Customer interview:
implementing our scanner solution alongside Business Central
Martin Aichinger, Managing Director of CICMP, shares how his company introduced our autoscan scanner solution – while navigating a major transition to Business Central that came with a few surprises.
Question: Martin, what exactly does CICMP do?
Martin Aichinger: At CICMP, we specialize in hydraulic connection technology. Our products are used wherever hydraulics are involved – from agricultural machinery to lifting platforms. Most of our B2B customers are based in Austria, but we also serve neighboring countries like the Czech Republic and Slovenia.
At the start of this year, we expanded our offering: we now also manufacture precision-made piping systems for industrial, construction, and energy applications.
How large is your team?
We currently have 36 employees in Austria across two sites, plus another 11 team members in the Czech Republic.
How did you come across autoscan?
That was actually thanks to our consultant, Stefan Gurszky. He supported us during the move to Business Central, was already familiar with autoscan, and recommended it. One of our goals for the project was to make our processes as paperless as possible.
So you rolled out Business Central completely from scratch?
Exactly. We moved from a legacy system that had been custom-developed for us years ago to the cloud-based version of Business Central.
We moved from a legacy system that had been custom-developed for us years ago to the cloud-based version of Business Central.
How did that transition go?
Honestly? It was rough. (laughs) We were the first company in the Würth Group to take the leap, and we had almost no opportunity to test things in advance—let alone run a parallel system beforehand.
Things moved fast: in June 2024, we joined the Würth Business Central tenant. The last access credentials we needed came through on December 19. We were closed over the holidays, and on January 7, 2025, we fully launched Business Central in our day-to-day operations.
What followed was a tough period: I was in the office from early morning until late at night, until February, just putting out fires. But the whole team pitched in, and in the end, we managed the switch together.
Data migration and master data maintenance kept us busy well beyond go-live – we spent several weeks making sure everything was displayed correctly across the system.
And now?
Now – three months later – we’re nearly happy with how things are going. We’re getting the hang of Business Central’s logic, which is quite different from our previous workflows. And we’ve worked out most of the early-stage issues.
autoscan was part of the rollout from day one, right alongside Business Central.
When did autoscan come into play?
autoscan was part of the rollout from day one, right alongside Business Central. Naturally, not everything worked perfectly at the start, but the autoscan team was incredibly responsive – available day and night – and delivered fixes quickly.
There are always some things you only discover once you’re using the system in real life.
How is your warehouse currently organized?
We’re still using a classic setup—organized by product families. But we’re thinking about switching to a more dynamic, chaotic warehousing model. For instance, storing fast-moving items in the front rows for quicker access.
We decided not to take that on during the system change – it would’ve been too much at once. But it’s definitely something we’ll revisit once things have settled down.
How has your team adapted to autoscan?
Very well. They got used to it quickly, and I’ve noticed they’re now focusing more on storage locations rather than just the items themselves.
autoscan simply takes work off our plate. In the old system, an item might be picked but not recorded in the system until the end of the day – which caused confusion when someone else thought it was still available.
With you scanner solution, the moment an item is picked, it’s immediately updated in the system. That makes a real difference.
Which scanners are you using?
We’re using the ones recommended and provided by your team. Right now, we have seven scanners in use, and we plan to add five more.
We use autoscan for stock transfers, picking, and goods receipt. We also plan to use it for inventory counting.
What tasks do you use autoscan for?
We use autoscan for stock transfers, picking, and goods receipt. We also plan to use it for inventory counting.
Would you recommend autoscan to others?
Absolutely. It works great!
Great to hear. Do you have any advice for other companies preparing for a Business Central rollout?
If possible, run a thorough testing phase. And keep in mind that many challenges only show up after go-live—because testing usually only covers standard cases. It’s in the day-to-day operations where the edge cases appear.
