Skylux and delaware set out for bright future ahead

“A couple of years ago, we started to realize that our existing enterprise architecture wouldn’t be able to keep up with our growth ambitions,” says Joeri Bruneel, ICT manager at Skylux. “For example, we noticed that we were losing a of lot time and effort with cumbersome administrative tasks. In addition, there was a clear need to step up our game in terms of both customer and employee experience.”

Laying foundations for the future

Together with CFO Sander Nys, Joeri developed a vision and a strategy that would lay foundations for a future-proof enterprise architecture. Sander: “Those foundations consist of three pillars: administration, production, and customer experience. Our production apparatus is already pretty advanced, but we’re certain there are still a lot of opportunities left, for example in terms of waste reduction from data driven insights. We also have a lot to gain on an administrative level, like manual invoicing and order entry, and improving the customer and employee experience.”

In August 2021, the Skylux team started talks with delaware and other partners to work on a roadmap for the actual digital transformation journey. “From overcoming silo-thinking and finding ways to cater to the needs of different customer persona’s, to data governance: we knew we were facing a lot of challenges. That’s why we needed a partner with the right amount of expertise and experience, who would challenge us. We found all those things in delaware.”

Everything is connected

Steven Lenaerts, partner at delaware, explains: “Skylux’s challenges sounded very familiar to us. Other clients are struggling with exactly the same challenge: there is a lack of alignment between customer experience, operational excellence and employee experience. This requires an end-to-end approach in which everything is connected.” 

“A simple example can be found within the CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) process. What customers order and configure online (i.e. customer experience), the production plant needs to be able to produce and give a clear view on the cost of production (i.e. operational excellence). Making sure both worlds are sufficiently connected while guaranteeing that the tooling being used to connect both worlds is sufficiently supported by your employees (employee experience), is therefore crucial for success.”

Support comes in many forms

Supported by delaware’s strategy frameworks and methodologies, Skylux and delaware drew up an enterprise architecture that would allow the company to realize this vision, as well as a an implementation roadmap. “The architecture consists of multiple levels, including an Azure data and integration layer,” says Joeri. “The main phases of the project have been outlined as well. First, we’ll focus on customer experience, then on finance and admin, product development, and finally on operations, which is already pretty stable.”

For Sander and Joeri, however, the project can’t be successful unless everyone at Skylux is on the same page. Joeri: “We knew we had to build a strong internal support base if we wanted to get anything done. That’s why we organized multiple workshops and sessions with colleagues to explain what we’re aiming for, and how we planned on getting there. The input was immensely valuable. After all, this isn’t an IT project – it’s a Skylux project.” 

A window of opportunity

“We also found that having an external partner give feedback on your strategy is a tremendous advantage as well,” adds Sander. “It makes everything much more clearer, and helps prevent tunnel vision. On top of that, delaware’s experience in other industries also came in handy.”

Ben Apers, sales manager at delaware, adds: “In many companies, IT is still at the mercy of the business. That’s not the case at Skylux, where the department is clearly taking the lead in making the whole organization more future proof. This approach fits perfectly with our vision as well. When they were faced with the limitations of their existing architecture, they chose not to see a problem, but an opportunity to lay the foundations for long-term success. That’s apparent from their focus on building awareness internally, and of what they expect from a partner. Needless to say, we’re honored to be part of this journey for Skylux.”

“In the end, you want your IT systems to work for you, instead of the other way around,” concludes Sander. “Our goal is to create a seamless digital eco system that unburdens people and lets them focus on creating added value. We look forward to continue this journey with delaware.