Westfalen AG

SAP Commerce Cloud Optimizes Westfalen’s Cylinder and Liquefied Gas Sales Processes

In 2017, Westfalen introduced an online store for the sale of cylinder gases for the Gases Division. The main task here was to rethink, standardize and then digitize the existing processes. Digital sales of gases not only require compliance with high safety standards, but also high-quality product data with safety information. For the Energy Supply business unit, the digital sales channel followed in 2020 in order to also map the replenishment of liquefied gas in containers online.

In addition to forecasted fill levels and residual ranges, the notification of deliveries is also important.

Learn more about how sales processes and data assets were digitized and optimized with SAP Commerce Cloud.

Customer Benefits for Cylinder Gas Online Store

Customized product suggestions

Return of empties

Viewing of own bottle stocks

The download of digital documents such as invoices, delivery bills, and product and safety data sheets

Customer Benefits for the Liquid Gas Online Store

Digital ordering option around the clock

Reliable liquid gas levels and container sizes

Recording of meter readings

Viewing of digital documents, such as invoices

"With SAP Commerce Cloud, we now offer our customers the ability to place orders, view invoices and fill level forecasts, and many other service functions 24/7. This enables us to present the complex world of dangerous goods in a much simpler way for our customers and, through clever user guidance, we can avoid incorrect orders and optimize overall processes."

Jens Müller | eCommerce-Manager

Westfalen AG

Initial situation

Customer demands for digital services have also arrived in the gas and energy industry. What is required is the ability to place orders around the clock, quickly and easily, and to retrieve relevant documents at any time. The first online ordering functions have been tested and are in use. Now a consistent, uniform e-commerce presence is to be set up for the entire Westfalen Group.

Vision

Westfalen wants a uniform and easy-to-maintain e-commerce solution for the two strategic business units Gases and Energy Supply and all national companies. For the strategic orientation in e-commerce, special processes and special solutions in the SAP system are to be revised and, if possible, returned to the standard. To this end, SAP Commerce Cloud (formerly Hybris) is to be introduced as SAP's standard store solution for e-commerce.

The outdated customer portal is thus to be replaced.
The new e-commerce solution drives the digitalization of Westfalen's business processes

Solution

With the SAP Commerce Cloud, a system was introduced with which the requirements of the Westfalen Group can be covered across divisions and countries. Together with Arvato Systems, the online store was first piloted for a business unit in a national company and then successfully rolled out. Now the focus is on continuous agile development and secure operation of all online stores.

The technical solution consists of the following components:

Standard SAP CX software with SAP Commerce Cloud on SAP Infrastructure (CCv1)
Integrated SAP Commerce Backoffice Product Cockpit as PIM system
SAP Data Hub for transferring product data from SAP ERP to SAP Commerce Cloud
SAP Smart Edit as CMS
Images and media are managed directly in SAP Commerce Cloud
CRM Salesforce

Westfalen Gruppe

The Westfalen Group operates in the three business areas of gases, energy supply and service stations in Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland. Founded in 1923, the family-owned company is headquartered in Münster and employs nearly 1,800 people. In 2020 the Westfalen Group achieved sales of 1.6 billion euros.

Your Contacts for SAP Commerce Cloud

Pierre Bremehr

Expert for eCommerce

Dr. Nasser Kaspari