Water filter manufacturer

Added value for the customer

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Project environment

Word has got around that IT-HAUS customers benefit from services that decentralized manufacturers cannot map in their processes - including the needs-based delivery of hardware, software and accessories worldwide. This is how a global manufacturer of drinking water filters became aware of the Föhren-based company. In the course of continuous expansion into other markets in the Middle East and Asia, the group management was in danger of losing track of the processes in the individual subsidiaries. Among other things, the procurement of IT hardware was organized independently by each national subsidiary, while the IT department at headquarters merely made recommendations. The managers therefore wanted a holistic concept for an optimized procurement process for the required desktop PCs and notebooks in the respective country-specific versions. On the recommendation of another customer, IT-HAUS was brought in as a solution provider to discuss possible scenarios. First and foremost, the group management wanted to achieve tangible savings through leaner processes. A globally standardized IT landscape should also enable IT to provide optimal support for both hardware and users. In addition, a better overview of the procurement volumes in the individual companies was hoped for. Another requirement was a global shopping cart. To this end, an open-ended contract concluded centrally in Germany was also to offer countries outside the EU the opportunity to call up standard products via a global price list. As this was not possible for the previous hardware supplier
, the first task was to clarify which manufacturers could be considered.

Project success

Initially, IT-HAUS provided the customer with test devices from two suitable manufacturers. Lenovo impressed both the purchasing department in terms of the price-performance ratio and the IT managers due to the outstanding performance of the devices. Lenovo is also one of the few cooperation partners that already has the standard processes required for a global shopping cart. After IT-HAUS had negotiated the conditions with the manufacturer and disclosed the prices to the customer, the Föhren-based company concluded a global supply contract with the group of companies, which each individual national company can access at equally favorable conditions. In addition, there is only a handling fee agreed separately for each country. In order to keep the procurement processes as simple and automated as possible, IT-HAUS provides the shopping cart via a web-based, user-friendly platform that can only be accessed by users selected by the customer. This allows them to order the desired devices from an individual catalog and receive them configured and set up on site at the click of a mouse. After logging in with a user name and password, only the standard products predefined for the customer are available here. In addition, all prices are shown in the respective national currency. The webshop is linked to an authorized partner network, which processes orders via local resellers in the individual countries. This means that the respective local specialist retail partners handle both delivery to the relevant national company and invoicing. This has enabled a significant reduction in costs and effort to be achieved outside Europe as well. End users also benefit from the standardization - it ensures a smooth operational process and that the entire ordering process can be completed much more quickly. All of the Group's global IT workstations will be replaced with new hardware on a rolling basis. This means that users are immediately supplied with new devices when required. Transparent procurement volumes serve as a basis for customers to manage their investments in various product areas in a more targeted manner and also provide a basis for negotiation with the manufacturer. A uniform IT landscape also simplifies hardware management and enables the Group to significantly reduce its administration and support costs. Last but not least, each individual subsidiary within the Group brings its own unique requirements to the ordering process, which constantly necessitates new designs and suggestions for improvement. There is potential for improvement not only in terms of process optimization, but also with regard to possible cost risks - a continuous process that IT-HAUS accompanies as a strong partner.

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