Grupo Olarena project with Dynamics 365 stands out among the top 100 in Mexico in 2022

Luxury experts

Grupo Olarena is a Mexican company with more than 20 years of experience in hospitality. With 100% national investment, this company is dedicated to the development of splendid, tourism oriented real estate concepts under various models, such as the operation and marketing of Vacation Properties, luxury hotels, and other types of properties in the municipality of Los Cabos in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur.

The need for a new system

Throughout its growth and expansion, the Group faced modernization challenges in its management processes. In response, Olarena turned to Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations ERP and worked with Microsoft partner Best Practices Consulting to implement it.

Francisco Acosta Ibarra, CIO of Grupo Olarena, detailed how the company's growth and expansion drove the need for a new system. The company had accounts distributed in different cities, making it difficult to standardize account catalogs and close the month on time. The excess of work hours in the entire administrative area in accounting made it necessary to structure the banking area, make developments to connect directly with the bank, optimize the accounts receivable sector, control the warehouse area, automate the purchasing section, and activate a fixed asset control.

"The implementation of Dynamics 365 addressed these areas and allowed Olarena to systematize and automate the management of its business cycle through hotels, vacation properties, auto leasing, and developments," says Acosta Ibarra.

The Vendor Portal currently owned by Olarena was created by Best Practices Consulting to strengthen the capabilities of Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations and validated by Microsoft for use. Alondra Ocampo, Chief Operating Officer at Best Practices Consulting, says: "Teamwork was fundamental to the success of the project. The synergy and collaboration of key users made the project effective and achievable within the agreed-upon times."

High-impact implementation

This stage took 14 months, with approximately 44 trainings per user, and the inclusion of the following modules: Accounting, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Inventory, Purchasing and Procurement, Banking, Budgets, Projects, and Products.

The impact of the solution was significant: it simplified administrative management processes, automated task flows in all administration areas, and integrated with suppliers through the collaboration portal. It also improved results in financial, accounting, and treasury operations, increasing accuracy, agility and speed in obtaining the required information. "Thanks to this project, we have estimated a monthly savings of around 3,000 employee hours," Acosta Ibarra notes.

The scalability and flexibility of Dynamics 365

Dynamics 365 enabled Grupo Olarena to transform from local management to a corporate vision, increasing efficiency and profitability. As the business continues to grow and expand, it is likely to benefit from the scalability and flexibility of the solution.

"77 new processes were created that were not documented and that are now controlled within the system," says Acosta Ibarra, who does not spare his praise for the tool, since "it has the best adaptability and customization that one could ask for."

Among the top 100

The Grupo Olarena case is truly a success story: the project was chosen among the top 100 in Mexico in 2022 by a national CIO association. "Dynamics 365 adapted to our needs: it allowed us to grow, make acquisitions, incorporate new lines of business, and, in addition, it has the advantage that it correlates with the Power BI tool that we want to implement this year," concludes Acosta Ibarra, who predicts the next digital move of the Mexican company.