Carozzi added a new business to its portfolio: Bresler ice cream. Some areas, such as logistics and asset control, faced new demands, since it was no longer only about marketing and distributing ice cream, but also managing some 15,000 cabinets — the refrigeration units used in stores and supermarkets to keep ice cream at the temperature it requires. Novis developed the successful solution with which Carozzi currently manages the assets of all its ice cream brands in SAP. The project was carried out 100% virtually.
The challenge of managing cabinets
Empresas Carozzi is a Chilean multinational specialized in the food industry. Founded in 1898, it is now considered one of the most respected mass-consumption companies in Latin America. It currently has a total of 11,037 employees and reaches annual revenue of USD 1,247 million.
Carozzi markets a wide variety of products across 18 food categories: flours and premixes, candies and sweets, cereals, pet food, concentrated juices, tomato sauces, rice, pasta, desserts, fruit pulps, powdered juices, chocolates, jams, cookies and snacks, oats, ethnic products, savory snacks, coffee and others. It has operations in Chile, Argentina and Peru and commercial offices in Paraguay and the United States. Added to this are exports to some 50 countries worldwide, including Brazil, Japan and Mexico.
In mid-2020, Carozzi completed the purchase of the Bresler ice cream brand, acquiring all of the company's fixed assets — specifically, all those linked to ice cream production, the production plant and machinery. For Carozzi, this purchase represented an opportunity to develop a new category, create synergies with its brands and integrate it into a product portfolio. In fact, entering the ice cream business is in line with the company's strategic objective: to grow in categories where it is not yet present, building on traditional brands with high consumer preference. In 2026, Carozzi's ice cream brands are: Bresler, San Francisco de Loncomilla, Magnum, Calippo, Carte D'Or, Vienetta, Max and others.
Diego Méndez Lazo, IT project manager at Carozzi, in charge of the company's logistics projects, tells us a bit about the process. "We initially used the applications that came with the Bresler acquisition, but soon assessed that we needed more and better control and management tools to properly manage some 15,000 cabinets.
So we researched the market to review the available options. SAP is our main platform and the first choice when automating new processes. We talked with companies facing similar challenges, invited Novis to take part in the tender and selected their proposal to take on this challenge, given their solid experience in the area and the good recommendations from their clients."
The solution presented by Novis involved building, within the SAP ERP, a tool to manage and control the cabinets from a mobile device — covering everything from their purchase and stock control to the relationship with customers.
Solution for managing Bresler ice cream assets in SAP
The solution designed by Novis supported all the tasks included in the process of managing cabinets on loan (comodato):
- Purchase and stock control of the units in the warehouse, together with their status. Integrating the model so that it aligns with the company's asset-purchasing practice.
- Loan request process from the commercial area and its approval stages.
- Control of units in stock and their delivery (dispatch), with its DTE integration component. Unit information is stored with geolocation and photographic backup.
- Transferable document and loan (comodato) contract as a printable element, which can be attached as an annex to a document in the system.
- Also configuring reverse logistics or the equipment return process.
In the design of the solution presented to Carozzi there were two alternatives for handling equipment control in the SAP ERP. The first, using the SD module; the second, through the ETM Add-On.
Both share a common denominator: the configuration of the equipment master data, using the MM and PM modules. Having reviewed the pros and cons of each alternative, Carozzi chose the first. The proposed way of working was remote.
The project
"We didn't want to reinvent the wheel; we contracted a solution implementation service, led by expert consultants, who taught us the industry best practices, and we adapted to that to avoid the use of Z programs."
"The Novis team of consultants did an excellent job, characterized by their good rapport and experience — they are very good professionals. We had to make several business decisions and appreciated the points of view they provided.
"On the Carozzi project team there were three key users, and the end users are a group of 60 salespeople across the country, who were very happy with the solution provided. On their mobile devices they now have an app designed with SAP Fiori that lets them receive cabinet request or pickup orders and then register the delivery or pickup in SAP. They have stopped using Excel spreadsheets for management," concludes Diego Méndez.
The project was carried out during a very complex period for everyone, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, "everything was carried out impeccably and 100% virtually — the project development, follow-up meetings and functionality testing alike. We are proud to have been able to meet the client's needs in every aspect, adapting to the various changes to the project's original definition, which allowed us to bring the implementation to a successful conclusion with the satisfaction of Carozzi's internal clients."
This project once again demonstrates the efficiency gains of working remotely.
Note by Gilda Valderrama, Novis Newsletter editor.
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