Building a scalable financial backbone for pan-European growth at Macadam Europe

Toward a multi-country structure

Macadam’s European growth has accelerated significantly over the past two years. “While we had already expanded from Belgium into neighboring countries, it was only in 2023 that we developed a strategy to truly put ourselves on the European map,” says CFO Dorien Crauwels from the company’s headquarters in Vilvoorde. “Around the same time, we seized the opportunity to acquire the inspection activities of competitor SGS. After that, things moved extremely fast. Within a few months, we evolved from four to twenty-four countries.”

That expansion accelerated the digitalization of financial processes. “We already had an accounting system, but a lot was still done in Excel. That was no longer sustainable,” Crauwels explains. The decision was made to roll out the Business Central ERP platform, along with the proven processes from the more mature markets, across the broader organization. A significant, but necessary, undertaking.

Standardizing Finance with Dynamics 365 Business Central

Despite severe time pressure and early issues caused by an unsuitable implementation partner, the ERP rollout gained momentum with the involvement of TriFinance ERP expert Johan Hermans, who laid a solid foundation for consolidation, intercompany transactions, and reporting. Clear guidelines and support from an external shared service center enabled the remaining countries to be implemented within a month, resulting in a stable and scalable ERP landscape.

How ERP, Fabric, and Vena restored control and enabled growth

With the ERP foundation in place, Macadam addressed reporting complexity by implementing Microsoft Fabric as a centralized data lakehouse, replacing fragmented Excel and Power BI setups and enabling uniform, automated reporting across all countries.

To complete the integrated ecosystem, Macadam introduced Vena Solutions to standardize budgeting and forecasting. Rolled out in phases and supported by change management and training, Vena connected planning, actuals, and reporting into one coherent financial platform that supports both operational control and continued pan-European growth.

With the ERP foundation in place, Macadam addressed reporting complexity by implementing Microsoft Fabric as a centralized data lakehouse, guided by Jonas Arnaut, Expert Lead at TriFinance. Fabric replaced fragmented Excel and Power BI setups and enabled uniform, automated reporting across all countries.

To complete the integrated ecosystem, Macadam introduced Vena Solutions, led by Sophie Van Lier, Senior Project Manager at TriFinance. Rolled out in phases and supported by change management and training, Vena connected planning, actuals, and reporting into one coherent financial platform that supports both operational control and continued pan-European growth.

Building a scalable platform for international growth

Macadam Europe’s journey shows that international growth demands more than speed.Itrequires structure, alignment, and ownership. By treating ERP, data, and performance management as one connected ecosystem, and by combining technology with strong governance and change management, Macadam transformed operational complexity into control and insight.

With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Fabric, and Vena, the organization now operates on a stable, scalable financial platform that supports compliance, transparency, and informed decision-making across all countries. What began as a response to rapid expansion has evolved into a solid foundation for sustainable pan-European growth.