Günther Zierath GmbH

In the digitalisation process of the mirror manufacturer Zierath, customX plays an important role.

For around 40 years, Günther Zierath GmbH in Georgsmarienhütte near Osnabrück (Germany) has been a premium partner in the sanitary industry: the manufacturer produces high-quality mirrors in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and ensures the optimal mirror image through variable light sources. In the course of switching to a new sales model, the company was looking for a configuration solution that would make ordering easier for its specialised trade partners. With customX, a scalable solution was found that also opens up many possibilities for the future.

Targets

As part of the newly developed sales model, customers - specialists and wholesale traders - were to be given the opportunity to order individual mirrors directly from the website so that the entire process from order receipt to delivery note could be carried out digitally.

Implementation

Due to a lack of personnel capacities, customX took over the creation of the rules and regulations. Now, only 8 months after commissioning, the configurator is online in the webshop. From there, the order is automatically sent to the merchandise management system and the manufacturing data sent directly to production.

Conclusion

Zierath sees itself well equipped for the future with customX and will continue to expand the system. An access option for end customers is planned, as is the expansion to mirror cabinets with the automatic creation of BIM data.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall …

If Zierath mirrors had already existed in the land of fairy tales, the queen would not have had to chase after Snow White at all. The mirror would have shown her in which light she could present herself to be incomparable in every respect. "Of course, the optimum quality of the mirror glass is essential," explains plant manager Benjamin Ganser. "But the brightness and colour temperature of the light play a decisive role. That's why light is an important component of our products." It's not just about dimensions and shapes, edge design and suspension. A Zierath mirror can do much more: the manufacturer offers different lighting solutions: sockets can be integrated on the top or on the sides, heating prevents fogging, and it’s even possible to charge a mobile phone at the mirror.

Quality made in Germany

Günther Zierath GmbH has been manufacturing mirrors for the premium segment since 1981 and is always more than one step ahead of the competition with respect to ideas, innovations and outstanding quality. Although glass and accessories are purchased externally, design and production take place in Georgsmarienhütte, where around 50 employees take care of marketing and sales, customer service, production and shipping.

Online shop and configurator wanted

In 2019, the company founder Günther Zierath developed a new sales model together with his daughter Alina and plant manager Benjamin Ganser, who now run the business together. The mirror solutions were to be sold both through wholesalers and specialist retail partners. Customers would order electronically, so that the process from receipt of order to delivery note could be handled digitally. The new website would have an online shop, and best of all, customers would be able to configure their dream mirror directly on the website.

Quick decision for customX

The consultant from MuM's office in Osnabrück was included in the discussion, because he knows the company and knows the questions that are relevant for CAD and digitisation. Benjamin Ganser is enthusiastic: "He simply understands what makes us tick. He only asked a few questions and then presented customX to us. The decision-making process took about ten minutes, then we were sure that we would invest here."

Speeding up construction

We felt we were in good hands at all times. We expect a significant increase in the efficiency and speed of the constructive processes with the new configurator.

Benjamin Ganser

Plant Manager, Günther Zierath GmbH

Software, rules and service

customX is a configuration solution for the engineering of variants. This is based on a set of rules that the company can build itself. No programming knowledge is required to define minimum and maximum dimensions, permissible values, dependencies, etc. - the software guides the user safely through the necessary entries. Nevertheless, Benjamin Ganser decided to have the experts at customX create the set of rules: "We didn't have the personnel capacities. Besides, the configurator still had to be integrated into the online shop on the website."

Getting going

The first version of the "Exclusive Zierath Configurator" went online only eight months after it was commissioned. Via three key functions - basic shapes, lighting and options - the software guides users through the configuration. The resulting mirror is displayed as a two-dimensional drawing or as a 3D view. This way, even laymen can quickly get an idea of their future mirror. Sales partners receive the price of the configured mirror directly and can order it with just a few clicks.

All the engineering documents

The order automatically runs into the merchandise management system, is given a project number there, and the customer receives an order confirmation. All the documents needed for production arrive in the production department: dimensioned 2D drawings, 3D views, parts lists and even files that can be read directly into the plotter to mark the back of the mirrors with the markings for suspension rails, drill holes, transformers and other components.

A project with a future

In this first version of the configurator, configuration, price queries and data storage are only possible for sales partners. In future, however, end customers will also be able to save their desired configuration and order it from the specialist dealer of their choice using a code. Likewise, mirror cabinets, which will be part of the Zierath portfolio from 2021, will be configurable, and object planners and architects will receive the results as BIM data on request. "This is an agile project," says Benjamin Ganser. "It will probably never be finished."

A partner as flexible as the software

It is clear to the whole team that Zierath has backed the right horse with customX - on the one hand, because the company is ideally positioned for future requirements with this technology, and on the other hand, because of the support. "Due to the simultaneous development of the online shop and the configurator, there were constant changes in the ongoing project," says Benjamin Ganser. "The team of customX and MuM dealt with this very professionally. We felt we were in good hands at all times. We expect a significant increase in the efficiency and speed of the constructive processes with the new configurator. This, combined with the fact that our specialist partners can configure the mirrors themselves according to their customers' wishes, means we can offer our customers even better service."

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