Schlüter Systems counts on PORTOLAN

The market leader for system solutions for the installation of wall and floor coverings decides to use PORTOLAN's Financial Accounting and Cost Accounting at headquarters in the USA and Canada.

Ilsfeld, July 2009.The Schlüter-Systems KG, an internationally operating wholesaler in the area of tiles and natural stones and situated in Iserlohn, has introduced the business management solutions from the accounting software provider PORTOLAN Commerce Solutions GmbH (situated in Ilsfeld) at his North American and Canadian subsidiaries. Financial and Cost Accounting from PORTOLAN will be integrated into the ERP system via interfaces. "With our Canadian and American subsidiaries in mind, we started thinking about implementing a standard software", says Michael Rapp, Head of IT at Schlüter Systems. The decision in favor of PORTOLAN was made in particular because the headquarter in Iserlohn had already been working with the solution since 1999, the French subsidiary followed in the year 2001. All applications, in Germany as well as in bigger foreign subsidiaries, are now running via the central computer that is installed in Iserlohn. "The consolidation of systems on one computer has the advantages of transparency, knowledge transfer, standardization and system integrity", Michael Rapp further explains.

Particular country-specific functionalities have been realized
In both countries, country-specific particularities play an important role. In the context of outgoing payment processing in the USA, PORTOLAN Financial Accounting provides country-specific data carrier formats for check printing, for example. In Check Management, the application allows for the use of prenumbered checks, which are normally used in the USA by the respective company banks.
An essential function within Check Management is the automatic linkage of check numbers, (which are used for check printing) to posted payment vouchers.
In this context, it is also possible to void checks which are unusable (e.g. polluted) or which were printed improperly (due to wrong adjustment). Functionalities such as the entry of check batches/check roles and maintenance of number ranges as well as the creation of single checks and check number assignment directly from within the voucher entry (the so-called "Cheque on the fly" method) are of special significance in the context of Check Management.
The handling of "sales tax" (additional tax on tax amounts) was another topic that concerned the Canadian subsidiary. These tax calculations can be ensured by providing special sales tax codes. Thus, it is possible to calculate tax on taxes or assessment bases, taking a maximum of 6 levels into account. These sales tax codes are recorded in the tax split during voucher entry and calculated or unpacked automatically into corresponding single taxes.

Successful Big Bang
In November 2008, the successful live start of the business software took place at Schlüter-Systems. "The higher-than-average commitment of the entire project team was more than worth it since we had a smooth transition to the new system." remembers Michael Rapp.
Christian Stracke, Head of Accounting and, in the context of the project, responsible for the implementation and co-design of PORTOLAN's country versions Canada and USA, adds: "EVM solutions provide security, flexibility and efficiency for our daily processes of financial accounting. In addition, there are extension possibilities in all areas of cost accounting, planning and controlling. Thus, the decision in favor of PORTOLAN has turned out to be strategically and operationally right - also in an international context."

Additional information about Schlüter
The Schlüter-Systems KG (situated in Iserlohn) is a professional provider of system solutions for an adequate and appealing installation of tiles and natural stones. For more than 30 years the company has been developing innovative system solutions true to the motto "Practical solutions for practical problems". Every day, about 400 employees in Germany and in seven subsidiaries abroad ensure that these products and systems can be used on site by professional craftsmen. More information can be found here www.schlueter.de

Additional information about PORTOLAN
Since 1990, PORTOLAN Commerce Solutions GmbH (situated in Ilsfeld) has been one of the leading providers of business management solutions. The core product is PORTOLAN EVM, a modular software suite to be used on the IBM Power Systems for medium-sized enterprises with national and international subsidiaries. This suite has been designed for international accounting and includes Financial Accounting, Fixed Asset Management, Group Consolidation and Controlling.19 language and 28 country-specific versions are available. In addition, the portfolio includes the ERP overall solution trendEVM for following industries: engineering, chemicals and cosmetics, paint and varnish, food and beverages, the printing industry, producers of plastics, technical wholesalers, the electronics industry, foundries and the automotive industry. As a software house, PORTOLAN Commerce Solutions additionally offers the On-Demand solution SAP Business ByDesign. With a staff of currently about 70 employees, the company takes care of its customers in more than 50 countries. More information can be found on the homepage www.PortolanCS.com.