BACHL – German quality since 1926

The BACHL Group is active in a wide variety of business areas, including construction services such as building and civil engineering, services in concrete and granite works, as well as the production of insulation materials, foils, packaging, doors, and windows. Even three car dealerships belong to BACHL. Thus, the BACHL Group is a sales service provider for everything related to the construction sector. The group's headquarters are located in Röhrnbach, Lower Bavaria. In total, BACHL employs over 3,000 people throughout Europe.

How did the collaboration between BACHL and SIGEL come about?

Before the Smartpro e-procurement shop was introduced at the BACHL Group, the procurement of printed materials – mainly business cards – was relatively time-consuming. Prior to Smartpro's implementation, business cards had to be requested from the marketing team via email when needed. To ensure compliance with the corporate identity, up to three proof-reading cycles were sent between the different parties until the final print version was ready. Subsequently, the digital template for the business cards had to be sent to print, and the finished cards were then available in the office for employees to pick up. Promotional items were previously procured through an annual survey and a corresponding annual order. The ordered items then had to be stored at the marketing team's office or even in employees' homes until they were needed.

Advantages of an online-based web2print shop

Over time, ordering business cards and promotional items became a major time and organizational effort for everyone involved. "Since we manage over 30 locations in Germany alone and 40 across Europe, we were looking for an online-based solution to equip all employees with business cards," says Andreas Spannbauer. Another advantage of an online web2print shop like Smartpro is that private addresses can also be stored. This allows for printed and promotional materials to be sent directly to the employees who need them.

Introducing Smartpro in the company

Andreas Spannbauer was involved in the introduction of Smartpro from the very beginning. In an initial meeting, BACHL's needs and requirements were discussed, and it was determined which products should be offered in the shop. Based on this information, BACHL received a customized offer from SIGEL, which was ultimately used for the implementation of the shop. The initial focus was on business cards; the topic of promotional items was addressed two years later.

Business cards and promotional items in corporate design

The templates for the business cards were integrated into the Smartpro shop in just two months. For this, only the necessary data had to be collected in an Excel document and then imported. The introduction of promotional items took about six months, as a selection of the items to be offered had to be made first. Additionally, the group had to decide which employees could order promotional items and where they would be temporarily stored – at BACHL or at SIGEL. Currently, about 62 products are available in BACHL's Smartpro shop. Meanwhile, 424 users and 85 user groups have access to the shop and can place orders there.

Among others, these products are available in BACHL's Smartpro shop:

• Business cards
• Notepads
• Pens
• USB drives
• Umbrellas
• Baseball caps
• Measuring tapes
• Bottle openers
• Beach balls
• Tote bags
• Straw hats
• Cooler bags

Making Smartpro accessible to all employees

To ensure a smooth rollout of Smartpro at BACHL, every employee with a user account was provided with ordering instructions for business cards and promotional items. The first 200 users also received two online workshops where they were introduced to the Smartpro shop.

How are orders managed in Smartpro?

To avoid storing too many promotional items, BACHL first surveys the demand. A module is used for this, which triggers a background inquiry in the shop before an actual order is placed. The inquiries from various users are collected, and only then is a large order placed. This way, unnecessary storage costs and times can be avoided as much as possible.

What advantages does Smartpro offer the BACHL Group?

By introducing Smartpro, BACHL's marketing team achieves significant time savings. Employees can now directly request business cards and have them delivered to their homes. While the procurement of cards previously took up to three weeks, employees now have their freshly printed cards in hand in less than seven days, thanks to Smartpro. All promotional items are clearly visible in the shop. In addition, Smartpro has a budget display that shows how much of the planned budget has already been spent and how much is still available. According to Andreas Spannbauer, Smartpro has been very well received by the employees of the BACHL Group: "We repeatedly receive positive feedback on the increased speed of the new system. The clear layout of the shop with images and information on the different colors and variations of the individual products also makes the work of our colleagues easier." Currently, a module for personalizing promotional items is also being integrated into the shop.

Redefining promotional item procurement with SIGEL Smartpro

Would you like to follow the BACHL Group's example and bring organization and clarity to your promotional item procurement? With Smartpro, you can simplify your employees' daily work and save valuable time. We would be happy to advise you in a non-binding informational meeting.