ScaleAQ is a global company with Norwegian roots, delivering innovation, technology, consultancy and equipment to customers in the aquaculture industry worldwide.

The company emerged from a merger in 2019 involving three entities: Steinsvik, Aqualine and AquaOptima, each from different sectors of the aquaculture industry. With the merger came the need to consolidate IT systems and platforms. Given Cepheo's successful introduction of Dynamics 365 Field Service to one of the merged companies, they became an obvious partner to streamline the IT ecosystem across the entire organization.

Field Service showcased the value of Dynamics 365

The primary goal was to establish a unified solution for the entire ScaleAQ business, avoiding the legacy systems that only belonged to specific parts of the organization. Collaborating with Cepheo, ScaleAQ chose to implement Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance, Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, Dynamics 365 Field Service, Dynamics 365 Customer Service, and Dynamics 365 Sales, which went live on May 1, 2022.

According to Christian Våge, Service Manager at ScaleAQ, it was a deliberate decision to stay within Microsoft's ecosystem:

"The initial experiences we had with Dynamics 365 Field Service and Cepheo were really positive, and it made the most sense for us to have the same system provider to avoid the need for heavy integrations, which can be challenging to maintain if issues arise."

It's not coincidental that Dynamics 365 Field Service was ScaleAQ’s introduction to the Dynamics platform:

"The field technicians are a central part of our business. If they don't have the service history of the machines they're working on or don't have an overview of what's installed at the customer's site, you become dependent on the individual technician's memory and experience to efficiently complete the task. With Dynamics 365 Field Service, all our technicians have the relevant information to help them work efficiently," says Christian Våge.

Unified ERP supports merger

Christian Våge and ScaleAQ see significant gains with a single, comprehensive solution that includes seamless integrations:

"A common ERP system provides immense value. It contributes to the fact that we are now one organization, not just three companies merged together."

According to Christian Våge, the additional Dynamics 365 business applications enable ScaleAQ's employees to deliver much better service to their customers, as they gain easy and intuitive access to relevant customer information.

"Our technicians and customer service representatives can offer a much better and more proactive service to our customers when they have access to equipment history or can see if there are unresolved support issues. In our industry, it's crucial to know that the customer has what they need at all times. If the history shows that the customer has a particular product need in specific periods, it's about being proactive in offering them what they need," says Christian Våge.

All the chosen Dynamics 365 business applications are valuable for ScaleAQ, but Christian Våge highlights Supply Chain Management as an addition that will create significant value for the merged company:

"It ensures that we have a shared inventory overview, with full control over incoming and outgoing goods, as well as the inventory value and stock levels at our various warehouses. Inventory control is essential. If you don't have control over your inventory, you don't have control over your company, it's as simple as that."

Great potential with mixed reality

At ScaleAQ, there's a clear ambition to stay ahead of technology, and they are already considering their next steps. According to Christian Våge, it's especially Mixed Reality technology, in the form of Microsoft's HoloLens glasses, that sparks great interest within the company.

HoloLens consists of a pair of semi-transparent mixed reality glasses with an integrated computer in the frame. Mixed reality means that objects from the physical world are blended with objects from the digital world. Users can touch, grasp and move holograms in the same natural way as they would real objects.

For example, employees could stand by a machine, watch instructional videos on the glasses, and simultaneously follow the instructions on the machine. The work can also be supported by experts who have access to the same view as the employee.

For ScaleAQ and Våge, the possibilities for remote support, where the potential of HoloLens seems obvious, are particularly exciting:

"We have several facilities where there would be 8 to 10 hours of travel time before our specialists can arrive. We have a lot of skilled technicians, but we can't expect everyone to know everything. If the technicians have HoloLens, they can start tasks immediately with specialist support. If we can avoid sending specialists by plane or car, it's not just an advantage in terms of CO2 emissions but also a huge time saver, which can significantly reduce downtime, which is crucial for our customers."

Christian Våge also sees significant opportunities to use HoloLens for training, further education and employee training:

"You can't always send people around the world, and instead of perhaps sending a technician from Norway to Canada for training, you can achieve a lot with HoloLens," explains Christian Våge. He adds that some practical aspects need to be addressed, but discussions with Cepheo about HoloLens are underway, and it's just a matter of time before HoloLens technology is in use at ScaleAQ.

Critical questions enhance the results

At ScaleAQ, satisfaction with Cepheo is significant. There has been a high level of stability regarding the contacts at Cepheo, which has given a deep understanding of the company, its needs and challenges, as well as insight into what ScaleAQ's customers expect from them. This has resulted in an easy and trusting collaboration, where Christian Våge and ScaleAQ especially appreciate Cepheo's ability to ask the right critical questions:

"They listen to the challenges we face, and we are presented with good solutions, but we are also challenged on our ideas and opinions, which helps sharpen the final result," concludes Christian Våge.