Case study · Distribution

Food distribution company Lyon, France

The right tool, truly adopted — with zero custom code

This food distribution company, a fast-growing wholesaler, was juggling spreadsheets, emails and paper purchase orders. The temptation: commission custom software. Our recommendation: don’t. After a build-vs-buy analysis, we selected a proven off-the-shelf ERP, then focused our effort where it really counts — adoption by the teams.

94%adoption in 3 months

0lines of custom code

5×cheaper than custom

120employees supported

Unified management dashboard replacing scattered tools

At a glance

Client: Confidential
Industry: Distribution · Food & beverage
Region: Lyon, France
Context: 120 employees, rapid growth
Services: Build-vs-buy advisory · Tool selection · Change management
Duration: ≈ 5 months

The context

Growth outpacing the tools

In five years, the company had doubled in size, yet still ran operations like a small business. Order errors were multiplying, inventory was imprecise and information lived in the heads of a few key people.

Orders, inventory and invoicing scattered across spreadsheets and emails.
Double, sometimes triple entry of the same information.
No real-time view of stock levels or margins.
A leader tempted by long, costly custom development.

The decision

Build or buy? The real question

Not everyone needs custom software. We objectively compared both paths against the company’s real needs, budget and timeline.

Custom development

9 to 18 months before first value.
High upfront cost and maintenance forever.
Project risk carried by an SME with no IT team.

Proven off-the-shelf tool

Recommended

Operational in a few weeks.
Controlled cost, already-mature features.
Updates and security handled by the vendor.
Effort focused on adoption, not on tech.

Adoption

Adoption, month after month

A great tool poorly adopted is worth nothing. We ran adoption as a project in its own right, with internal champions and hands-on support.

Daily active users

25%

Month 1

58%

Month 2

94%

Month 3

Change management

Drive adoption, don’t impose it

Technology almost never fails for technical reasons — it fails for human ones. We treated adoption as the real work of the project.

Training and coaching workshop for teams on the new tool

1
Internal champions
Identifying and training ambassadors in each team to carry the change from the inside.
2
Role-based training
Short, concrete sessions tailored to each job rather than generic training.
3
On-the-ground support
On-site presence in the first weeks to clear blockers in real time.
4
Feedback loop
Gathering friction points and adjusting quickly to sustain buy-in.

The impact

A tool the teams actually use

Success isn’t measured at go-live, but in usage. Three months after launch, the new ERP was part of the daily routine.

94%active users after 3 months

−70%less double entry

5×cheaper than custom development

3 monthsto a visible return on investment

I wanted custom software built for us. Codally convinced me otherwise — and they were right. We paid a fraction of the price, it was in place in weeks, and above all, my teams use it every day.

PresidentFood distribution company · confidential client

Deliverables

Build-vs-buy comparisonTool selection scorecardChange-management planRole-based training programNetwork of internal championsAdoption dashboard

Before you build, ask the question.

Sometimes the best software is the one that already exists. Let’s talk about your real need.

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