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Tec4U Solutions

How CLEVR & Tec4U Drive Compliance for a Sustainable Future with Low Code

min read
Services
Mendix

As businesses become more aware of their environmental footprint, many feel the pressure to go green and meet strict material standards. It's not just about being eco-friendly, it's about ensuring that every part of the process is compliant and sustainable. Sustainability is no longer just a buzzword, it's something businesses need to seriously consider, especially with regulations like the CSRD pushing for transparency and accountability.

Recent reports highlight that a significant gap exists in the readiness of businesses in the EU, with only about 10% of large companies currently reporting their ESG data​ (Environmental, Social, and Governance). The challenges they face are not only regulatory but also involve a lack of effective tools for managing sustainability needs.

However, going green isn't easy. There are challenges to overcome, such as the high costs of launching sustainable initiatives and the complexities of managing a green supply chain. Many companies find themselves lacking the right tools or expertise to keep up with regulations on environmental and social impact reporting. Meanwhile, they face the added challenge of meeting supplier requirements and satisfying customers who demand eco-friendly products without a premium price.

To address these challenges head-on, Tec4U offers a solution that empowers businesses to manage sustainability with efficiency and ease. Through its DataCross platform, Tec4U has helped companies bridge the gap between compliance and actionable sustainability strategies. For years, the company has served as a trusted partner in material compliance, sustainable product design and supply chain due diligence. With expertise in material data communication, Tec4U oversees more than 400 projects annually, managing a network of over 40.000 suppliers and achieving a remarkable 167% increase in response rates for supplier queries!

What is DataCross?

DataCross, built on the Mendix low-code platform, is a communication software that integrates supply chain information to meet sustainability requirements. As Stefan Nieser, CEO of Tec4U, explains, "Sustainability is not only an environmental question, sustainability is a very important economical question... many enterprises face increasing demands from both legal and customer sides, and that is why it's very, very important to fulfill these requirements.

The platform’s ability to automate compliance processes is a game-changer, empowering businesses to meet regulatory requirements and reduce the risk of non-compliance. Nieser emphasizes, "What enterprises need is information from their suppliers to fulfill their own sustainability requirements."

Beyond compliance assurance, DataCross provides a strategic advantage, enabling businesses to adapt to both legal and customer expectations. Nieser describes it as "a specialized communication platform, rich with knowledge and functionality."

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Supporting Compliance with CLEVR

“The challenges that our customers face are very broad, so they do have these legal requirements coming up more and more. The worldwide legislators are coming up with new ideas almost every month, customers have to monitor all these requirements,” explains Irina Messerschmidt, Key Account Manager at Tec4U. “DataCross not only helps them meet these challenges but also provides the assurance they need to maintain their market presence.

Dominik Nieser, Head of Operational Services highlights the strength of their collaboration with CLEVR: “CLEVR is a key partner, turning our expertise in data services, sustainability and material compliance into one software solution”. Together, they developed DataCross, which merges communication and compliance needs, allowing companies to manage corporate, product, and material compliance seamlessly. "DataCross addresses all our clients' sustainability needs," Dominik notes, pointing to its modularity with features like the material compliance module, supply chain due diligence, and an upcoming CO2 footprint module.

Before collaborating with CLEVR, Tec4U faced challenges due to a small development team reliant on Java and PHP, which made their code-intensive system difficult to maintain. Partnering with CLEVR and Integrating Mendix low-code technology, transformed Tec4U’s approach to software development, enhancing flexibility and responsiveness to industry demands. “The measurable improvements include better performance and cybersecurity on our DataCross platform,” Dominik added, highlighting new features like automated status reporting that saves time and improves access to real-time compliance data.

Sven Jerusalem, Head of Sales & Business Development at CLEVR, emphasizes the value of this long-standing partnership: “What makes us unique is our 20+ years of experience managing complex projects and requirements. We translate these needs into effective software solutions on the Mendix platform. This is how we Build Tomorrow Together.”

