• Ordering process made simple by precisely customized access for each paper manufacturer
• Accelerated order processing through direct linking to customers’ ERP systems
• Real-time availability data enable round-the-clock transparency

The Voith Paper Webshop quickly established itself as an online purchasing platform for the global paper industry. Since the system went live in January 2017, the number of users has been increasing steadily. In July 2018, Voith welcomed the 50th customer, the North American packaging paper manufacturer Pratt Industries. Other companies are continuously being added: “By now we have more than 60 paper producers using the system,” says Michael Thoma, Director Global E-Business Solutions Voith Group, Division Paper.

The key to the success of the webshop is, among other things, the personalization of the access, which greatly simplifies the ordering process. For example, the specific spare and wear parts for the machines of each individual customer are saved. Thus, the purchaser does not have to choose from the different variants of a product, but instead immediately finds the right parts for his or her machine.

In the search for the correct component, either the order number or, if saved, the customer’s internal material number can be entered on the search screen. Alternatively, all products can be shown as an overview in a tree structure. Apart from that, through the personal access, the user has the entire order history as well as all relevant operating instructions available to him or her. It is estimated that searching for the required components can take up to 30% of the time needed to prepare for maintenance work. Voith Paper Webshop’s predefined product list significantly reduces the effort required for this.

As is usual with other leading online shops, the product prices, availabilities and delivery times can be called up in real time at any time with just a few clicks – because for the webshop, there is no such thing as the end of the workday, weekends, or vacations. All data are always up to date, and ordering can also be done from a tablet or a smartphone.

Already today, more than 100,000 spare and wear parts are included in the webshop – and more are being added on a daily basis. Being able to see the current availability of parts allows paper manufacturers to make their inventories leaner. “Thanks to order tracking, the customer also sees exactly where an ordered component currently is and when it will arrive,” adds Michael Thoma. This facilitates the scheduling of maintenance work.

Via standardized OCI and EDI interfaces, the Voith Paper Webshop can be seamlessly connected to the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system of every customer. This allows ordering processes and order processing to be completed especially easily, effectively, and rapidly – and to be transparent for all parties at all times.

About the company
Voith is a global technology group. With its wide range of plants, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets for energy, oil and gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, Voith today has more than 19,000 employees and earns 4.2 billion euros in sales. It has locations in over 60 countries and is one of the largest family-owned companies in Europe.

The Division Paper is the leading partner and pioneer in the paper industry. Through constant innovations Voith is optimizing the paper manufacturing process and facilitating resource-conserving production. The company’s Papermaking 4.0 concept ensures that equipment is optimally networked, while the effective and secure use of the generated data enables paper manufacturers to improve their competitiveness. With its Servolution concept, Voith offers its customers tailored service solutions for all sections of the production process.