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Norbert Kytka, Headquarters Plattling
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Here’s some background to the project: As with most purchasers today, companies buying thermal, decorative, and packaging paper or playing-cardboard from Koehler Paper expect to find information on their orders online, on demand. But Koehler’s existing systems meant these queries were handled by phone or e-mail. The specialty paper maker set out to develop a customer portal to give customers convenient, easy access to order information and free its service teams to focus on other tasks. To achieve this, it needed a platform that could enable smooth, secure data exchange with ERP systems and rapid development of solutions that can be flexibly adapted to customer requirements.
To make information processes more efficient for customers and give them convenient, easy access to order information via the Internet, the company developed the Koehler Customer Portal. It combines an ERP infrastructure with the flexibility and innovative power of the SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP).
Using the SAP BTP not only offers secure access via the Cloud Connector; it also provides user and permissions management and a launchpad service which offers ways to download data in accessible formats. In other words, it is the perfect approach for extending organically grown company systems built on a static core, by integrating innovative components. Using the SAP BTP, the company was able to develop a cloud portal for its customers, using modern programming concepts and the latest technologies, even though its backend systems are starting to show their age.
The benefits are substantial: They include a faster time to insight for Koehler’s customers. Information can be accessed 24/7 without delay, no involvement of Koehler’s staff is necessary. Customers benefit from 50 % reduced average response time while Koehler’s support team benefits from a reduction of 2 5% of the overall number of tickets.
The paper company now has a flexible, new system module that adds an innovative function to the proven on-premises system landscape. Koehler does not have to budget resources for release upgrades, patches, system updates. This new solution as well serves as a blueprint for many other new use cases such as apps for complaints and manual retrieval from the consignment warehouse, which can be quickly implemented on this basis - if necessary, just to quickly test how they perform on the market.
“The combination of our ERP infrastructure with the innovative power of SAP's technologies proved to be a winning formula. We were able to implement the SAP Business Technology platform with minimal effort and as a result, we saw significant gains in overall agility”, says Jörg Behnisch, Corporate Director IT, Koehler Group.
Doesn’t this sound like a remarkable endeavor? We thought so. This is why we chose to submit our project as an entry for the SAP Innovation Awards.
“How an integrated technology platform leads to better customer service and nimbler operations” our application is titled. We are pleased to inform you that our entry is now published on the SAP website. Now let’s keep our fingers crossed. Finalists will be announced on March 15th, 2023, and the winners will be announced on April 12th, 2023
