Transavia hires Capgemini for NetSuite OneWorld implementation

Low-cost carrier of Air France/KLM, Transavia Airlines, has selected NetSuite OneWorld to become the ERP system of its future. NetSuite will be used to run the firm’s business processes across Europe including financials, procure-to-pay, reporting, and multi-language websupport. Capgemini has been selected to oversee the systems integration and implementation work.

As part of Air France/KLM’s five year strategy, internally known as ‘Perform 2020', the Franco-Dutch airline operator has set ambitious growth goals for its low-cost carrier subsidiary Transavia Airlines. The plan includes adding up to 20 aircraft in the coming years, and the opening of operational bases outside France and the Netherlands, with Munich Airport the first new hub where they firm has landed*. Key objective is to significantly augment the current 10 million passengers a year flown around, and grow into the “leading low-cost airline in Europe”, said Mattijs ten Brink, CEO of Transavia, a few months ago.

Competition is fierce however, with the likes of Ryanair, EasyJet, Vueling and WizzAir leading the way in the European low-cost carrier scene. To be competitive, Ten Brink admits the company will have to rise to the challenge. “We will need to set the tone in hospitality, digital services, accessibility and kindness and offers travellers numerous new travel options, from spontaneous getaways to business travels. And all at very affordable fares.”

As part of the realisation plan, Transavia has chosen to overhaul its IT landscape. One of the latest changes announced regards the replacement of its systems used to manage financials and omnichannel commerce. A legacy AS 400-based system at its office in the Netherlands and an Infor system in France will in the coming months be taken out of duty, and replaced by a suite of NetSuite OneWorld solutions. The new solution will enable a range of activities, spanning financials, financial consolidation, multi-subsidiary management, procure-to-pay, reporting, tax compliance, and support.

“Having Netsuite OneWorld as our financial and procurement backbone enables us to easily scale up with that planned growth, where our previous cumbersome manual and Excel-based processes that were time intensive and prone to errors will become history. The modern, global-ready system will help us to align and further simplify our business processes”, comments Transavia CFO Dirk Neelis.

Besides the benefits of cloud-based services and real-time consolidation and visibility, Transavia selected the system for its scalability. “The agility, scalability and flexibility of Netsuite OneWorld will help us to efficiently enter new markets, expand operations and grow revenue”, comments Neelis.

To support the roll-out of Netsuite OneWorld, the airline operator has hired Capgemini, one of the globe’s largest IT-firms and a NetSuite GSI partner. Mark Grimberg, Deputy CEO at Capgemini Netherlands, says he looks forward to helping Transavia capitalise on the benefits of cloud ERP working. “Transavia’s overhaul of its global finance system, combined with its ambitious plans for growth and its focus on reducing inefficiencies, are a great fit for the combined capabilities of NetSuite and Capgemini.”

Last year KLM, as part of its ‘Perform 2020' strategy, also hired management consultancy The Boston Consulting Group to support the firm’s transition to a High Performance Organisation (HPO). 

* Munich is Transavia’s seventh operational home base, alongside Schiphol, Rotterdam/The Hague and Eindhoven in the Netherlands, and Paris-Orly, Nantes and Lyon in France.