voestalpineWebshop

Steel is complex – in production and logistics, but also in service and sales. In sales, for example, material requirements, availability, transport capacity, standards and much more all need to be reconciled. A single order can therefore take several hours to process.

Together with the Product Data System and the Customer Service Centre, the voestalpine webshop forms a responsive, integrated digital infrastructure that makes selected products from the voestalpine Steel Division accessible to customers while making sales processes more efficient at the same time.

The webshop was first presented to a select group of customers in 2024. At that stage, the focus was still on the exclusive sale of steel sheets. Since then, the option to have these steel sheets cut to size has been added. This digital cutting service allows customers to choose from predefined length options and order the steel sheets according to their required length.

In 2026, the range was further expanded to include coils – that is, rolls of sheet steel – so that even more products can now be sold through the digital sales channel. This means greater turnover and efficiency for the voestalpine Steel Division and greater flexibility for its customers, from mechanical engineering through to construction.

Incorporating the coils called for a delicate touch and a highly integrative development process. The challenge was to abstract this highly individual and complex product group, along with its ordering processes, in such a way that the complexity is not felt by the customer at the front end.

To meet this challenge, the process, architecture and SAP teams of the voestalpine Steel Division were involved in the development, contributing their expertise on the systems and processes that make up the ordering process.

A further challenge in developing the webshop was balancing the differing development speeds of the front end and the back end. This was achieved through the use of dcupl – a tool that makes it possible to advance front-end development independently of back-end development.

Use of the webshop is reserved for selected customer segments. Before customers are granted access, they are set up in SAP and go through an onboarding process to ensure that all data – such as delivery locations – is correctly recorded and that orders can be processed smoothly.

Once logged in, customers can see all the products relevant to them and the quantities available. The availability data and product details are fed directly from the voestalpine Steel Division's SAP system. The product range displayed is tailored individually to the customer's industry and use cases.

The voestalpine webshop delivers a range of benefits and received a great deal of positive feedback from employees and customers alike when it was presented:

• voestalpine gains an additional sales channel

• Pricing and ordering options can be structured with far greater flexibility

• Available products can be accessed around the clock

• Orders can be processed more quickly

• Buyers who prefer to purchase online are better catered for

• The product range can be made accessible to additional target groups

• Customers find suitable products more quickly

• Customers can easily see what has been purchased and place follow-up orders

The benefits proved so compelling that work is already under way on the webshop's future roadmap. Plans include bringing further products into the shop and offering auction features for the purchase of coils. Customers with special requirements will still have the option of placing orders in the traditional way. In short: a win-win for all concerned.