indatex / crossgate Lights Up the Dark

2006-07-10_engl_Zumtobel_final_01.pdf

Zumtobel Goes for Electronic Data Transfer / Connection of Further Partners Planned

Starnberg, July 10, 2006 – As of now, the Austrian lighting specialist Zumtobel handles its complete data exchange with its most important business partners via the Business Integration Platform^TM (B.I.P.^TM) of indatex / crossgate, a company which specialises in data transfer and B2B integration. Up to now, an in-house EDI converter has been used for this purpose. By means of outsourcing and the connection of further suppliers and customers, the provider of integral lighting solutions expects savings of up to 50 per cent. This is also made possible via the transaction-based price model of indatex / crossgate. Within the following weeks, several hundred further partners of Zumtobel & Thorn Lighting will successively be connected to the system.  

With its three brands Zumtobel, Thorn, and TridonicAtco, the Zumtobel Group is one of the few global players in the lighting industry. Consequently, the Austrian company can draw on a worldwide presence and numerous international supplier and customer relations. In the scope of their project to optimise the purchasing processes, Zumtobel opted for the migration to B.I.P.^TM of indatex / crossgate. This change did not require any investment in new hardware or software, since the solution is based on the existing systems. The connection to new partners can also be implemented in a fast and efficient manner. Thus, numerous customers in Sweden, France, and Great Britain will be connected to the system in the course of the following weeks. In the process, the supplier of lighting solutions will benefit from the international capabilities of the solution offered by indatex / crossgate: B.I.P.^TM speaks all languages!

“Already now we transfer 20,000 messages with indatex / crossgate per month,“ explains Hans-Achim Quitmann, CIO of the Zumtobel Group. The objective is to connect all important partners to the system within the following months in order to gain a significant benefit from the advantages offered by electronic data transfer. “This would be impossible to realise via an in-house operation—particularly because of the high effort caused by the set-up of new connections and the corresponding demand for staff.”