Esas Gayrimenkul provides end-to-end asset management services with its new ERP solution

One of Türkiye's leading real estate investment companies, Esas Gayrimenkul develops and manages projects that create value in the long term with its team of experts. Starting its operations in 2009, the company undertook many projects for environmentally friendly offices, residences, and shopping malls in Türkiye and abroad with a total investment of 3 billion Euros. Implementing 7 shopping malls, 3 office buildings, and 1 residential building projects in Türkiye, Esas Gayrimenkul is actively operating in the field of asset management with its own shopping malls, as well as ones under management. Esas Gayrimenkul, which guides all processes, particularly the rental and management of Starcity Outlet, MalatyaPark, Gaziantep Sanko Park, Konya Kentplaza, Van Shopping Mall and Düzce Algünpark projects, manages a total of 13 shopping malls and 600 thousand m² of leasable area.

Considering digitalization a must in an ever-changing world, the company put into practice in January 2022 industry's first end-to-end ERP solution with an asset management project, the scope of which was extended using platforms such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance, SCM, and Power BI. Discover the unique digitalization story of the company that migrated all processes, from human resources to finance, onto the cloud using Dynamics 365. 

Starting point: Manageable structure, secure data 

Previously relying on local software for accounting purposed, Esas Gayrimenkul used various solutions in a dispersed structure for operational processes. Managing contract management through Excel, Esas Gayrimenkul sought a holistic solution because contracts business in the asset management segment, which is the main business line of the company, did not have streamlined mechanisms that talked to each other. Aiming for easily-accessible data, an effectively-managed structure and a secure database, Esas Gayrimenkul started its digitalization journey in order to strengthen management by enabling employees on the operation side to conduct their business processes within the system.

The company started exploring solutions, searching for ERP-expert software, and meeting with companies that offer different technologies. In pursuit of flexibility and innovation, Esas Gayrimenkul decided to work with Microsoft's business partner DMR Bilgi Teknolojileri, which provides corporate business solutions consultancy, software development, project management, and business analysis services. Once a decision is made for a ready-made solution, the company finalized the first phase of the project in 9 months. This included asset management, financial processes, procurement, a portion of the operation processes, and payrolling. In coming Phase 2, focus will be shifted to cover budget, reporting, and target performance management.

Asset management is the main building block of the project, which is supported by service and maintenance management. As such, it will be a product that responds to the industry as a SaaS solution and is the real estate industry's first successful attempt to cover a wide range of functions from financial affairs to purchasing, maintenance management to finance and HR in an end-to-end fashion. 

Esas Gayrimenkul’s internal project team did an excellent job in agile management of the process. The team, consisting of different sub teams focusing on areas such as sponsorship, the executive committee and key users, took an active role in the development of the solution all the way from testing to analysis. During dissemination, end-user training sessions were held for key users, ensuring rapid adoption of the solution across the business. While the project was implemented completely remotely during the pandemic via Microsoft Teams, task follow-up was performed through Microsoft Planner. 

Everything needed for the next step

With accessible insights and high-level visibility, the asset management project provides a take that aims profitability for all stakeholders in the industry. The goal is also to offer an end-to-end solution with completion of the Power BI project in the second phase. The project, which kicked off with operational reports, already includes an executive dashboard and has become a robust product that collects different metrics and financial processes such as asset management and brand performance. Expected to be finalized by the end of 2022, the report module will offer a SaaS product to the industry. 

The ultimate benefit for users is data access reliability and the ease of having a core structure. Generating data at the source is a major time-saving operation for all units. Enhancing reliability and providing global gold standard tools to generate reporting are further upsides of the project. 

All parts of the real estate portfolio, including the 12 shopping malls, are now being managed through the new system. The project team highlights that the new process means there is no difference between managing 12 shopping malls or 120, adding that the solution brings together information that will enable both cost-reduction and revenue-increase actions simultaneously for all managed assets.  It also offers the company the ease of financial monitoring of assets as well as delivering on its promise of management service and profitability with realistic and data-driven methods, thanks to the newly introduced critical analytics functions such as customer profile and store turnover. 

Offering powerful insights to everyone from investors to tenants and brands, the project continues to grow by enriching its ecosystem with Microsoft solutions such as Power App and Power Automate.