The Würth Group is the global market leader in its core business – the sale of fastening and assembly materials. It currently consists of more than 400 companies in over 80 countries with over 77,000 employees on its payroll. In 1994, the Group created Würth IT, a global IT service provider supporting all 400+ companies in 80 countries. Würth IT’s goal is to invest in modern systems and innovative solutions that can help digitize the Group’s processes.
To achieve this goal, Würth IT has introduced Würth System One (WS1), an enterprise resource planning system based on SAP. WS1 forms the foundation for Würth Group’s enterprise management and includes interfaces to a number of support systems within logistics and production, including labeling. In time, the entire Group will use this system.
Würth IT was looking to standardize their labeling, yet their current labeling system had its challenges. "We had a labeling solution that was custom-built by a small company with only a few employees," relates Simon Koch, Project Lead/Manager. "The system was based on labeling software they had programmed. It consisted of a locally installed database, label design software and a label print interface. Everything was installed locally with CDs, and every time we had an update to the software, we would have to send new CDs with the updates to all of our suppliers."
This approach created multiple challenges for the Würth IT team. First, the manual updating process made it impossible to have an overview of which label software version Würth’s suppliers were using. "With such a large number of users, it was impossible to keep track of who was using what version of the system," Simon explains. "Some CDs would get lost in transit when we were sending updated versions and some partners would continue to use outdated versions."
Every time we had an update to the software, we had to send new CDs with the updates to all of our suppliers
Simon Koch
Chargé de projet
Deuxièmement, le système développé en interne avait aussi ses limites. Le programmeur du système d’origine ne faisait plus partie de l’entreprise, ce qui signifie qu’une grande partie des connaissances du système d’origine étaient perdues. L’entreprise qui a conçu le logiciel a ensuite été acquise par une autre entreprise de logiciels. Cela signifiait que l’entreprise à l’origine de son système d’étiquetage avait techniquement cessé d’exister. Ce qui a soulevé des préoccupations supplémentaires quant à sa capacité à prendre en charge la plateforme à l’avenir.
Würth a également dû faire face à de nombreux défis typiques liés aux systèmes obsolètes. L’entreprise a constaté que les étiquettes étaient mal appliquées, obligeant à ré-étiqueter les produits, ce qui a entraîné des retards d’expédition. Il y a également eu des retards en raison du manque de données.
Tous ces développements ont amené Würth à conclure qu’il lui fallait trouver une autre solution d’étiquetage. Ses exigences étaient nettes et précises. « Nous voulions un système disponible 24 heures sur 24, disposant d’une base de données centralisée, que nous pourrions fournir à nos fournisseurs sans installation et qui puisse prendre en charge plusieurs marques et modèles d’imprimantes », se souvient Simon. Il était essentiel que le nouveau système d’étiquetage puisse utiliser l’infrastructure d’impression existante des fournisseurs.
Würth implemented Loftware's web printing solution for their supplier labeling. Approximately 180 suppliers in 15 countries are using Loftware's web printing solution. "Our suppliers weren't pleased with the old system," comments Simon. "They knew it wasn't optimal." By using logic similar to the one used in the old system, Loftware was able to ensure a smooth transition to the new system. The system contains 10 label layouts that were designed in cooperation with Loftware. As of September 2018, Würth’s suppliers print approximately 8.5 million labels a year using Loftware's web printing solution.
