Drie Mollen sinds 1818 is a coffee and tea producer in the Netherlands that focuses on private labels. They implemented the MFG/PRO ERP system in 1997 to integrate their business processes like production, procurement, and sales. This provided improved information and control over production. Managers now have more visibility into each production step and can improve delivery performance. The system also allows them to comply with new regulations and standards. Drie Mollen continues optimizing processes with MFG/PRO and plans to leverage more business intelligence capabilities from the system's data.

1. General Food Law, and wants to benefit from new devel-
opments such as EDI, bar coding, and warehousing. Drie
Mollen’s goal is to leverage these technologies for realizing
further growth on their path to becoming the most profes-
sional, dedicated, and flexible Private Brander of Europe.
The Solution
Drie Mollen used to work with non-integrated solutions,
which resulted in difficulties where stock and material
planning were concerned. The company therefore,
implemented MFG/PRO in 1997. Initially version 8.5
was used, with Production, Procurement and Sales
modules. In April 2001, Drie Mollen upgraded to version
9.0, integrating the Warehousing and Administration
modules. According to J. van de Ven, controller at Drie
Mollen, MFG/PRO has proven itself over the last few
years, “The system offers the information we need for
controlling our production. Thanks to improved informa-
tion delivery, we now have more knowledge of each step
in the production process and are able to improve our
delivery performance. Overall efficiency has improved,
so we can do more with less people.”
Michel Spruijt, ICT Manager at Drie Mollen states, “As
we operate in a very dynamic market, we need a flexible
system that can be quickly and easily adapted to internal
and market changes. With MFG/PRO, QAD provided us
with such a system and together with the profession-
als at QAD we often work on fine tuning the system. We
focus on the use of EAN/DAS and EDI. When developing
specific functionality for improving work processes we
work in close cooperation with QAD.”
One of the results is the successful deployment of the
MFG/PRO Advanced Inventory Management (AIM)
module for warehousing purposes. With this module,
Coffee Producer Drie Mollen sinds
1818 Improves Delivery Performance
and Efficiency with QAD Solutions.
The Company
Drie Mollen sinds 1818 (Drie Mollen) produces 12,000
tons of coffee and 1,400 tons of tea on a yearly basis.
Eighty percent of its production is for private label
purposes. The other 20 percent finds its way to the
stores as Gala coffee and Princess tea. The company,
which got its remarkable name from the building ‘In
de Dry Swarte Mollen’ in ‘s-Hertogenbosch where it all
started, has a strong focus on production for private
coffee and tea labels. Approximately 15 percent of
all production is for export.
The production of coffee and tea is still done the tra-
ditional way; coffee beans are processed, roasted and
ground in the Netherlands. As far as the production of
tea is concerned, the focus is on packaging, marketing
and aromatizing the tea, which is often pre-processed in
the country of origin. Drie Mollen employs around 180
people. Production and logistics take place at its produc-
tion plant in Bolsward. Other activities are managed from
their headquarters in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. The company is
part of Drie Mollen Holding.
The Challenge
Drie Mollen produces on order as well as forecast-based.
The focus on private label production leads to a situation
with many different packages and flavors. The company
also has to comply with new regulations, including the new
‘s-Hertogenbosch, Bolsward (The Netherlands)
Drie Mollen sinds 1818
QAD Enterprise Applications
enabled Drie Mollen to
standardize processes and
to continually improve the
quality of the processes.
“Thanks to improved
information delivery, we
have more knowledge of
certain steps in the production
and we are able to improve
our delivery performance.”
Michel Spruijt, ICT Manager at Drie Mollen Sinds 1818
Customer Case Study

2. with those data through analysis. As an example, we can
get a clearer picture of the relationship between sales
forecasts and actual figures. We also continue to focus
on expanding the use of EDI. Right now half of our sales
orders are processed via EDI and we want this per-
centage to grow further. We comply fully with the EAN
standards and applaud QAD’s support of these develop-
ments and the fact that they facilitate the process of
standardization.”
Prepared by Drie Mollen sinds 1818 in cooperation with QAD.
different warehousing functionalities can be integrated
with MFG/PRO and handled automatically. Drie Mollen,
which manages a warehouse with approximately 6,000
pallet places, uses the module in combination with a RF
system that enables employees to process orders in a
paperless manner with a hand terminal or display on fork
lifts. All transactions are based on bar coding.
“Looking back, MFG/PRO has brought more peace and
quiet in the organization.” says Michel Spruijt. “The use
of MFG/PRO has enabled us to standardize processes
and to continually improve the quality of the processes.
We now have a system in place that gives us confidence
for now and for the future. It offers us the opportunity to
focus on our core competencies.”
The Future
As Drie Mollen sinds 1818 now has a solid base in place
for its core functions of procurement, sales, production,
warehousing and administration, the company is ready
to study future developments. According to Spruijt,
“One of the areas we are investigating is Business
Intelligence. The MFG/PRO system and accompanying
software contain a wealth of data. We want to do more
“The system offers the
information we need for
controlling our production.
Thanks to improved
information delivery, we
now have more knowledge
of each step in the
production process and
are able to improve our
delivery performance.
Overall efficiency has
improved, so we can do
more with less people.”
J. van de Ven, Controller, Drie Mollen Sinds 1818
Company
Company Name Drie Mollen sinds 1818 BV
Industry Food & Beverage
Products Coffee and tea with focus on
private labels
Solutions
QAD Solutions MFG/PRO 9.0
Sites ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Bolsward,
(the Netherlands)
Platform Hewlett Packard
Results
• Unambiguous information delivery
• Improved control of production and logistics
• Improved delivery performance
• More efficiency and clear IT strategy
• Enables compliance with EAN standards and
General Food Law
• Better prepared for new developments
(EAN/DAS, GFL and BI)
Highlights
Produced by: QAD Global Marketing. 6450 Via Real, Carpinteria, California USA 93013 • MFG/PRO® is a registered trademark and MFG/PRO
eB and QAD Supply Visualization are trademarks of QAD Inc. QAD is a trademark of QAD Inc. All other product or company names appearing in
this publication are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners. © 2004 QAD Inc. Item 73-2006A.