How Unitura Works
We spoke with Lieuwe, project lead for the projects division, and Rick, who is responsible for the service division at Unitura. Both saw that as the company continued to grow, a more professional way of working became essential.
The organisation has now developed into a mature player with three distinct workflows:
Products: from quotation requests to the delivery of nesting boxes.
Projects: from order to installation, including on-site measurements.
Service: specialist services such as eDNA research.
With dozens of projects running simultaneously, seasonal peaks, and collaboration with subcontractors, the need for structure became increasingly urgent.
The Limitations of Planning in Excel
For a long time, Unitura worked with a shared Excel file that listed all assignments. One single list, with a date added to each task.
“That list was difficult to share,” says Lieuwe. “The planner knew where everything was, but if he was away, no one else did. It wasn’t scalable and certainly not visual.”
It was a similar story in the service division, where Rick is in charge:
“We would receive address lists through shared documents. We had to copy them manually into our own systems and then send them to the teams in the field. If someone forgot to make a change, you could easily end up at the wrong house.”
The real pressure came when the number of field teams grew. Where there had once been three teams on the road, there were now twelve.
“We were growing rapidly,” says Lieuwe. “Without a proper system, we couldn’t have managed.”
The Solution: One System for Three Different Processes
Together with the vPlan team, Unitura mapped out their workflows. Each part—Products, Projects, and Service—had its own dynamic. Yet they found a single planning platform in vPlan that could handle it all.
“Within one organisation, we use vPlan in two completely different ways,” Rick explains. “For service, we work task-based using addresses. For projects, we do capacity planning by the week. And still, it’s the same system.”
Unitura now works with multiple planning boards, each tailored to its own process. The flexibility of vPlan allows each team to plan in a way that fits their working method perfectly.
Smart Integrations with ERP and Apps
One of Unitura’s key requirements was a direct integration with Ridder.
“We create our orders in Ridder,” says Lieuwe. “That’s where order numbers and execution dates are recorded. This data is automatically transferred into vPlan’s backlog as a card, with a label: ‘plannable’ or ‘not yet plannable’.”
That status depends on several conditions. Once those are checked off in Ridder, the card in vPlan is automatically labelled as plannable, and the planner can get to work.
“This way, the planner always has a clear overview. No more scattered lists. Everything is in one place and always up to date.”
Control and Collaboration in Practice
The structure provided by vPlan enables Unitura to plan efficiently and collaborate effectively.
“We always schedule our own staff first,” says Lieuwe. “Because we know when the busy periods are coming, we can plan external teams well in advance. That’s important, as a lot of our work is seasonal.”
Subcontractors also use vPlan, but only see their own tasks.
“They know exactly when and where they need to be,” Lieuwe explains. “But they don’t see any other parties’ work. That brings peace of mind and avoids confusion.”
The service division works a little differently. There, planning comes from the Unitura app, an internal CRM system. As soon as a service address is created, a task is automatically added to vPlan.
“And once we schedule that address, the customer immediately receives a confirmation by email and text message,” says Rick. “If the customer wants to change the date, we can instantly see in vPlan where there’s availability. Super efficient.”
The Results: “Clarity, Peace of Mind, and Room to Grow”
Switching to vPlan brought Unitura a wide range of benefits in a short time—from better oversight to automation.
1. Full Clarity and Peace of Mind
“We’re in control now,” says Lieuwe. “Not only internally, but also towards our subcontractors. Everyone can look weeks ahead and knows exactly what’s coming.”
Rick also sees a difference in the day-to-day work:
“If a client now says, ‘We’d like to start in ten weeks’, we put it straight into vPlan. In the past, we’d make a note somewhere and hope to remember to plan it later. That led to mistakes. Now it’s properly scheduled, and it will show up again automatically. That gives confidence and a clear overview.”
2. Scalable Without the Stress
“We’ve grown from three to twelve teams,” says Lieuwe. “That wouldn’t have been possible without vPlan. Now we can easily coordinate dozens of people per day—without chaos.”
3. Automation That Works
“From order to execution: everything is connected,” Lieuwe explains. “And customers automatically receive a confirmation when their job is scheduled. That saves time and prevents errors.”
4. Less Manual Work, More Productivity
“Planning used to be a full-time job,” says Rick. “We had someone spending 30 to 35 hours a week just planning. Now, it’s part of someone’s broader role—it’s no longer a separate position.”
Staff now see their assignments directly in the app. No more loose notes, no more manual updates.
Conclusion: “vPlan Is the Backbone of Our Operations”
Unitura’s ambition is clear: to continue growing while maximising their ecological impact.
“Thanks to vPlan, we’ve got a solid foundation,” says Lieuwe. “We can plan, execute, and make adjustments from one central location. That makes all the difference.”
