Anyone who thinks that the topic of digitisation is only something for the big players in the industry is mistaken. It is mainly many medium-sized companies and small start-ups that are conquering a position in the market with digital solutions for their products and services. With a comparatively low budget and a good idea, innovative, benefit-oriented customer solutions can be developed. A good example of this is Carl Stahl Hebetechnik from Süßen. The Swabian experts for rope, lifting and safety technology digitalise their testing process with a service platform - and at the same time create new opportunities for added value.
The fact that Carl Stahl Hebetechnik is still successful as a family business today is largely due to its ability to adapt to ever more rapidly changing economic conditions and challenges. In order not to miss the train into the digital age, the company began to digitise the process of the legally required annual inspection of work equipment as early as 2013. These initial solutions were supplemented by a digital platform strategy in 2016. With its digital "Integrated Supply Chain Services" platform, the company was also recently a finalist in the DIGITAL LEADER AWARD 2020, and was right in the middle of the concert of the big players in the economy. In addition, the company also took top places in the 2020 awards of "Germany's Digital Hidden Champions" and "Digital Champion". This means that the digital solutions from Carl Stahl Hebetechnik not only meet with internal approval, but also attract broad attention in the market.
Digital transformation along the complete product life cycle
As the European market leader with worldwide operations, Carl Stahl Hebetechnik sees itself as a specialist in the areas of lifting, conveying, transporting and securing loads and people. A network built up over decades at its own locations around the globe and the resulting close contact with customers was one of the essential building blocks for this. The company supports its products and customers throughout the entire product life cycle. From commissioning to disposal. This requires a well thought-out, fully comprehensive platform strategy. This was the birth of Integrated Supply Chain Services, an in-house development by Carl Stahl Hebetechnik. The Integrated Supply Chain Services of Carl Stahl Hebetechnik combine the efficient and transparent administration of work equipment, the execution and legally compliant documentation of recurring safety inspections, as well as the simple replacement of discarded products. The aim is to optimise the efficiency in the mutual business processes together with the customers in order to save valuable resources. Within the Integrated Supply Chain Services, the customer has a wide range of components at his disposal which he can use in addition to the basic module, the Carl Stahl Service Portal. These include an Inspection App, an Inventory App or the Carl Stahl Webshop. These components are also in-house developments. The digital modules are supplemented by further services such as the inspection and repair service or the specialist seminars at the Carl Stahl Academy.
Discover new potential
The numerous findings from the development of Integrated Supply Chain Services and its results were also one of the greatest challenges for a globally and decentrally positioned family business such as Carl Stahl Hebetechnik. Namely the cultural change within a traditional organisation and the creation of a digital mindset among the workforce. The new digital platform not only marks the beginning of a digital and cultural change that has long been underway at the Swabian medium-sized company, but at the same time opens up completely new, digital business models. By integrating the digital platform into the customer's processes within the work equipment inspection, Carl Stahl Hebetechnik is thus positioning itself customer-centrically on the one hand, while offering practical added value on the other. Within the cycle of a product lifecycle, customers can now use the platform and the integrated testing functionality to directly enter the re-procurement process. The entire process automation ensures an optimisation of the processes both on the customer side and at Carl Stahl Hebetechnik, for example by eliminating manual entries during re-procurement.
