09/12/2018
Voith Paper Webshop – positive experiences with online ordering system in Chinese market
- Significant efficiency gains possible in ordering system
- High potential in Chinese market
- Ongoing improvement in usability
Heidenheim, Germany. A good year after its launch, more than ten top Chinese paper manufacturers are already using the Voith Paper Webshop for fast, reliable and convenient ordering of spare parts. To meet the exacting expectations that Chinese customers have of a webshop, Voith has now further optimized the user-friendliness of the shop.
Since May of 2017, Chinese companies have had the option of ordering replacement parts for their paper machines online via the Voith Paper Webshop – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “Voith Paper is the first supplier who provides us this kind of online shopping service.” said Chen Jianfa, purchaser of Liansheng Paper Group. To simplify the search for the right spare part, the system does not provide the details of the entire Voith product range but only of the customer's specific machine. This means that when the customer conducts a search the webshop only shows them the appropriate parts for their “personal” paper machine. The customer can either search for the spare parts via a clearly laid out tree structure, the Voith order number or their own internally-defined part number. “The webshop provides a customized area for us; I can check my order history and quotations, which can date back to our first deal.” states Chen Jianfa. In the case of a paper machine that has several tens of thousands of technical components, the usual time-consuming ordering process can be significantly accelerated and simplified and incorrect orders are avoided. In addition, the webshop also stores all relevant information on the individual machine, for example the operating manual and complete ordering history. This means that the webshop serves at the same time as a central documentation platform for the entire paper machine.
Jiangsu Oji – fast and simple order placement with few clicks.
Jiangsu Oji is one of the top Paper Companies in China. At the Jiangsu Oji production site at Nantong, most orders are processed quickly and easily using the Voith Paper Webshop. “Previously, we ordered spare parts by email. With the new webshop we can check prices very fast and place orders with just few mouse clicks. This is very convenient and simplifies the ordering process,” explains Qin Junnan, Purchasing Manager at Jiangsu Oji.
Clever Features – ERP system integration and user accounts
If needed, the Voith Paper Webshop can be integrated seamlessly into common ERP systems, giving customers the option of ordering directly from their familiar software environment. The uncomplicated integration and user-friendly processes that have been optimized in practice increase the transparency and efficiency of the ordering process and order handling for all participants. Another new webshop feature is the newly introduced user accounts – specially designed for larger paper companies with several paper machines at different locations. An administrator can assign users various individual rights. Service personnel working on site, for example, are authorized to identify the parts they need in the webshop and put them in a basket, but without specific information on the delivery conditions. The basket can then be transferred to staff at headquarters who look at the details and can trigger the order. To achieve maximum user-friendliness, Voith Paper is continuing to develop the webshop. This means that in future it will probably also be possible to initiate the ordering process in the shop outside the system limits with a simple email.
About the company
Voith Paper is a Group Division of Voith and the leading partner and pioneer in the paper industry. Through constant innovations Voith Paper 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 Paper offers its customers tailored service solutions for all sections of the production process.
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.