How Swapfiets gears up its repair speed with SAP and Aiden

The model has been a hit, particularly in the Netherlands, where cycling is deeply embedded in everyday life. ‘With our circular business model and by making cycling an efficient and sustainable transport option, we’re helping to create greener, more liveable cities’, says Rutger van Ouwerkerk, senior product manager ERP at Swapfiets.

Today, Swapfiets has grown to over 270,000 members across nearly 50 cities in eight European countries, offering both traditional bikes and e-bikes. And the company is aiming even higher. ‘Wherever we operate, we want to see a blue front tyre in every bike rack’, says Rutger. It’s an ambitious goal that Swapfiets’ 1,200 employees work towards every day.

From start-up to scale-up

‘We’re at the stage where we’re evolving from a start-up into a fully established business’, Rutger explains. That means optimising processes—especially repairs. Swapfiets needs to make sure the right spare parts are in the right place at the right time so mechanics can fix bikes without delays. ‘Otherwise, we end up with bikes sitting around waiting for repairs when they could be back on the road’.

Without an ERP system, that was easier said than done. ‘We were relying on spreadsheets and didn’t have a clear overview of our stock flows. If a mechanic needed a spare part, they sent a manual request to the distribution centre. And if that part was out of stock, tough luck—it was simply unavailable. Our entire supply chain, from suppliers to our distribution centre, warehouses, and stores, was like a black box. We had no control over our stock levels, which meant we also had no control over the costs.’

Laying the foundation for growth

It became clear that Swapfiets needed a more mature ERP system. But instead of developing and managing its own solution, the company opted for a cloud-based approach. ‘We want to focus on providing great service to our members, not on maintaining software’, Rutger says.

SAP Cloud ERP (formerly SAP S/4HANA)  Edition turned out to be the perfect fit, thanks in part to its built-in standardisation. ‘Standardising processes lays the groundwork for growth. SAP provides best practices that allow us to configure supply chain processes and continually build on methods that are tested and true’.

Creating a new way of working

After an initial ‘kickstart’ with SAP, Swapfiets chose Aiden as its implementation partner for SAP S/4HANA. ‘It turned out to be a great match’, says Rutger. ‘Right from the start, there was a strong cultural fit. Aiden had the expertise to guide us through a process that was completely new and, to be honest, a little daunting. They understood exactly what this kind of project means for a company that, until then, didn’t really have fixed processes in place’.

According to Kees Boers, Business Development Manager at Aiden, implementing an ERP system is about more than just technology. ‘You’re not just introducing new software. You’re creating an entirely new way of working. The challenge is getting users on board, because for them, this is a more complex system than they’re used to. That’s why training and support are so important.’

Rutger agrees: ‘Learning a new system takes time. You can’t just flick a switch and expect everyone to start using SAP overnight. That’s why we rolled it out in phases, starting with our headquarters. From there, our project managers visited each of our 18 warehouses across eight countries to personally guide the implementation and train users. That combination of tech and hands-on operational support is what made the rollout a success.’

Keeping repair times as fast as possible

With implementation complete, the benefits of SAP S/4HANA Cloud are already clear. ‘We now have full visibility of our entire supply chain for spare parts’, says Rutger. ‘Warehouses can instantly see when an item is out of stock and when it will be restocked. Our next step is to gain even deeper insights. If we can pinpoint which parts are in highest demand, we can adjust our orders accordingly. Everything we do is about keeping repair times as fast as possible’.

He adds: ‘Now we know exactly what we have, what we’re ordering, and what we’re spending. That gives us full control over purchasing and inventory. Next, we’ll be migrating our bikes and batteries to SAP as well. That will give us even more data to fine-tune our operations, and we’re on track to complete the first stages all within one year.’