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We all know Carglass^®—the brand and jingle are instantly recognizable. As part of the Belron Group, Carglass^® provides seamless vehicle glass service across Europe, with over 100 locations in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg alone. Backed by a stock of more than half a million windshields at its European Distribution Center (EDC), Carglass^® takes pride in delivering precise and hassle-free service.

We sat down with Stefaan Hermans, CIO of Carglass^® Northern Europe and Transformation Coordinator for Northern and Southern Europe, to talk about the company’s journey and its long-standing partnership with *ºÚÁÏÉç.

Mr. Hermans, Carglass^® has partnered with *ºÚÁÏÉç for over a decade. Have you been part of that entire journey?

Stefaan Hermans (SH): Absolutely. Carglass^® Netherlands was originally a customer of Databalk. When *ºÚÁÏÉç acquired Databalk in 2011, we transitioned over. Then in 2014, we launched a new tender to replace our front and back-office systems, and *ºÚÁÏÉç came out on top. That really gave our collaboration fresh momentum.

What made *ºÚÁÏÉç the right choice back then?

SH: Three key reasons. First, we were already very satisfied with their service. Second, they knew our business inside out, so we didn’t have to waste time on a lengthy onboarding process. And third, they were practically next door — for example, in Belgium, both our headquarters are close by.

Carglass^® is a household name. Can you share some key facts and figures?

SH: Carglass^® is part of Belron^®, the world leader in vehicle glass repair and replacement and recalibration. Belron^® operates in 40 countries with over 30,000 highly skilled technicians serving more than 17 million customers a year — that’s one every three seconds. In addition to Carglass^®, Belron^® also has numerous other major brands worldwide such as Safelite^® in the U.S.

"Modern cars are packed with technology—it’s no longer just about replacing glass!"

Our expertise lies in VGRRR: Vehicle Glass Repair, Replacement, and Recalibration. Modern cars are packed with technology — ADAS cameras (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), rain and light sensors — all of which need recalibration when replacing a windshield. It’s no longer just about replacing glass!

How does *ºÚÁÏÉç support your IT landscape?

SH: *ºÚÁÏÉç manages our entire application landscape here in the Belux and the Netherlands. In Belgium, our back-office runs on Microsoft Dynamics AX in a private cloud setup on Azure. In the Netherlands, we use the SaaS version, Microsoft Dynamics 365. On top of that, we have custom .NET solutions for front-office tasks like planning and contact management. 

Dynamics is the beating heart of our system, integrating with applications such as our warehouse and order management systems, custom .NET development, and Salesforce, which we plan on rolling out next year in the Netherlands. *ºÚÁÏÉç isn’t just managing the landscape —they’re the product owner, ensuring new business needs are translated into development. And they challenge us on the future IT roadmap when necessary, which we value.

We’re also partnering with *ºÚÁÏÉç in Italy to digitize our branches over there, enhancing operational efficiency and customer experience through an innovative digital platform. This collaboration has led to streamlined processes and improved service delivery across all Italian Carglass^® locations.

"*ºÚÁÏÉç challenges us on the future IT roadmap when necessary, which we value."

To achieve cost-efficient development, we complement our on-site *ºÚÁÏÉç team at Carglass^®—consisting of a business architect, service delivery manager and a .NET team—with *ºÚÁÏÉç's nearshoring capabilities, and we're very pleased with the results.

Why invest in custom-built solutions?

SH: Our processes and customer approach are unique. In other words: a standard solution doesn’t fully meet our needs. That said, we know custom development can be costly and complex, especially in terms of upgrades and maintenance. The challenge is striking the right balance — delivering a smooth, effortless experience for customers while keeping IT cost-effective and high-performing. *ºÚÁÏÉç helps us navigate that balance.

How do you keep that experience so smooth?

SH: Our mission, ‘Making a memorable difference with care’, means we want every customer interaction to be effortless — from booking an appointment online to aftercare. We continuously gather feedback from customers and employees through multiple feedback loops to fine-tune this process. 

One key initiative based on these feedback loops was the implementation of Dynatrace, a tool that monitors things like application and database response times. It helps us proactively fix issues before they impact employees or customers. *ºÚÁÏÉç uses Dynatrace to keep our systems running at peak performance.

It’s been over a decade with *ºÚÁÏÉç — how would you describe the partnership?

SH: The fact that we’ve been married this long speaks for itself (laughs). *ºÚÁÏÉç is a true partner, standing by us through thick and thin. Every IT project hits roadblocks at some point, but what matters is having a partner that focuses on solutions rather than pointing fingers. *ºÚÁÏÉç has always been that kind of partner. Our relationship is built on trust.

"What matters is having a partner that focuses on solutions rather than pointing fingers. *ºÚÁÏÉç has always been that kind of partner."

Finally, what’s next for Carglass^®?

SH: We never stop improving. Right now, we’re refining our service matrix, adding more logic to it. As I’ve said in the beginning, windshield replacement isn’t just about replacing glass anymore — recalibration is often required. Some cars need extra special tooling for that, so we have to direct customers to the right service center immediately. It’s all about optimizing processes to keep delivering the top-tier service we’re known for.