Success story LeasePlan Belgium
LeasePlan Belgium’s output creation is future-proof thanks to the ITP Document Platform
“We are going to have a lot of fun with this high performance system.”
After thorough preparation and a carefully managed migration process, LeasePlan Belgium is another of the companies currently enjoying the benefits that Aia Software's ITP Document Platform has to offer. Programme manager, Luc Toeback, and lead architect, Hugo De herdt, look back on a valuable project.
Just like in other departments, good, clear communication is also becoming more important in the leasing sector. Not only do outgoing documents have to look top-notch, but leasing companies are also expected to adapt (standard) forms quickly. After all, time is money. A number of years ago, in its quest for optimum output creation, LeasePlan Corporation decided to take its chances with Aia Software and implemented the ITP Document Platform as a standard system. Since then, more and more LeasePlan branches have started to work with the solution. The newest kid on the block is LeasePlan Belgium.
Comprehensive system
“We used the VarE-Docs and Optio systems before implementing ITP,” says lead architect, Hugo De herdt. “VarE-Docs was above all used for generating individual and often more compact documents, such as letters, quotations and order forms. Optio was a native iSeries product and intended for large volumes in particular, such as invoices, International Motor Insurance Cards and reports. We were rather satisfied with both products. However, since both VarE-Docs and Optio had reached their end of life status and the suppliers were not providing any more support, it was logical to consider Aia Software’s ITP.”
Once a proof of concept had been carried out, it quickly became clear that ITP could be developed into one single comprehensive system, which would combine the best of the once separate worlds of VarE-Docs and Optio. After being presented in September 2007, the migration process started at the end of March 2008. “That was a big job,” says De herdt. “All document requests are now composed in XML. They contain the variable data and always indicate which type of document ITP needs to produce. Integration with the ITP server takes place, where ITP models are linked with the variables from the XML request. ITP processes the documents in full and emails them as a PDF, faxes them or sends them using spool distribution to the printers in our various branches in Belgium and Luxemburg, for example. Finally, all documents are saved in a central archiving system, from where they can be retrieved quickly”.
Step by step
The migration was completed at the end of March 2009. “All in all, it was a pretty tricky process, we didn’t really know in advance how it would turn out,” explains programme manager, Luc Toeback. “We decided to make the migration as automatic as possible so that the biggest efforts were made in testing and processing the test results."
LeasePlan Belgium has gathered a set of around 400 various letters in three different languages, i.e. 1200 individual documents. Furthermore, documents such as quotations are often fairly complicated. They contain a lot of formatting logic and the technical aspects of the document are not simple, due to things such as the alternation between portrait and landscape, or table and text. Toeback says: “Partly due to this, we have carefully tested each document, step by step, department by department. The advantage of the gradual transfer is that the daily routine of the employees involved has not been affected. That would definitely not have been so with a big bang scenario. The most important thing was that ITP would provide us with a workable, functional, future-proof system. And it has certainly done that.”
A lot of fun
Now that the migration process has been completed, the first contours of the new system are becoming clearler. De herdt says: “With ITP, we have one single system for all documents instead of two solutions, which is also very beneficial where maintenance is concerned. There are also more extensive formatting facilities than were available in VarE-Docs and Optio, thanks to the use of Word in combination with powerful ITP instructions. ITP is also a real performance system and is highly scalable. The fast processing saves a lot of time in our business processes.”
Toeback does not think there is a lot of difference compared to the old system, as far as management is concerned. “Our people could already control their own documents with VarE-Docs. Partly thanks to the ITP/MDK Repository, the users in the departments have more rights to change things, enabling them to develop and manage documents independently. IT still plays an important role as far as support is concerned, but this role is also gradually changing. One thing is sure: we are going to have a lot of fun with this performance system.”
LeasePlan Belgium
LeasePlan Corporation is the European market leader in leasing and fleet management. LeasePlan has an international network, spread across 30 countries and representatives in South Africa and the Baltic states. LeasePlan Belgium, a subsidiary of LeasePlan Corporation, was founded in 1972. As a pioneer in leasing and fleet management, the company has become the market leader in Belgium with over 52,000 vehicles.