VOITH

INCREASED EFFICIENCY IN SALES THANKS TO B2B PLATFORM

ABOUT VOITH

Founded in 1867 in Heidenheim, Germany, Voith is now a globally active technology group with over 19,000 employees at more than 250 locations and annual sales of 4.3 billion euros (2018). The broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications serves five essential markets in all regions of the world: energy, oil and gas, paper, raw materials, and transport and automotive.

AT A GLANCE

CUSTOMER: Voith
INDUSTRY: Mechanical engineering (paper industry, hydropower, drive and brake systems)
PROJECT: Voith Webshop
SOLUTION: B2B e-commerce / Configuration
TECHNOLOGIES: React.js, Node.js

RESULT IN BRIEF

THE CHALLENGE

After the spare parts store for Voith Paper went live in 2015, Voith approached us in 2018 to further develop the successfully operated first store solution across the Group into a cross-industry portal in which all divisions (Voith-Paper, Voith-Hydro, Voith-Turbo) can be included. The aim here was not only to map different functionalities for the individual industries, but also different user interfaces. These should not be individually programmed, but generated in a data-driven manner. In addition, a connection to various ERP systems (SAP, Microsoft NAV, JD Edwards) had to be implemented. These interfaces had to be implemented in such a way that other ERP systems could also be easily integrated in the future. Due to the data volume of several million materials, it was a challenge to guarantee response times of less than two seconds despite the various search options. Configurators for over 100 complex products were also to be integrated into the portal solution. It should also be possible to order the configurations directly at the click of a mouse.

THE SOLUTION

In an agile project, we implemented the requirements within a very tight time frame in a development partnership with Voith. Standard components based on the latest technologies were used. The webshop portal is designed so that data from different data sources (ERP systems, PIM) can be transferred and synchronized on a daily basis. It provides users with a variety of search options and offers the possibility of a convenient checkout and direct ordering in Voith’s ERP systems. The sales departments were noticeably relieved, as customers can now configure their individual products themselves and order them directly. With the webshop solution, particular emphasis was placed on an outstanding user experience, which is also reflected in features such as the which provides insight into original deliveries, customized prices, shopping cart transfer, partial deliveries, clickable drawings, etc. The solution has now been rolled out for all divisions worldwide and generates a significant contribution to Group sales. The webshop portal has become an important touchpoint in the customer relationship and is an important tool in customer communication for the company’s own sales department.