Case Study: Manufacturing Company Unites 60 Subsidiaries in One System

The Schlemmer Group is a global technology company, focused on the production of highly specialized plastic and metal solutions for cable protection. It has 60 subsidiaries throughout the world and almost 30 production plants.

Business Needs

The headquarters’ website was outdated because the design was neither appealing nor compatible with mobile devices. Products were not displayed on the website.

Each of the 60 subsidiaries needed an individual website too. But many subsidiaries lacked the human resources for content maintenance of an individual website. To solve this challenge some subsidiaries wanted to retrieve as much content from the headquarters’ website as possible. Other subsidiaries, having more resources, wanted to build their own websites. These different requirements had to be considered.

For the content import of the product data on the new website, Pimcore partner DGTLS received an Excel file containing product data of more than 8.000 products. This data needed to be categorized logically for filter options the users would have on the website. This process was not easy because many products were quite different to each other. A lot of different attributes were necessary to tag and structure the product data.

Another requirement for the new website was the area News & Events. This area needed the possibility of predefined workflows with the websites of the subsidiaries. On the one hand, important news from the headquarter needed to be shared with the subsidiaries. On the other hand, subsidiaries needed the possibility to propose news for publication on the headquarters’ website.

Furthermore, the career area of the website needed to be expanded with job offers, a filtering function as well as an application form.

Pimcore Solution

Pimcore partner DGTLS set up the headquarters’ new website, expanded it with the required features and created the possibility for the subsidiaries to use the same backend for content maintenance.

A complex product finder was created for the different product categories. The career area was extended with filtering options and an application form. For a fast and easy maintenance of the website, a form builder was integrated. Using this form builder, the client can create even complex forms by himself.

The homepage displays a modern animation of the areas Local, Global and Total.

The Pimcore website project included many more details, including:

Detail filter with configurable filter criteria in backend and frontend.
Product detail page for master products with table for varieties.
Filter with Elastic Search.
Newsroom with filter option.
Download center.
Mega menu with individual teasers for each menu point.
Complex content inheritance in the backend.
Sticky contact button with contact person.

Business Results

With its new website, Schlemmer Group has built the foundation to unite all subsidiaries in one system. Every subsidiary can decide individually to show content from the headquarter or to create individual content.

Furthermore, the website has become a sales tool because products are displayed and can easily be found. Even though the user cannot buy directly (yet), it is possible to make a request.

With multiple animation effects and interactive elements, the new website gives a modern impression for the customers.