GAPTEQ as universal toolset for process digitalisation
Applications and forms for external and internal use based on Microsoft SQL Server
The client
With seven locations and five quarries across Bavaria, Bärnreuther + Deuerlein is the leading supplier of gravel and grit in the Nuremberg metropolitan region.
The Project
Customer portal for transmitting order-related documents
With GAPTEQ, Bärnreuther + Deuerlein has created a customer portal that significantly simplifies the transmission of large numbers of order-related documents. Initial applications for internal processes are also in place, with more to follow.
Highlights
Challenge
Bärnreuther + Deuerlein's customer base comprises 4,500 almost exclusively commercial customers. Founded in 1933 and steadily growing, this family-owned company with 150 employees is now in its third generation of producing road and building materials from limestone and dolomite. Every day, 12,000 tonnes of these materials are extracted. The company also offers gabions for sound/noise protection and slope stabilisation, as well as stone and soil disposal.
Whether it's stone material for forest road construction in the Bavarian state forests or gravel beds for federal motorway construction: when it comes to large construction sites or the public sector in general, countless order-related documents usually have to be provided. For public sector contracts, test certificates must be submitted for almost every single stone. This means that several hundred or even thousands of documents such as quotations, invoices, delivery notes or test certificates may be required for a single contract.
The distribution of often more than a hundred documents per day via email had previously been inconvenient and time-consuming for both the sender and the recipient. The emerging desire for automation and digitisation of processes led to the search for a suitable implementation solution. The most important requirement was compatibility with the company's proprietary ERP solution, which is based on Microsoft platforms and technologies such as .NET, SQL Server and Access.
Solution
Having become aware of GAPTEQ through the trade press, IT manager Markus Lang first turned his attention to the demo projects and test options freely available on the web. He quickly and easily got to grips with the low-code platform: ‘If you know what data you want to visualise in your company, GAPTEQ is exactly the right tool for the job.’ This was followed by initial contact with the consulting team and, shortly thereafter, the conceptualisation of a concrete implementation for a customer portal project.
The development of the web-based solution took a net total of two months until its first deployment in early 2020. This was done largely independently, although technical support from GAPTEQ was provided on a few occasions.
Thirty customers are already using the new portal, which is fed with data from the SQL server. Project and product requirements submitted by telephone are provided here with a quote including all test certificates, as well as delivery notes, invoices and timesheets, among other things. Access to order- and construction site-related documents is web-based – targeted and tailored to specific needs.
Bärnreuther + Deuerlein also uses a web platform where employees can download information letters, holiday requests and other documents. The GAPTEQ application replaces the previous method of distribution by email or on paper.
‘If you know what data you want to visualise in your company, GAPTEQ is exactly the right tool for the job.’
Markus Lang, Head of IT, Bärnreuther + Deuerlein
Other GAPTEQ solutions include a combination of production data acquisition (PDA) and an operating log. Previously mapped using Excel, this is now used to document the operating times of the processing plants in the five quarries in accordance with the requirements of the Immission Control Act. The mixing and weighing masters at the various locations have access to a uniform website with a central database for this purpose. A maintenance log for the inspection and monitoring of technical equipment has also been integrated.
In addition, smaller internal applications were created, such as a software and hardware inventory for the company's ten servers, 60 computers and 40 smartphones, including their programmes. A dynamic GAPTEQ address form, which was used at a job fair to recruit young talent, also proved to be very useful.
Result
The stated goal was achieved: Bärnreuther + Deuerlein has provided its end customers with convenient access to their construction site and order-related documents tailored to their needs. Simplifying the entire document flow increases customer benefit and promotes customer loyalty. At the same time, the customer portal automates internal processes and generally increases the company's level of digitalisation.
Several internal applications, such as the personnel portal and BDE/operating log, have also significantly simplified existing processes and saved a great deal of time. IT manager Markus Lang has long since acquired a taste for it and intends to continue using GAPTEQ as an ‘extended workbench for the Microsoft SQL Server’. He believes the application scenarios are ultimately limitless. The intuitive usability also promotes exploratory use of the low-code platform.
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