs. He emphasized the strategic partnership between Microsoft and SPHINX-IT, which continues to result in a very successful way of doing business together and creating added value for the customers.

  Geert Himpe, Managing Partner Firmware Office Applications, lead the audience through a first demo session, presenting the custom development and system integration division of SPHINX-IT named Firmware. Based on a proven development and technology platform, Firmware solutions are always designed to meet the specific needs of the customer, mostly for well defined business processes and domains. Geert demonstrated the numerous ways of interaction of Firmware with other desktop applications.

  Bruno Conil, Managing Partner Sales & Marketing, demonstrated the concept of Microsoft Dynamics Navision 4.0 being seamlessly integrated with Microsoft Office, MS SharePoint and barcode scanning devices. The integration with e.g. SharePoint allows companies to manage all of their internal information flows in a very effective way. In a single Web interface, Bruno showed business critical information from various applications and the tools for easy document collaboration.

  SPHINX-IT was also present at the fair ondernemen/Entreprendre 2006" in Tour&Taxis ( Brussels ) which took place on the 23rd and 24th March 2006. This annual fair aims to inform business people about investment opportunities, franchising formulas and all the latest business trends, but also about the added value of business software solutions. SPHINX-IT was specifically selected by Microsoft to promote its software solutions at this important event. Amongst others, SPHINX-IT demonstrated Microsoft Navision enhanced with (wireless) on-line scanning devices.

  

• 20th March 2006

  YDS Chemicals integrates business processes with Firmware

  

  YDS Chemicals NV is a dynamic distribution company, specialized in supply of "specialty" chemical products towards customers in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics industry located all over Europe. Quick delivery, flexibility in the supply chain and 100% customer service are all keystones of the success of YDS Chemicals'.

  In order to support its growing need for analytical business information and logistic efficiency, YDS Chemicals NV was on the look-out for a scalable and affordable business software solution to replace the existing administration platform, based on Excel sheets and a DB-Fact DOS accounting system.

  Mid 2005, YDS Chemicals selected SPHINX-IT as software partner to develop a business software system that would be able to support the company's growing number of customers and business opportunities.

  In close collaboration with the project team at YDS Chemicals, SPHINX-IT managed in only 6 months time to develop and implement a comprehensive Firmware ® business solution that integrates YDS Chemicals' complex and unique set of business processes. The joint development effort has lead to a management information system that fits the YDS organization like a glove.

  Firmware ® is SPHINX-IT 's MS Office business development framework, designed to automate and optimise various business processes for companies across a wide range of industries. The reuse of existing, proven building objects and routines, together with the high quality Implementation and System Integration Services, makes Firmware ® a very cost effective business software development platform, that results in 100% compatibility with the customer's current business requirements, yet offers full scalability towards future software needs.

  

• 23rd February 2006

  SPHINXtrace 4.0 SP1 released!

  In accordance with the version policy of Microsoft Dynamics. SPHINX - IT has released the latest version of its enhancement for Traceability and Quality Management based on Microsoft Navision. SPHINXTrace 4.0 SP1 allows tracking the history of each single supply, component and finished good through all stages of the production and logistic process. SPHINXTrace 4.0 SP1 also provides online integration with (wireless) scanning hardware. In this latest release of its Tracking & Tracing and Quality Management enhancement suite, SPHINX - IT has included many general quality improvements, as well as important new functionality that enables production companies (food and non-food) to take full control of their goods flows and output quality.

  
  [click to enlarge]

  The main improvements in SPHINXtrace 4.0 SP1 are:

  • Improved integration of SSCC (Serial Shipping and Container Code) pallet labeling and administration.
  • Email automation of recall documents and sales/purchase documents in general.
  • Enhanced quality and safety follow-up (HACCP) registration, per transaction type, in the purchase, production and sales process.
  • Improved online communication with wireless handheld devices for real time data collection.
  • Integration with MS SharePoint services. (=standard Navision 4.0 SP1 feature)
  • Seamless Integration with Microsoft Mappoint 2004 for route planning and optimization.

  With the release of SPHINXtrace 4.0 SP1 , SPHINX - IT continues to expand its business software offering to small and mid-sized companies that expect tailored products with the highest added value and maximum return on investment.