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Building a Robust Platform with Mendix

DataCross, now one of the largest Mendix applications focused on sustainability, benefits from Mendix’s built-in security features. Stefan Schulze, the Head of IT at Tec4U, explains, “Mendix has been a game-changer for us in terms of security and maintainability. With the built-in tools and the ability to configure security without deep dives into the source code, it’s much easier for us to keep everything secure and compliant.” This seamless integration reduces the need for complex code adjustments, making it easier to implement updates and maintain the platform.

The platform’s adaptability is another key advantage, particularly when it comes to meeting evolving regulatory requirements. “Mendix allows us to rapidly adapt to new legal demands and security updates,” Stefan notes. “Where we used to have to test the entire system after every change, now we can simply implement an update and configure it. The built-in tools make the process much more efficient, which saves us a lot of time and effort.

Mendix Marketplace modules play an important role in enhancing DataCross’s functionality. Stefan continues, “One of the best things about Mendix is the Marketplace. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time we need a new feature. We can easily use existing modules and build on them, which accelerates our development process and reduces the amount of custom coding we need.

CLEVR’s support has been instrumental throughout the process, ensuring timely implementation and quick resolution of technical challenges. Stefan adds, “CLEVR helped us from the very beginning, starting with the vision of the software and working with our team in the development phase. Their expertise in low-code solutions and their ongoing support have been invaluable in getting DataCross delivered in-time.

Datacross: One of the largest Sustainability Solutions built on the Mendix Platform

Tec4U’s journey with DataCross, developed in collaboration with CLEVR, is a testament to innovation and industry leadership in compliance and sustainability. DataCross serves over 40.000 users, helping companies manage supply chain information, fulfill sustainability requirements, and strengthen market positioning. Irina notes, “The feedback from our clients has been very positive regarding DataCross, its speed, flexibility, and comprehensive capabilities. They are impressed by how much it can manage.”

Among its standout features are DataCross’s 24 compliance modules, twice the number delivered by most competitors, which enable users to meet diverse legal requirements with ease. Irina adds, “The platform’s ability to gather data from supply chains has led to impressive results. For example, response rates for suppliers have increased from 30% to 80%, which is great!”

Building on these strengths, CLEVR has focused on ensuring that DataCross is not just effective today, but also adaptable to future needs. Gerrit Kiefer, Project Manager at CLEVR, elaborates on the platform’s future-proof architecture: “With the new architecture that we have implemented, we are able to also scale vertically so that it's possible to take one of the modules and build it in a microservice architecture. With that in mind, we are able to be future-proof for new requirements, open for new challenges, and able to extend the solution.

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Siemens Teamcenter Integration: Extending DataCross’s Capabilities

We are now integrating DataCross into Siemens' Teamcenter PLM system to offer a unified solution that meets all sustainability requirements,” explains Stefan Nieser. “This integration covers material compliance, social sustainability aspects like LCSD, and sustainability reporting, providing a comprehensive solution for Siemens customers.

By combining DataCross with Teamcenter, businesses benefit from an efficient, secure, and transparent product development process. The integration enhances compliance with evolving regulations while streamlining supplier communication and strengthening product marketability. Together, DataCross and Teamcenter create a powerful, future-proof system that positions companies to meet global sustainability challenges and drive innovation in product development.

Future Outlook: A Comprehensive Sustainability Platform

Looking to the future, Tec4U envisions DataCross evolving to become a full-spectrum sustainability platform. Planned expansions include new modules such as CO2 tracking, positioning DataCross to address the broader sustainability challenges faced by today’s businesses. As Stefan Schulze explains, “DataCross will transform into more than just a compliance tool, it will be a comprehensive sustainability platform. This will require the expertise and support of a strong, reliable partner like CLEVR to overcome technical challenges along the way.

