Pilz GmbH & Co. KG - webshop further optimized

ORBIS AG from Saarbrücken has ensured the future viability of SAP CRM at the automation company Pilz with an upgrade and corresponding functional enhancements. Together with Sycor, Pilz used the release upgrade of the SAP webshop to integrate it into the online presence and simultaneously optimize it for search engines.

"As an internationally active solution provider in the field of automation technology with 28 subsidiaries and branches worldwide, we now offer even more customer service online. The Pilz E-Shop provides optimum access to the information needed to speed up customer purchasing processes," explains Mirko Dost, Project Manager at Pilz GmbH & Co KG. "This means that customers can order Pilz products around the clock based on daily updated catalog data and online availability checks." Further customer convenience is provided, among other things, by the download of technical information and operating instructions, order tracking, and the option of importing shopping carts from the customer's own ERP system. Pilz has operated the SAP Webshop used from the outset with an SAP CRM solution as middleware to the ERP system. The CRM upgrade to version 7.0 was awarded to ORBIS AG, while the contract for the recently completed release upgrade of the B2B shop from SAP E-Commerce 5.0 to Web Channel 7.0 went to SYCOR GmbH.

Two projects in one

The parallel release upgrade project of the SAP CRM system by ORBIS AG had resulted in additional development and coordination effort. "In the environment used by Pilz, workflows are started in SAP CRM for customer registrations and orders, which inform responsible employees about pending data checks and releases. Information about product availability is reported back to the webshop from the ERP via the CRM," describes Dirk Müller, ORBIS project manager at Pilz. Since customer registrations are not a standard function in a B2B scenario, the specialists from Saarbrücken had to make the necessary adjustments in the system. The integration of subsidiaries that do not yet use SAP ERP also proved to be a challenge. "For these companies, we had to provide a catalog in the appropriate language without pulling master and product data from the ERP," Müller continues. The ordering function for this scenario is currently being provided in a further expansion stage. "We have implemented the solution designed together with Sycor in SAP CRM." For the technical upgrade to SAP CRM 7.0, ORBIS reviewed the existing interfaces in the webshop and in the ERP system for the enhanced SAP CRM and adapted them as needed. In addition, ORBIS employees introduced the new Web UI of SAP CRM 7.0 at Pilz and trained the IV project team led by Dr. Beate Ternberger in the customization options. Together, they made the necessary UI settings. With the upgrade, Pilz has created the possibility to quickly implement additional CRM functions in the future.

Website integration and SEO

Parallel to the release upgrade, Sycor integrated the Pilz E-Shop into the website of the technology leader in safe automation technology. "With the e-shop, we offer customers a central communication and knowledge platform in 16 languages, which now takes into account country-specific conditions, such as differing catalog currencies," says Mirko Dost. Since the webshop was embedded as an open catalog, customers can obtain comprehensive information on the products there independently of logging in. After logging in, all additional information, including prices and availability, as well as the full functionality of the webshop are then available. "The implementation as a frameless catalog has been done with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. Frameless pages avoid some pitfalls in search engine indexing and make handling easier," continues Sycor project manager Markus Kutschker.

By linking the website's content management system (CMS) with the webshop's open catalog, Sycor achieved two positive effects for Pilz at the same time: On the one hand, the Göttingen-based company thus made duplicate content maintenance superfluous, and on the other hand, it raised further potential for search engine optimization. For example, the webshop now receives the information for the title and description tags of the individual pages from the CMS via an interface. With a few adjustments, Markus Kutschker's team has also ensured that the long and cryptic URL paths generated by default in SAP E-Commerce have been replaced by search engine and user-friendly URLs based on the CRM catalog.

Mirko Dost draws a positive balance: "Despite the tight schedule of four months, ORBIS and Sycor convinced us both with their subtasks and together as a team. For us, it proved worthwhile to rely on service providers who are clearly specialized for these two projects in one."

Company profile ORBIS AG
ORBIS is an international operating business consulting company. ORBIS advises and supports international corporations and medium-sized companies - from IT strategy and system selection to business process optimization, system implementation and system integration. In doing so, ORBIS relies on the solutions of the market leaders SAP and Microsoft. Its core competencies include classic Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM), Logistics (LES/EWM), Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), Variant Management, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Business Intelligence (BI) and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). ORBIS supports its customers as a reliable partner in the worldwide rollouts of their ERP solutions and processes. Own products for e-Learning and Business Intelligence, MES as well as numerous add-ons based on SAP and Microsoft complete the service portfolio. More than 1,000 successfully implemented customer projects are proof of the business consulting company's many years of experience in the manufacturing industry, mechanical and plant engineering, the automotive supply and consumer goods industries, and the retail sector. Long-standing customers include the Behr Group, Eberspächer, Hager Group, Hörmann KG, hülsta, HYDAC International, Jungheinrich, KSB, Linde Hydraulics, Paul Hartmann, Pilz, Rittal, Schott, Trelleborg Automotive AVS, Villeroy & Boch, Wagner Tiefkühlprodukte and the ZF Group.

Ansprechpartnerin für die Presse
ORBIS AG
Bettina Gassen
Head of Marketing
Nell-Breuning-Allee 3 - 5
66115 Saarbrücken

Tel.: +49 (0)681/99 24-692
Fax: +49 (0)681/99 24-489
E-Mail: bettina.gassen(at)orbis.de
Web: orbis.de