Partou Childcare is a childcare organization founded in 1984. In 2019, it merged with KidsFoundation/Smallsteps. Today, Partou also operates in the United Kingdom and Germany, and The Wonder Weeks has become part of the organization. With over 900 locations and approximately 13,000 employees, Partou provides care for around 80,000 children each day.

Partou’s mission is to prepare every child for the future through play. They provide an environment where children can explore themselves, others, and the world around them. Equal opportunities for development are central to Partou’s approach, and children are encouraged to discover both their own talents and those of others.

In addition, Partou invests in pedagogical research and works closely with universities and educational institutions to continuously improve the quality of care. Innovation and sustainability are key priorities, both in day-to-day operations and within the organization’s back offices.

In this engaging interview with Dion Morskieft, we explore how the implementation of Intelligent Orchestration has supported the organization. MvR Digital Workforce is proud of its collaboration with Partou Childcare and C TWO — an inspiring example of how technology can truly serve people.

Hi Dion, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. Could you tell us about your role at Partou?

I serve as the Head of the Center of Excellence for Intelligent Automation at Partou Childcare. In this role, I lead a team responsible for all intelligent automation solutions across the organization. With over 900 locations in the Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom, and around 13,000 employees providing daily care to approximately 80,000 children, we see numerous opportunities to innovate and enhance our operations through automation.

What are you currently using RPA for?

We’ve used RPA to implement hundreds of automated processes. Every day, over 200 software robots run more than 3,000 processes. These automations support all departments within our back office – from HR and Accounts Payable to Business Control and Child Planning. We also support our back offices in the UK and Germany with these solutions.

What was the main reason for choosing to use Intelligent Orchestration from C TWO?

We were looking for a smarter way to orchestrate our processes because we noticed that high-priority tasks weren’t always being handled first. UiPath didn’t offer a sufficiently suitable solution for this, so we explored other options.
Additionally, we found that the capacity of our virtual machines wasn’t being used efficiently. With growing demand from our back offices in Germany and the UK, we anticipate an increase in automation. That’s why we’re preparing in advance to avoid congestion on our VMs.

What specific benefits and improvements have you seen from using Intelligent Orchestration, particularly in terms of efficiency and effectiveness?

Thanks to C TWO’s software, we can reliably prioritize which high-priority processes should be handled first. For example, requesting a certificate of conduct (VOG) for a new colleague takes precedence over processing a purchase invoice.
Another great feature is that C TWO automatically retries processes if the first attempt fails.
One of the major benefits is how easily we can plan for scheduled maintenance. If our child planning system undergoes maintenance, we can configure C TWO in just a few seconds to ensure that all robots using that system are temporarily paused. Once maintenance is complete, the processes automatically resume and are handled according to SLA.

What are the key lessons you’ve learned from this implementation?

Don’t underestimate what it takes to implement new software. It requires time and effort from your team to properly integrate a new product into your landscape. It’s also crucial to clearly define your requirements and discuss them thoroughly with the supplier. This helps avoid unexpected issues later on.

What advice would you give to organizations considering starting with Intelligent Orchestration?

It’s important to gather insights from organizations that already have hands-on experience with the software and can answer your questions. While vendors often make enthusiastic promises to highlight the benefits of their products, some of these can be difficult to deliver in practice. That’s why it’s wise to remain critical and to pay close attention to real user experiences.
In addition, the relationship with both the supplier and the implementation partner plays a crucial role. An open and constructive collaboration helps resolve challenges quickly and ensures you reach the best possible outcome—where expectations and reality are closely aligned.

What stood out most to you in working with MvR DW as your implementation partner?

It was quite special to reconnect with Johans Brink and Frank Mester through C TWO after first meeting them in Berlin.
The collaboration during the MvR DW implementation has been going very well – we share the same goals, and the lunch sessions at MvR DW (especially the Italian ones) are always both delicious and inspiring.