Tec4U’s leadership is strengthened by CLEVR’s partnership, which has enabled the DataCross platform to remain a versatile, reliable solution across various industries, from automotive to pharmaceuticals. "We are on our way to becoming a true sustainability partner, going beyond traditional compliance challenges," concludes Irina. This approach has solidified DataCross as a trusted solution for businesses committed to sustainability and compliance, with Tec4U and CLEVR driving this vision forward.

Retail Mendix

Donker Groep

Simplifying administration processes for hundreds of employees and making it easier to put new time-saving ideas into action.

min read
Retail
Mendix
THE GOAL

Donker Groep designs, builds and maintains gardens, grounds, neighbourhoods, playgrounds and parks, employing more than 800 gardeners. It was looking for a low-code development platform that it could train staff to use, to streamline its administrative processes and turn employees’ ideas into new applications fast.

THE APPROACH

Donker Groep knew it wanted to work with a well-established company that could provide a low-code platform and co-operate with Donker staff to help develop it. CLEVR, a low-code and no-code specialist, met these conditions and brought extensive knowledge and experience of relevant IT and administrative systems. Donker also liked the flexibility of Mendix, the applications platform used by CLEVR.

Donker staffer Beau followed a three-day rapid development training course at Mendix and became a core part of the development team from the outset. The first application was a timesheet system. Up until then, all gardeners had to fill in timesheets, which were then processed manually, which was time-consuming and open to error. Donker had already done a lot of homework on the design of the app, had made a process diagram and had collected internal requirements. This helped speed up the development process. Indeed, that homework and adopting CLEVR’s Agile sprint-based approach to the rest of the project meant the app was developed and launched at its first location within just three months. Within six months, all 18 branches of Donker Groep were using it.

The app itself has been integrated into Donker’s administrative systems such as invoicing and salaries. Meanwhile, Beau has continued to learn more about Mendix.

THE RESULTS

Some 500 employees now use the app to fill in their timesheets, significantly reducing the back-office administrative burden, saving time and money. Furthermore, Beau has become a confident low-code developer having learnt on the job with experienced CLEVR developers and Donker has plans to train another colleague for its next app – which will be contract management.

CUSTOMER QUOTE
“Developing in sprints was new to us, but it went very well. This is certainly a good approach towards the organisation. We can make a new change every time, and it feels less colossal”

Niels Hellinga, IT manager, Donker Groep

Retail Mendix

Retourplaza

Overcoming the challenge of matching unique orders with deliveries for an online start-up that resells damaged goods.

min read
Retail
Mendix
THE GOAL

Retourplaza is an online start-up that sells returned or damaged products from various suppliers at considerable discounts. It needed a solution to help it ensure every Retourplaza customer is guaranteed to receive the unique product they purchased.

THE APPROACH

Retourplaza was founded as a way for a broad range of suppliers to sell goods that have a small defect or were damaged during original shipping at a discount rather than take a complete loss on them. Instead of suppliers needing to find buyers that would take these goods in bulk or to simply keep them in their warehouse to cannibalise for parts, Retourplaza provides an innovative way to resell them and eliminates a major logistical issue.

However, the challenge was to find a way to match the exact item bought by a customer with the item up for sale. For example, seven refrigerators might be available, each with a slightly different status, such the location of damage, rating and price. Retourplaza turned to low-code and no-code specialist CLEVR to assess its processes and work out how to digitalise the entire process. This meant everything from the supply of the damaged products to assessing the damage to each one, coming up with an appropriate price and recording the transaction.

THE RESULT

Two advanced developers and one expert Mendix Most Valuable Professional (MVP) from CLEVR worked together to create the architecture for the low-code Grading App+ in just two months. Grading App+ provides a single point of truth for all the different streams of data, including the suppliers, product types, damage, applicable discount, price and delivery status of products. It also allows Retourplaza to photograph, identify and rate all the products that it sells. Taken together, Grading App+ means Retourplaza can keep track of its stock, match the order with the product and be sure it is sending out the correct item every time.

