The Premium Business Catalog: efficient search functions convince ANDREAS STIHL AG & Co.

ANDREAS STIHL AG & Co.’s Corporate Purchasing de-partment opts for the Premium Business Catalog from Heiler Software AG as part of a new procurement solution.

Stuttgart, August 8, 2001 – ANDREAS STIHL AG & Co., Waib-lingen, is moving its purchasing operations over to electronic procurement based on e-catalogs. The Premium Business Catalog from Heiler Software AG gives buyers an extremely convenient way to search for C and MRO goods. They then simply fill up their shopping cart and seamlessly transfer the data to SAP R/3 MM. STIHL has been especially impressed by the solution’s intuitive user interface – and by its very exten-sive functionality. Heiler Software AG will also provide catalog content services in an initial phase.

Andreas Stihl AG & Co., the global leader in the market for chain saws, has decided to introduce a new electronic purchasing solution in a drive to reap potential savings on procurement in future. At the heart of this solution, which will be used to buy operating resources, is the Premium Business Catalog from Heiler Software AG. During the piloting phase, Heiler will also be handling the integration of six supplier catalogs. Rapid expansion to include further suppliers is scheduled to follow this pilot phase.

The buyers at Andreas Stihl AG & Co. will be using the procurement catalog from Heiler Software AG with a direct link to SAP R/3 MM Material Management. Starting from the Premium Business Catalog, they can navigate through the supplier data, filling their shopping cart as they go. The data is then transferred automatically to SAP MM. Procurement processes can be speeded up markedly as a result.

ANDREAS STIHL AG & Co. is full of praise for the PBC user interface in particular: “The Premium Business Catalog from Heiler Software AG has a broad array of options which make it easier for users to find and select products,” says Oliver Schabel, head of the Resource Procurement group. “Functions such as hierarchical searches, fuzzy searches, feature-oriented searches and keyword searches are espe-cially useful.” But that is far from all: “The administration environ-ment for the Premium Business Catalog simplifies matters no end. Defined catalog views can be assigned to certain user groups; and you can even create enterprise-wide shopping carts. Since the PBC is fully compliant with the BMEcat standard, the catalog is also very easy to maintain – especially when it comes to catalog, product and price updates.”

The electronic catalog and SAP R/3 MM are harmonized so well that users can quickly become proficient and administration is kept to a minimum.

“Andreas Stihl AG & Co. attaches great importance to having a system that is intuitive and offers simple but powerful administration functions,” stresses Rolf Heiler, Chief Executive Officer at Heiler Software AG. “Our sophisticated functionality also helps purchasing staff to analyze the consistency of new and modified search data.”

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