How punkt.de Enabled BIKAR’s Digital Transformation with a New Website, Web Portal, and Online Shop

BIKAR Metals (BIKAR), is a globally recognized firm specializing in the processing of non-ferrous metals and plastics. A family-owned company that has experienced significant growth and commercial success since its founding in 1962, BIKAR’s yearly revenue exceeds 600 million € and the company employs approximately 900 people. 

In late 2020, at the peak of the COVID crisis, the company sought a web development partner to provide it with a state of the art revamp of its digital infrastructure. This would include a website relaunch, a customized customer portal, as well as an online shop. BIKAR recognized the importance of digitalization and automation, and the company turned to punkt.de to lead its digital transformation.

Initial contact between the BIKAR and punkt.de teams was made in the summer of 2020, with subsequent discussions needing to take place remotely due to the pandemic and social distancing regulations. The initial framework for the project was decided upon at a joint workshop at BIKAR’s office in Bad Berleburg.

BIKAR recognized the competitive advantages of a well planned digitalization early on. As early adapters, they launched a fully automated high-bay warehouse as early as 2000. 

During the initial discussions with punkt.de, including the joint workshop, it became clear that the project’s most significant task would be the integration of the customer portal and web shop into the existing system landscape. This included the in-house ERP ‘BIKAR-Next’ which was to be used as the data source for customer data, along with an Akeneo PIM for product data. 

Specifically, BIKAR’s goals for the project were: 

• Development of a new customer portal 
• Development of a new web shop 
• Full integration of all three applications into their system landscape (PIM, ERP)
• Support in the implementation of the new Akeneo PIM
• Finding a long-term partner for software development and maintenance of on-site applications 
• Use of a modern open source software in order to establish a competitive advantage within the industry (TYPO3, Elasticsearch, Sylius)

TYPO3 was chosen as the most suitable CMS for the project due to its ability to display user-specific editorial content in multiple languages. The BIKAR website was developed primarily for static content as a “content page” in a manner that even a small editorial team can effectively utilize the CMS.

Before work could begin on the project’s three main tasks (website relaunch, customer portal, and web shop), a new foundation in terms of design and UX/UI had to be developed. punkt.de works closely with made in, a web design agency for design and interface-related tasks. 

In addition to visual concepts, a comprehensive technical concept was also required before the actual implementation could begin. Understanding how interfaces would interact with each other was defined and the project was ready to get started. 

Project 1 - Website Relaunch 

Once the digital design system had been used to create the overarching structure that incorporated BIKAR’s corporate design (CD) and corporate identity (CI), the punkt.de team was able to begin building the new website. 

TYPO3 was the CMS of choice, and would support the display of editorial content in German and English, with other languages being added later. 

Additionally, another core part of the relaunch was the implementation of a powerful search tool based on Elasticsearch. This enables accessing content and products from the shop, along with user-specific data from the customer portal across all systems. 

Project 2 - Customer Portal 

Long the centerpiece of the project, the necessity of a customer portal came from BIKAR’s need to reduce the burden on its sales department while continuing to maintain high levels of service. 

The goal was clear. Design an intuitive customer portal that would provide a real value-add for the sales team, while also allowing customers with vital data such as order status, complaints, and document downloads via self-service. 

To increase buy-in from both employees and customers, the UX and UI, along with the performance of the customer portal played a vital role. Before actual development took place, there was a thorough conceptualization of the interface. 

The portal relied on a series of integrations and development of key technologies, including data, e-commerce, and PIM solutions. These were: 

• Sylius and Symfony: punkt.de leveraged the synergy between Sylius shop solution and the Symfony PHP network. The customer portal is already integrated directly into the shop as a custom Symfony solution, and the overall architecture makes it easier to connect the other systems that make up BIKAR’s ERP (including Akeneo PIM, Elasticsearch, and more). 
• Custom ERP: The ERP system was developed in-house by BIKAR to ensure it aligns with its own needs. The punkt.de team coordinated closely with BIKAR’s IT team and produced the interfaces for the customer portal, ensuring that the relevant data from the ERP is always synchronized accurately and in near real-time. This was achieved through the creation of processes and solutions that strengthened the partnership between both parties from both a technical and organizational perspective. 
• Akeneo PIM: As the customer didn’t previously have a PIM system, punkt.de recommended the implementation of Akeneo as BIKAR’s PIM system due to its suitability for managing large volumes of product data, and its interoperability with systems implemented in the customer portal. 

Once the data from the ERP and PIM were available, the customer portal was regularly optimized in several phases, including initial tests in a preliminary phase with a select audience, before gradual roll-out. 

Project 3 - Online Shop 

Following the website’s relaunch and the creation of the customer portal, an online shop was also added to BIKAR’s digital infrastructure in order to create a more efficient and direct way to order metal products, in addition to existing sales channels. 

With a wide array of products and product variants, along with fluctuating pricing, this was a challenging task. 

To handle the challenge punkt.de is working with BIKAR to leverage the Symfony-based ship framework. This solution, along with the general interaction between the integrated systems (customer portal, PIM, ERP, and website), will generate a highly efficient and powerful online shop that meets customer needs.

What began as a challenging project taking place under the restrictions imposed by the pandemic turned into a deep and long-lasting partnership based on trust and ingenuity. The partnership continues to deliver results for BIKAR, with the company’s development team conducting regular meetings with their counterparts from punkt.de. They’ve even participated jointly in important events such as Sylius Days 2024, underlining the strength of the partnership. 

punkt.de’s technical expertise along with its dedication to working with clients to reach their goals allowed BIKAR to take important steps in its digitalization process, as it looks to continue innovating in the future. 

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