Grundfos is a global leader and trendsetter in water technology, and the largest water pump supplier in the world, supplying over 17 million pumps annually. Founded in 1945, the Danish company operates in 64 locations worldwide, with more than 19,000 employees and an annual turnover of €4.5 billion. Grundfos' energy efficient pumps help deliver critical tasks in various markets, from the delivery of drinking water to the removal of wastewater and growth of crops.
With a continuous focus on pioneering positive solutions to help the world's water and climate challenges, Grundfos knew their internal processes needed to be the very best they could be. The team had focused on digital strategies to enhance business efficiencies for some time, with around 70% of their incoming orders being received electronically, either through their web shop or existing EDI solution. However, Grundfos felt they had the capability to increase the number of e-orders they received, and they started to look for possible partners to help them achieve this.
Grundfos identified a gap in their current electronic ordering process, with some customers not suited to ordering through their web shop or able to use EDI, and instead preferring to send PDF orders via email. These orders had to be manually keyed into Grundfos's SAP back-office system, and this process was slow and prone to errors. Some of Grundfos' orders contained up to 150 order lines, and processing them manually took several days, with the customer not receiving an order confirmation for up to a week.
The business required electronic ordering technology that would complement their existing offerings, tackling the PDF orders they were receiving from customers and fill the gap between their webshop and EDI. Grundfos wanted a solution that would remove manual workloads and alleviate the pressure on their internal teams, whilst also improving business efficiencies and the customer experience. It was also critical the new solution offered flexibility around customer order layouts, and integrated seamlessly with their back-office system, SAP.
PDF orders from customers who couldn't use the web shop or EDI had to be manually keyed into SAP. Some orders contained up to 150 line items, making each one a multi-day processing task that was slow, error-prone, and impossible to scale.
Customers were waiting up to a week for an order confirmation, creating a poor experience and undermining Grundfos's ambition to be a best-in-class digital trading partner for its customers.