CUSTOMER QUOTE
“In CLEVR I have found a reliable and quality partner. Not only through the way they approached the project and their ability to collaborate with us to simplify the process as much as possible, but also through the commitment and efforts of the team to make sure that deliverables were delivered on time. CLEVR provided ongoing good and clear information and realistic goals, both of which are key to successfully guide a project like this”

Jan Minnee, Co-Founder, Retourplaza
Manufacturing Teamcenter

Nexans

Helping one of the world’s largest cable suppliers deliver better products in a more efficient manner.

min read
Manufacturing
Teamcenter
THE GOAL

Nexans is one of the world’s largest cable suppliers, with 25,000 employees in 40 countries. It supplies all kinds of cables, for aerospace, wind farms, data and telecoms, and many other uses. In Norway, where Nexans has 1,550 employees, the company’s Halden facility supplies high-voltage and control cables for the offshore oil and gas industry. Most cables manufactured at Halden are custom solutions and often consist not only of the cable itself, but also the connective equipment at either end.

The company was using several different IT systems to manage its construction and development process, some of which were outdated legacy systems. Data was often unreliable and needed to be double-checked. Nexans needed a better way to manage information such as drawings and product descriptions so they would be easy to share throughout the organisation. The company approached low-code and no-code expert CLEVR to handle this project and move the company’s processes on to Siemens Teamcenter product lifecycle management (PLM) platform.

THE APPROACH

The first step was to get a clear idea of exactly how the existing system worked. Many people used different methods to accomplish the same task, which made it hard to determine the best way to do things. CLEVR worked with Nexans to analyse its processes and determine where changes would be most beneficial. It interviewed employees to gain a greater understanding of what works well and what should be improved. Meanwhile, Nexans worked with Accenture consultants to analyse its whole organisation, from management to operations, with a focus on maintaining quality and competitiveness.

These projects allowed CLEVR to achieve a detailed understanding of Nexans and helped test and verify Teamcenter as the ideal solution. The next phase involved workshops with Nexans employees at various levels of the organisation, both to determine the best order in which to implement the project and to begin to establish new working methods that would fit with a PLM system.

Teamcenter will be used primarily by Nexans engineers, but some project organisers will use it too, while other staff will need it on a read-only basis. The software will roll out to all staff at the same time, but it will take two years to complete the transition because only certain parts of the system will be used at first. As each new function is successfully adapted into the workflow, more will be added.

THE RESULTS

Teamcenter will bring Nexans better access to information for staff across the whole organisation. It will improve data quality and reliability, eliminating the need to double-check information. The new system also standardises working methods, so everybody accomplishes tasks in the same way. This eliminates potential problems that can arise when staff take unexpected shortcuts and provides a simple paper trail for all tasks. Overall, it will allow Nexans to work faster, with greater accuracy, and deliver better products in a more efficient way.

CUSTOMER QUOTE
“We need to remain at the highest level when it comes to quality and competitiveness. With the high costs in Norway, it is absolutely essential that we find ways to produce the cables as efficiently as possible. Only in so doing will our customers continue to find us attractive”

Jon Arne Häll, project engineering director, Nexans

Retail Mendix

Welkoop

Giving the retail brand better control over, and insight into, data by automating and simplifying the promotion process as part of a successful and sustainable collaboration.

min read
Retail
Mendix
THE GOAL

Welkoop sells products for gardens and animals. Based in the Netherlands, it has 149 retail locations, an online shop and around 1,500 employees. Originally established for the agricultural market, it now mainly focuses on consumers.

Welkoop’s immediate need was to optimise and automate the company’s business process organisation and tracking. The existing system was felt to be inadequate because it involved many disciplines, the necessary data was not centrally available and, being a manual process, it was prone to errors.

