Kemppi embarked on several major modernization efforts at the same time. Known as a pioneer in the welding sector, the company is the first in a traditionally conservative industry to promote digitalization and the adoption of innovations. The driving forces behind the change were a refreshed brand and digitalization of all of the company's marketing activities. The online service modernization implemented by Crasman was the point where the two processes intersected.

At Kemppi, we set out to modernize several processes and tools at one time to enable us to have modern lead generation and targeted marketing. A further goal was to digitalize and streamline online publication, and to save time by moving material management from networked disks to a single, centralized system.

Päivi Talonen, Marketing Director

Client need

The new online service provided the first large-scale exposure for the new brand, and it represents the very best in marketing digitalization. Kemppi also decided to stop using product brochures designed by professional graphic artists and instead invest in automatic brochure design, which was implemented in conjunction with the new website. The transition from print to a digital publication format led to immediate and permanent savings in terms of printing costs. It is also no longer necessary to update the layout whenever product information changes.

The previous online service was running on a hopelessly outdated technical platform, and the client wanted to replace it with a secure system that would enable easy content management, integrated material management, and agile further development.

Our solution

Known as a pioneer in the welding sector, Kemppi is the first in a traditionally conservative industry to promote digitalization and the adoption of innovations. The client also wanted to promote IoT, cloud services, and new services and products that rely heavily on data in an up-to-date manner that served the client's customer base. Kemppi also understands the change in the B2B purchasing process and the consequent implications for its digital presence.

The modernization of the online service and material management solution was initiated at an early stage while the brand revamp was still in progress. Talonen, who had previously carried out major online service projects, wanted to involve the technical implementation partner at an early stage so it could participate in conceptualization and give its comments on the user interface design. The whole project was driven forward under Kemppi's leadership, while three main partners worked on a single entity. Crasman was responsible for the technical implementation of the online service and material management solution, while Hill + Knowlton Strategies took care of the brand work, and Nitro, an advertising agency, handled the concept and visual design. Avaus Marketing took responsibility for the marketing automation solution in the online service.

Implementation

First, Kemppi deployed the Crasman Studio material management solution, for which superuser training was arranged in fall 2015. After a strict qualification process, a very large volume of Kemppi's digital material was placed on the system, and some of this is used as content for the new online service. Material management and carefully entered metadata will support the subsequent maintenance of the system. These factors laid an important foundation for the next phase of the project.

The technical development of the online service continued until early 2016 alongside intensive content production. The service was systematically tested on several occasions: firstly with functional testing and then, closer to publication, with a test focusing on browser and device compatibility.

Kemppi's online service solution is unique thanks to its seamless integration with material management and strong centralized database solution for managing product data.

The new online service solution has enabled Kemppi to save significant amounts of time, leading to direct cost savings. We have succeeded in reducing the time spent on keeping information up to date, and we have also completely automated the laborious process of making product brochures. Our sales network and end customers benefit from up-to-date information, all of which is now available in one place in several languages. Crasman's team was able to offer added value in addition to technical implementation – it is important for our partners to understand our business and the tangible benefits that Kemppi can realize using digital solutions.

Päivi Talonen, Marketing Director