REMKO Future-Proofs its Website with an Award-Winning TYPO3 Relaunch

REMKO GmbH is a global manufacturer of heating, air conditioning, and dehumidification technology. Founded in 1976 and based in Lage, Germany, the company employs over 220 people and offers a wide range of products and services for both personal and commercial use.

REMKO has run its website on TYPO3 since 2016. Since then, it’s been partnered with orangefluid GmbH, who provide continued maintenance and support. orangefluid specializes in developing efficient web solutions with TYPO3, with a special focus on long-term, high performance, and sustainable TYPO3 implementations. The agency also has extensive experience in integrating TYPO3 into existing tech stacks and business processes for its clients. 

The cornerstone of REMKO’s operational goals was a high-performing, sustainable, and future-proof website. The integration of the new PIM system and improved usability were key components of the relaunch. 

To accomplish this, orangefluid upgraded REMKO’s TYPO3 instance from version 10 to version 11. During this process, all custom-developed extensions already present in the company’s backend were upgraded as well, ensuring compatibility with the new TYPO3 version. 

With sustainability and long-term planning being key success metrics, orangefluid also guaranteed that the groundwork was also laid for a future upgrade to TYPO3 version 13.

Another key feature of the website overhaul was that it was done in a way that allowed all new features to run in parallel with legacy elements of the old system. This meant REMKO editors could use updated or newly developed features immediately after their completion and introduction. 

The overhaul of the Remko website centered on the following areas of improvement: 

Modernized Frontend Output

The website’s frontend went through a complete reworking. The focus was on a modern and high-performance design that would meet core web vital standards and also deliver a positive visitor experience. Technologies such as Bulma and various Javascript libraries, along with custom-developed components were used throughout the process. 

PIM Integration

REMKO’s previous PIM integration didn’t deliver the required flexibility needed by the company. It was replaced by a new solution based on xmedia PIM and xom API. The new solution features a custom-developed FAL driver that enables access to all product files via the TYPO3 file manager. To further optimize performance, a comprehensive caching system was implemented. 

Furthermore, the existing logging system was improved and made more easily usable for REMKO’s staff via a Microsoft Teams connector. Both the IT and marketing departments are now informed in real time about any system anomalies, while orangefluid, as the service provider, receives detailed information about issues so they can be corrected as soon as possible. Logging is now integrated across all key areas of the system. 

REMKO’s marketing department emphasized the impact of the PIM integration and the TYPO3 upgrade:

"The introduction of the XOM API from myview for supplying data from the PIM system offers significant advantages for managing and presenting product information on our website. With the simultaneous upgrade to TYPO3 v11, we are reaching another key milestone in optimizing our digital infrastructure. This combination leads to a significant increase in workflow efficiency and a sustainably improved user experience."

– Kim-Janine Wall, Advertising/Marketing at REMKO

Award-Winning Performance Optimization

To ensure that website performance standards were met, orangefluid implemented the “BeastMode” TYPO3 extension, developed by their lead TYPO3 Engineer, Dennis Geldmacher.  This extension enables component-specific delivery of assets such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, resulting in an asset library that automatically avoids redundant code, minimizes file sizes, and ensures browser compatibility for underlying CSS and JavaScript.

This project went on to win the 2024 TYPO3 Award in the “Performance” category, reflecting that the extension, along with the rest of the optimizations by the orangefluid team, had its intended results. This was validated by core web vital results, demonstrating significantly improved performance metrics. 

Learn more about how TYPO3 websites achieve high-performance levels and strong core web vitals

Powerful Search Functionality

The product search was migrated from Solr to a custom-built solution based on the xom API from xmedia. This Solr-based REST API delivers an efficient endpoint for xmedia PIM data. Product assets like images and PDF’s are managed in the ‘Canto’ DAM system and made available for product views through xom API. The custom product extension provides all PIM and DAM data via the xom API for frontend use. This results in optimal search performance and features for products, spare parts, and accessories. 

E-commerce Enabled

In order to deliver an optimal e-commerce experience for editors and customers alike, orangefluid implemented its “AbstractCart” extension. The extension, commonly used for highly customizable e-commerce applications, allows any product that follows a defined schema to be purchasable. 

The entire process is optimized for these products and it supports project-specific customization through system events. To create an efficient e-commerce experience, a custom product extension is needed, both to render the products and to allow them to be passed to AbstractCart in the required format during purchase. It also enables parallel use of products from both legacy and new data sources.

Upon completion of the project, the positive impact of orangefluid’s work became immediately visible. 

Website loading times were significantly reduced, leading to an improved user experience and better organic rankings in search results. Furthermore, the increased flexibility offered editors a scalable CMS that can be easily adapted to future needs and requirements. 

In terms of realizing the client's goals for a future-proofed solution, the new component-based approach makes replacing individual parts of the website or adding new components easier than ever. This delivered unrivaled platform scalability, setting the foundation for continued future growth. 

Sustainable Web Development

The impressive results weren’t just limited to the website’s performance and component-based architecture. The ecological and economic benefits were also impressive and quickly became visible to all stakeholders. 

Specifically, by reducing data transfer through performance optimization, orangefluid managed to significantly reduce REMKO’s energy consumption on both the server and client side. Combined with orangefluid’s sustainable hosting solutions, the server’s energy consumption is actually CO2-neutral. An especially impressive feat. 
When tested, it was found that the REMKO website generates a per-visit carbon footprint that amounts to 82% less than the web standard. A major reduction in overall carbon emissions per website visit.

The success of the collaboration with REMKO reflects orangefluid’s commitment to delivering efficient web solutions that meet the long-term needs of clients, enabling them to transform their digital presence with sustainable TYPO3 implementations that feature tailored integrations and custom solutions that align with their business goals. 

TYPO3’s renowned flexibility and scalability make it ideally suited for projects where scalability and connectivity are key to success.

TYPO3 enables a wide range of capabilities for companies looking to create high-performing websites. Are you interested in creating future-proofed digital platforms? 

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