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Case Study: Engel

Case Study: ENGEL

ENGEL adopts IT standardization as a winning strategy

 

ENGEL, a leading manufacturer of injection molding machines, chooses Lenovo to achieve worldwide efficiency in manufacturing technology

Matching business growth with the right tech

Surrounded by serene waters from a nearby lake, young men and women flock to a classroom at a Higher Technical Institute in Bregenz, Austria. The curious minds huddle around an ENGEL moulding machine used to create an array of plastic parts, including frames for entertainment systems in cars.

As students learn the ins and outs of the manufacturing industry, they’re honing their skills before graduation – a highly desired asset due to the scarcity of trained workers in Austria.

The institute is just one example of how companies throughout theworld are using ENGEL’s leading plastics processing machines to create a myriad of products ranging from mighty vacuum cleaners to intricate car pieces.

With a strong presence throughout the globe, the 72-year-old family-run business has rapidly expanded to 5,900 worldwide employees and nine production plants across three continents. To accompany this growth, ENGEL needed a new hardware provider who could offer an efficient and standardized IT infrastructure with less device types and a minimal interface.

Standardization is everything. There’s less to learn, and no compatibility problems. We can think of devices in terms of generations – they are so much easier to service and replace.

Hermann Wahl
—Hermann Wahl
Head of Telephone Services and Devices, ENGEL.

Standardization across the board

Turning to Lenovo, ENGEL knew their partner could help them to achieve their vision through their ThinkPad machines. Offering not only a uniform configuration, the devices also bring uncompromising design, durability, mil spec standards and carbon fiber materials.

With the technology company rolling out over 3,300 Lenovo products, ENGEL soon filled its offices with ThinkCentre M710q Tiny devices as compact office PCs, and ThinkStation P71 and P310 for their technical illustrators and CAD departments to develop their products for production. Mobile users work with the ThinkPad T470 and T570.

New webshop for top-notch customer support

With the help of Lenovo, ENGEL created an online portal to handle device and service orders worldwide in a standardized way. Users can check prices, availability and even send a service request directly to ENGEL simultaneously speeding up the order process.

The unique Lenovo-designed e-connect web shop offers rapid response from technicians and top-notch support since they are using the same database as customers. They’re just a click away from accessing a machine’s history, helping them find a solution faster.

There’s an additional perk – the advanced platform offers the same standard configuration across 25 countries. Since its recent launch, customers and employees have reaped the benefits. “The shop worked brilliantly from day one,” Wahl says. “Lenovo configured it to prevent mistakes and it’s simple for people to work with. We get the exact devices that are right for the job.”

Standardization delivers us real efficiency gains. With the same Lenovo devices worldwide, we know we can roll out the same software everywhere.

ThinkPad P71

Smooth transition boosts up efficiency

The entire transition was carefully prepared. "One of our big challenges was to coordinate the delivery of the products, as they are too valuable to leave just outside the door waiting to be delivered to our internal customers. Together with Lenovo we could schedule the delivery from China in a perfect manner," says Wahl.

Another bold step was to combine the hardware rollout with the new Windows 10 migration. This was one of the very first rollouts in Austria on a large scale. To ensure the rollout went smoothly on sitesworldwide, ENGEL deployed local administrators at sites worldwide.

In the end, how did the hardware measure up? Offering worldwide availability and standards, the Lenovo products achieved ENGEL’s main goal of creating just one custom image across all their models. "The devices are compact and the cables are shorter. As a result, the desks are uncluttered now and the employees are enjoying the great user experience," explains Wahl.

Looking forward

And the result? ENGEL now has a simpler IT infrastructure, with leaner operations and maintenance costs. The company benefits from huge savings not only on device costs, but also on administration and manpower. The Webshop solution has standardized ENGEL’s worldwide IT purchasing, giving the company a pre-defined hardware portfolio for its more than 30 branch offices.

ENGEL is expanding fast. In fact, the company grew by 20% over the course of the project. As digital transformation accelerates, ENGEL is one step ahead. With its new technology provided by Lenovo, ENGEL is setting innovative standards in machinery manufacturing while providing rapid solutions and support to customers worldwide.

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