INFORMATION: This is a guest case study prepared by our Partner infolox GmbH in collaboration with di-soric GmbH & Co. KG.
For the di-soric group of companies, infolox implemented an international B2B content & commerce solution with the omnichannel box (Viamedici EPIM, CMS and SYLIUS SHOP with ERP integration in the cloud).
Due to its ideal combination of standard software and framework, the omnichannel box turned out to be the perfect choice for the specific requirements of the established manufacturer in the field of industrial automation – and infolox proved to be the right partner for the design, implementation and integration of the multi-system solution.
The product world of di-soric with its multitude of product features, product relationships and applications is an almost ideal scenario for using a powerful PIM system – and equally powerful content & commerce software that makes this complex information available online with optimal usability and functional diversity. The specific requirements of di-soric’s customers result in customized pricing, which requires real-time calculation of prices. Thus, the desired solution had to have a B2B e-commerce component with a dynamic and bidirectional connection to the ERP system. di-soric is active in 47 countries with international subsidiaries and sales partners around the world – so the software and implementation partners also had to have a sound understanding of a large number of countries, markets and languages.
After a thorough selection process, di-soric opted for the omnichannel box from infolox and the EPIM system from Viamedici. infolox was also convincing as a B2B full-service agency that, in addition to the PIM implementation, was also able to design and implement the entire online and e-commerce presence as well as the fully automated creation of print publications such as data sheets and installation instructions from a single source.
Accordingly, the various sub-projects were carried out in parallel. The conception for the PIM setup as well as the online and print implementation took place hand in hand, as did the setup of the PIM system, the data migration, and the implementation of the omnichannel box including print automation.
As an open content & commerce framework with a range of standard features, the Omnichannel Box comes with a large number of complex components that could be used directly „out of the box” for di-soric. For example, the highly flexibly configurable product selectors or the powerful product comparison as well as the download centre, which already fulfils all conceivable requirements for international and multilingual objects in the standard version. In the e-commerce area, di-soric also uses standard components such as multi-remember list, shopping cart, checkout processes and the dynamic, bidirectional ERP interface for prices and purchase orders.
The advantages of an open framework came into play for the project-specific requirements. For example, the complex selectors were to be used not only for products in one product group, but for several of them, with corresponding default values for each jumping-off point. This required various adjustments in data handling. In addition to the classic product hierarchy and the selectors according to product characteristics, additional access to the di-soric product world according to applications was created – also based on selectors.
The spectrum of interfaces is particularly broad. ERP-2-PIM is used for importing master and control data of products into the PIM and enriching the data there; PIM-2-ERP is used, in turn, for transferring the publication status to the ERP (which product can be purchased where in the store). PIM-2-SOLR is used for transferring the product data to the content & commerce solution. Customer-specific prices and discounts as well as availabilities are retrieved dynamically via ERP-2-Shop, with orders being placed via Shop-2-ERP. For this purpose, the generic ERP interface of the omnichannel box was adapted to the di-soric-specific setup of ABAS.
Varied editorial pages with many functional elements about the group, its divisions and services could be created independently with the help of di-soric’s Omnichannel Box layout designer.
„Our decision for the omnichannel box with Viamedici EPIM was made due to the multitude of existing features in content & commerce, combined with flexible expandability for our special requirements. infolox convinced us of the use of their sophisticated components and implemented our individual requirements effectively. The complex interaction of our various systems benefits strongly from the fact that infolox, as a full-service agency, always keeps an eye on the big picture thanks to its overall responsibility.”
When going live, the new web presence was launched from the infolox cloud with an international market and four languages, including Chinese. Differentiated country-specific presence and even more advanced e-commerce solutions will follow.
„The implementation of the project for di-soric was an extremely positive experience for us, as we were able to make concerted use of all the advantages of our omnichannel box and our agency services in conception, implementation, PIM and print together with a very competent customer. We are already looking forward to the planned extensions and expansion stages – and a long and exciting collaboration with di-soric!”
Di-soric project is a perfect example of a highly customized b2b buyer’s journey implementation. At Sylius, we are happy to see our platform being used in the scenario it was born to: a headless checkout being a crucial part of a best-of-breed implementation. The key puzzle which is responsible for shopping cart, checkout, multi-remember list, and the dynamic, bidirectional ERP interface for prices and purchase orders. We are grateful that both infolox and di-soric have chosen Sylius.
The di-soric group of companies develops, produces and distributes a wide range of innovative sensors, high-performance image processing components, high-quality LED machine and signal lighting as well as products from the field of safety technology. The broad product range is rounded off by customer-specific solutions. The products and solutions are mainly used in the Assembly & Handling, Robotics, Packaging and Measurement & Testing sectors. The focus is on the automotive, food & beverage, pharmaceutical & cosmetic and electronics industries.
infolox is a leading agency for omnichannel marketing, B2B e-commerce and product communication with a focus on system integration. From strategy consulting, conception and PIM system selection to implementation, customizing and integration to hosting, support and maintenance – infolox offers comprehensive solutions from a single source. With future-oriented technologies and software products from the areas of PIM, e-commerce, content management and database publishing, infolox realises online catalogues, web stores, corporate websites and apps as well as print catalogues, price lists and data sheets.
Customers such as ACO, ARNO Werkzeuge, Binder, Bosch Thermotechnik, Bosch Rexroth, Endress Motorgeräte, Fixit Gruppe, Grass, Kampmann, Pfleiderer Gruppe, Metabowerke, Miltenyi, Sick, SMC Pneumatik, Tintometer and many others already trust in the competence and experience of infolox.