Circular IT Holding B.V.

Circular IT Group elevates sustainability and IT with a comprehensive Odoo ERP system implemented by Odoo Experts. A revolutionary step forward for circular IT across multiple countries.

Industry
Wholesale
Scope
CRM and Sales Management Accounting and Finance Inventory Management, Purchase and Logistics Manufacturing, Quality and Maintenance Project Management Human Resources (HR) Marketing Helpdesk and Customer Service Document Management Reporting and Analysis Integrations and APIs Multi Company
Size
100+ Users
Countries
Belgium Denmark Netherlands Singapore United Kingdom

Value in Circular Products?

Maxicom's Inventive ERP Approach with Odoo Experts

Determining the value of a batch of used IT equipment without having conducted extensive testing? Purchasing inventory where the true value for the supplier is determined afterwards? Sounds logical, but how do you incorporate this practice into your inventory management? How do you process an item value and a purchase invoice? Odoo Experts made it possible.


25 years ago, Patrick de Vreede (Founder of Maxicom Distribution IT) began rescuing network equipment from the electronic waste pile and giving it a second life by refurbishing it. They grew into a serious company with 60 employees by 2021 and have been part of the Circular IT Group since mid-2022. Alongside Maxicom, this group also includes Aliter Networks, NEG-ITsolutions, CTC IT Solutions, iUsed, Stichting ITdonations, iRENT, TellusRem, emXcore, and CTG Circular.


Specialist in refurbishing

Maxicom is a specialist in refurbishing IT equipment, just like the other partners in the Circular IT Group,” says Patrick de Vreede. “All these companies make it possible for IT hardware to be used longer. Extending the lifespan of IT hardware directly helps to reduce CO₂ emissions because less needs to be produced. In our early years, we saw a lot of waste because technology was developing so rapidly. The developments in hardware and software did not keep pace with each other. That has changed now. There is more awareness among companies that reusing IT equipment is more environmentally friendly. It's not just about saving money but also about circularity, the unnecessary consumption of resources.


Make it yourself

We have always done our own software development because what we needed was only partially available through the large software houses. That means spending hundreds of thousands of euros per year on maintenance and implementation costs. The software packages that fall under this market segment are price-wise interesting but are aimed at standard business operations and do not match our business operations that require smarter software. There was really nothing in between. Therefore, we were forced to make it ourselves. But with the rapid growth of the company, it became an increasingly larger responsibility, and that was no longer feasible.””


Maxicom was looking for an open source ERP system with possibilities for free programming and a strong web-based database. 'Odoo was a perfect fit for us,' says Patrick de Vreede. 'Plus, Odoo is at least 75 percent cheaper than the big brands. Goldpartner Odoo Experts gave us the confidence during their presentation to go with the most experienced Odoo partner.'


The basic request from Maxicom was 'Ensure that the processes of our software are incorporated into Odoo and take some improvements into account right away,'" says senior Odoo consultant Bastiaan de Keijzer from Odoo Experts. "We did not rebuild the screens and overviews, but what we did do was meticulously map out the processes. How does inventory come in and how are we going to handle it in Odoo? Sometimes Maxicom doesn’t even know what's in a pallet, and whether you can attribute value to it. Odoo doesn't like that. It wants to know exactly what you're receiving from the start, so you can process it in the right way.


The Odoo partner must protect you from taking the wrong route and turn. Stay close to the source and don't be tempted into too much customization. Odoo Experts has helped us to stay as close as possible to the Odoo standard.

Patrick Vreede Patrick de Vreede, COO


Staying Close to the standard

I wanted everything and had no idea how Odoo worked," says Patrick de Vreede. "Odoo Experts is a mature partner that has pulled us through many pain points. To anyone starting with Odoo, I say 'prepare yourself, because it’s not an easy road.' Especially since Odoo is open-source software. Everything is possible, but you can also make mistakes and make things too complicated afterwards. The Odoo partner must protect you from taking the wrong route and turn. Stay close to the Odoo source and don't be tempted into too much customization.


Circular IT Group now consists of 300 employees, which makes it possible to internally train some Odoo Studio developers," explains Patrick de Vreede. "They will be able to make small adjustments themselves in the future. We use the Odoo partner for major changes and upgrades to new versions.


Dares to take steps

Odoo makes progress every year with new functionalities," says Patrick de Vreede. "Other software packages are often not as dynamic. Odoo dares to take steps forward, and that's what it's all about at Maxicom and Circular IT Group too.


Learn more about Maxicom and Circular IT Group

https://circularitgroup.com


https://maxicom-it.eu