When you, as a family business, have been contributing to quality, reliability, and craftsmanship for three generations, you look for partners who share the same values. That is exactly what Vangronsveld sought and found in Tricore.
We are sitting around the table with Mirthe Vangronsveld, daughter of the current managing directors and ready to take over the helm in the future, Robin Wauters, Managing Partner at Tricore, and Giel Swennen, Business Analyst at Tricore. From here, I, Senne Snellings from Smeltpunt, would like to take you through their journey: from manual processes and outdated software to a modern, integrated system.
Mirthe, can you introduce Vangronsveld?
Mirthe: “Vangronsveld is a true family story. The company was started by my grandfather as a classic electrical company. Later, the focus expanded to lighting, and the showroom moved to the building where we have been for almost thirty years.
My parents (Peter and Inge, n.v.d.r.) completely took over the company in 2007 and since then our team has also expanded significantly. I myself joined after my studies in architecture with the intention of continuing the company in the long term.”
When did the need for an IT partner arise?
Mirthe: “In the past, we did all the administration manually. Quotes, deliveries, invoices… that worked as long as the volume remained manageable. At a certain point, you hit a limit.
Then we started looking for an IT partner who could support us in terms of hardware and not long after we also started with Brilliant for administration and invoicing.”
“In the past, we did everything manually. That works as long as you stay small, but at a certain point, you hit a limit.”
Was that already Tricore at that time?
Robin: “No, we have been working with Vangronsveld for about three years. As is often the case, there were some challenges with the then IT partner and they were looking for another solution.
When we came into the picture with Tricore, Brilliant was still running under the stairs on a local server. We first took the step towards a more stable IT infrastructure and a cloud environment, so that Vangronsveld was no longer dependent on local hardware and the associated investment in it.”
So why ultimately the switch to Odoo?
Robin: “After the successful optimization of their IT infrastructure, the question arose whether there was a more modern solution than Brilliant. Moreover, every company must switch to the Peppol network for their e-invoicing starting in 2026. This is also an important reason for many companies to make the switch to Odoo.
Switching software has a much greater impact on a company than renewing the IT infrastructure. Yet we have gained that trust from Peter and Inge and I don't think we have compromised that.”
Mirthe: “We are now nine months further and I think our Odoo environment is now 95% ready. We were very scared of that migration, but actually we have hardly encountered any problems.”
Robin: “You often hear stories where companies are completely down during a go-live. That is something we are trying to avoid with strong preparation and involving the right people.”
How did the transition from your previous IT partner to Tricore go, and by extension from Brilliant to Odoo?
Mirthe: “Dad was very scared back then. I remember him saying: “Oh no, they are coming to work on the computers, what is that going to be like.” In hindsight, that worry was unnecessary. We ended up at Tricore on the recommendation of the Slagmolen in Bilzen, that feeling was immediately good which is why we didn't even talk to other IT partners and chose Tricore right away.
The transition to Odoo also went very smoothly. At the beginning of the year, Giel and Arnaud were here every day for five weeks. They provided one-on-one training to the people in the office and in the warehouse, until everyone had found their way.”
Did you have to adjust your way of working significantly to Odoo or was it more of a translation of existing processes from Brilliant?
Robin: “The GAP analysis already showed that the processes set up in Brilliant were quite well organized. Note that Odoo is not made for every company, and we are certainly aware of that. When we notice in the GAP analysis that better solutions exist, we will be the first to point that out. That’s why we also try to limit the amount of customization in every project.”
Mirthe: “A translation of our existing processes was also a requirement for us before we initiated the transition. We have been working with those processes for years, so we are very happy that we have been able to fully retain them.”
So the intention is to eventually also make use of the other modules within Odoo?
Mirthe: “Indeed. We actually never did email marketing in the past. Since we started working with Odoo, we have been much more active in this area because our entire customer base is immediately usable.”
What is the biggest advantage for you of using Odoo?
Mirthe: “Our offering is very large, and in Odoo it is much easier to find products based on item numbers, for example. Invoicing also goes much smoother now.”
Robin: “Additionally, Odoo also creates a foundation for further growth. Think of integration with the website, targeted communication to customers, and using the customer base for marketing. That was hardly or not at all present before.”
Giel, in what way were you involved in this project?
Giel: “I mainly helped set up the cash register system. Vangronsveld sells 99% of the products that are in their system. In total, they sell about 300,000 products, so all of them had to be easily retrievable in the cash register system with the correct specifications.”
How did you experience the go-live?
Giel: “For me, it was very exciting since this was my first project after I was hired at Tricore. I remember Peter was very sure that problems would arise somewhere during the go-live. In the end, no problems occurred at all. So that was very satisfying. The most important thing in these kinds of projects is to keep communicating with each other; only then can you prevent misunderstandings or problems.”
Mirthe, you ended up at Tricore on the recommendation of another company. If you had to recommend Tricore, how would you describe them?
Mirthe: “Tricore is a partner that is reliable, gives strong advice, and thinks along with us. You can feel that they understand the reality of a SME and a family business.”
“In every collaboration, it’s all about trust. You don’t get that for free; you have to earn it every time.”
Robin: “There also needs to be a match on a personal level. In every collaboration, it’s all about trust. You don’t get that for free; you have to earn it every time.”
The collaboration between Vangronsveld and Tricore shows how strong a partnership can be when trust, continuity, and humanity are central. It’s not the technology itself, but the way it is used that makes the difference.
Looking for an IT partner that offers your company the same stability and growth opportunities?