Festo has been working with SoftconCIS since 2017. Today, WebCIS supports various departments in analyzing global procurement data, measuring purchasing performance, and quickly providing relevant information for management reporting and supplier negotiations.

The experiences of Martin Kugel from Business Controlling Operations and Daniel Diez from Global Purchasing Category Polymers highlight two different perspectives on the use of WebCIS – from overarching procurement controlling to the day-to-day work of strategic purchasing.

The Company

Festo SE & Co. KG is an internationally operating, family-owned technology company headquartered in Esslingen am Neckar, Germany. The company develops solutions for industrial automation and is one of the established global providers in this field.

With its international footprint, broad supplier base, and extensive product portfolio, Festo’s procurement organization handles large volumes of data.

To make this data usable for analysis, supplier management, and management decision-making, a high level of data transparency and flexible analytical capabilities are essential.

How the Collaboration Began

The collaboration with SoftconCIS started in 2017 as part of a tender for global spend analysis and procurement performance measurement.

SoftconCIS initially presented the SpendCube solution to Festo. This was followed by a proof of concept to evaluate the solution in practice.

According to Martin Kugel, the key factors behind Festo’s decision were SoftconCIS’s procurement expertise, the usability of the tool, and the manageable implementation effort.

The rollout ultimately began at the end of 2017.

„WebCIS adds value by providing quick and clear access to information on prices, suppliers, quantities, and more.“

Daniel Diez - Global Purchasing Category Polymers, Festo SE & Co. KG

From Global Spend to Individual Part Numbers

Today, Festo primarily uses the MM and FI modules as well as various dashboards within WebCIS.

While Business Controlling focuses on topics such as global spend analyses and management reporting, day-to-day operational use often involves very specific questions.

For Daniel Diez, analyses at part and supplier level are particularly relevant. By entering a part number or supplier number, the required information can be accessed quickly and used, for example, to prepare for supplier meetings.

Individual Dashboards for Specific Requirements

In addition to standard analyses, WebCIS allows users to create their own dashboards tailored to individual requirements.

Daniel Diez, for example, uses a self-created dashboard to prepare for supplier meetings. It brings together relevant charts and links the reports that are most important to him, ensuring that the required information is immediately available.

Dashboards also play an important role in Controlling, where they are used to visualize spend developments and prepare reports for management.

One of the key benefits for Festo is the speed at which extensive procurement information can be analyzed. Instead of having to compile data separately for each individual question, different levels of detail are directly available within WebCIS.

Martin Kugel particularly highlights the time savings achieved through fast and detailed analyses in the SpendCube. At the same time, the solution provides a reliable foundation for evaluating procurement performance.

„WebCIS creates greater transparency and provides a reliable data foundation. Queries and dashboards can also be shared with colleagues.“

Martin Kugel, Business Controlling Operations, Festo SE & Co. KG

A Collaborative Partnership

In addition to the software itself, Festo also values the collaboration with SoftconCIS. Over the years, various projects have been implemented together and new requirements have been continuously addressed.

Requests can be submitted in a structured way via a ticketing system and handled promptly. Festo particularly appreciates the strong collaboration and the solution-oriented approach to individual requirements.

„A highly committed and friendly team that works with a strong focus on finding solutions.“

Martin Kugel, Business Controlling Operations, Festo SE & Co. KG

Outlook

Festo intends to continue its collaboration with SoftconCIS in the years ahead and further expand its use of WebCIS.

Alongside the continuous optimization of existing functions, the use of artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly important focus. Looking ahead, this opens up new opportunities to further automate analyses, identify anomalies at an earlier stage, and provide users with more targeted support when interpreting large volumes of data.

At the same time, existing functionalities are to be further developed so that historical trends, quantity analyses, and exports can be used even more flexibly.

Close collaboration between Festo users and the SoftconCIS team will remain essential. Insights from day-to-day use provide valuable input for continuously adapting WebCIS to new requirements in procurement controlling and strategic purchasing.

The Result

With WebCIS, Festo now has a central solution that combines global spend analyses, management reporting, and detailed evaluations at part and supplier level.

This enables both overarching developments and specific day-to-day procurement questions to be analyzed quickly and on a sound data basis.

„These insights being available in one place and at a glance makes our daily work much easier.“

Daniel Diez – Global Purchasing Category Polymers, Festo SE & Co. KG

Individual dashboards and shared queries also make it possible to efficiently share knowledge and analyses throughout the organization.

At the same time, fast access to relevant data reduces manual analysis effort and creates more time to assess results and derive the right actions.

WebCIS therefore supports Festo on both a strategic and operational level, providing a shared and reliable foundation for analysis, reporting, and well-informed procurement decisions.