Welkoop wanted to create a high-quality folder which could contain all the necessary data – and it wanted a solution within two months. It turned to low-code and no-code solutions expert CLEVR and the close collaboration of the two companies led to the development of a CLEVR Promotion Manager application.

THE APPROACH

Welkoop saw a future based on low code, so CLEVR was its ideal partner. Based on CLEVR’s application expertise and Welkoop’s knowledge of its business, they were together able to develop the Promotion Manager application. This led the way for other retail organisations to adopt similar systems.

The implementation of the Promotion Manager benefits many departments involved in the promotion process – from marketing to category management and promotion managers. As many communication systems as possible have been automated to minimise errors.

Promotions are now automatically transferred from the Promotion Manager to the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, the POS system and the online shop. The demand planning department also works with the Promotion Manager to ensure the right products are in store at the right time.

THE RESULTS

CLEVR’s expert Mendix developers and extensive knowledge of the retail market have greatly supported Welkoop and this successful collaboration has resulted in the needs of the business being converted into effective IT solutions.

A further improvement that Welkoop notes is the insights it has gained from its promotion data. This is now centralised so the company can better plan what to do in the future based on past results. In addition to consolidating its data, Welkoop now also has a digital marketing calendar. From planning to results, the entire process is centrally visible.

Several years on, CLEVR and Welkoop are still working together. As Welkoop wants to focus on optimising its business, it has outsourced operational activities as much as possible. The management of the Promotion Manager – which has been updated over the years – therefore rests entirely with CLEVR.

Welkoop is currently working on a major project to better support its business processes through IT. The first step is the phased implementation of a new ERP system. All processes from purchasing to in-store sales will be optimised and automated in turn.

Ultimately, success comes from teamwork and it is the shared vision, common goals and co-operation of these two companies that has led to such a successful and sustainable collaboration.

CUSTOMER QUOTE
“We keep each other on our toes. At the start of our collaboration, CLEVR proved it could do this translation, which immediately created trust. CLEVR has also built up a lot of knowledge in the retail market, which we also benefit from"

Carel van Rijsewijk, ICT manager, Welkoop
Financial Services Mendix

CED

Automating processes to make claims settlement 50 per cent faster and helping IT become the ‘beating heart of CED’.

min read
Financial Services
Mendix
THE GOAL

CED is a European specialist in claims management within the insurance industry. It handles approximately one million claims – worth more than €2.5 billion – and approached CLEVR to help it become more efficient through automation. In particular, it wanted a comprehensive system that could handle everything from initial damage report to payout with minimal manual input.

THE APPROACH

CED had already developed an input wizard based on the low-code platform Mendix. However, this solution only covered claim-entry. Handling a claim still involved a lot of paper, manual processes and duplicated work. Collaborating with low-code and no-code specialist CLEVR, CED redesigned and re-engineered the input wizard. It also undertook a critical review of its internal processes to see how the input wizard could best be extended to include settlement.

THE RESULTS

Entering a claim is now an intuitive process, making it far more user-friendly. In addition, CLEVR extended the input wizard to create an Automatic Damage Settlement Platform (ADSP), which can handle all the process flows related to a claim. In terms of efficiency, the new system takes 50 per cent less time to cover the entire claim handling process.

In addition to making the claims process more efficient, working with CLEVR has also made CED’s IT department more efficient and effective. It now develops in short sprints and continuously coordinates with the rest of the business. Learning from CLEVR’s Agile development method, the IT department can quickly build solutions to better meet the full business needs. For example, work is now being done on connecting multi-tenancy insurers and policyholders to the platform. The ADSP platform has also been used by a CED customer. This made CED a SaaS (Software as a Service) solution for claim management, opening up a new revenue stream with IT at its heart.


CUSTOMER QUOTE
“IT is not only a cost item for CED, but a way to provide specific services and even generate direct sales. IT is increasingly the beating heart of CED”

Jan Rubingh, IT director, CED
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