Redesigning accountability before digitizing it
Context
After production transfer and post-merger integration, Alimex faced a structural problem:
- Four different order management systems
- Six marketing organisations
- One production site
- Functional organisation not aligned with customer responsibility
Orders that included multiple product groups had to be registered in multiple systems.
Accountability was fragmented.
Coordination costs were rising.
This was not an IT issue.
It was an operating model issue.
The Real Problem
The former structure was function-based:
- Engineering
- Manufacturing
- Supply chain
After the merger, headquarters required alignment around marketing organisations and product responsibility.
But responsibility could not shift without changing how orders flowed.
The system forced duplication:
- Orders entered into multiple databases
- Manual coordination between functions
- No single point of accountability
- Increased delay and error risk
The organisation was structured one way.
The system was structured another.
The Principle
Before building a digital solution, we redesigned the operating model.
The sequence was deliberate:
- Define product-group ownership
- Clarify end-to-end responsibility
- Redesign order intake logic
- Then build the system to support it
Technology followed structure — not the reverse.
What Changed
1. Product-Based Organizational Design
The organisation was restructured around product groups rather than pure functions.
Each group became responsible for:
- Delivery
- Quality
- Engineering coordination
Accountability became visible.
2. Centralised Order Intake
A new order intake team was created.
When an order was entered:
- The relevant product group was selected
- The order flowed automatically to the correct department
- Planning visibility was immediate
Duplication was removed at the source.
3. Aliprop ERP System
A tailor-made ERP system (Aliprop) was developed to reflect the new logic.
The system integrated:
- Order registration
- Planning
- Bill of material management
- Aluminum, glass, and accessories allocation
- Cost calculation
- MRP
- Supplier orders
- Warehouse functionality
- Logistics planning
The ERP did not create the new organisation.
It enforced it.
Results
- Eliminated multi-system duplication
- Restored single-point accountability
- Reduced coordination delays
- Increased order transparency across functions
- Enabled scalable growth without increasing structural complexity
The gain was not digital.
It was structural.
Key Insight
ERP systems do not transform organisations.
Organisations transform first.
ERP systems either reinforce clarity — or amplify confusion.
When structure and system logic align, coordination costs fall and scalability increases.
When they do not, technology institutionalises fragmentation.
Öner TANK 