Sonepar Deutschland GmbH

Sonepar is an independent, family-run company and the global market leader in B-to-B distribution of electrical products, solutions and services with turnover achieved of 33.3 billion euros in 2023.

Present in 40 countries with a dense network of different brands, the Group pursues the ambitious transformation goal of making its customers’ lives easier by offering them a shopping experience across all sales channels and sustainable solutions in the building, industry and energy sectors. Sonepar’s 45,000 employees are committed to driving the electrification of the world and are driven by a common purpose: We drive progress for future generations.

Challenges

Sonepar, the leading electrical wholesaler in Germany, is relying on the expertise of Slimstock to optimise its supply chain and inventory management. As part of the world-leading Sonepar Group, Sonepar Deutschland GmbH is following in the footsteps of numerous companies in the Group that have already been working successfully with Slim4 for years. The special feature of the project is the parallel introduction of Slim4 and the SAP S/4HANA ERP system. This is because the gradual go-live is even planned for the same day in some Sonepar regions.

Thanks to Slimstock’s support, the electrical wholesaler has successfully mastered this challenge and implemented Slim4 in its first four central warehouses. After just a few weeks of significant improvements, Sonepar Germany decided to advance with the rollout across the remaining three central warehouses.

The implementation of Slim4 at Sonepar in Germany is fully in line with the Group’s core model and is driving forward the international networking and harmonisation of IT systems. In Germany, the electrical wholesaler is pursuing the goal of using digitalisation to create real-time availability of all relevant supply chain data in order to enable the transition from manual work steps to system-controlled process support. The network of the Sonepar world offers the advantage of being able to fall back on existing, standardised measures, reports and tasks.

Successful Parallel Implementation Between SAP & Slim4

When introducing the Slimstock solution, Sonepar opted for a phased model that initially envisaged the gradual integration of selected suppliers. The starting signal for this was given at the beginning of April 2024 with the go-live of Slim4 in the central warehouse in Frankfurt, which contains around 36,000 items.

“Our high expectations of Slim4 were quickly fulfilled in live operation. Just four weeks later, we therefore fully activated the next warehouse in Dortmund with 46,000 items,” explains Holger Schaper, Head of Supply Chain Planning and authorised signatory at Sonepar Deutschland GmbH.

At the beginning of July, Slim4 and SAP went live simultaneously in the two central warehouses in the southern region, which went smoothly despite all the associated challenges. Not least thanks to the comprehensive support of the Slimstock team:

“The on-site support from Slimstock offered us a completely different quality of advice than is possible with remote appointments, for example. The team looked directly over the shoulders of our employees, was closely involved in our day-to-day business and was therefore able to offer us specific solutions tailored to our needs,” says Johann Ackermann, Manager Supply Chain Planning at Sonepar Deutschland/Region West GmbH.

Holger Schaper adds: “We have also received nothing but positive feedback from our international colleagues at Sonepar and respect for the fact that we have made such rapid progress with the introduction so far and, above all, have already achieved such good results.”

 

First Results Visible after a Short Time

Sonepar is already seeing positive inventory changes at the first locations where the SaaS solution from Slimstock has been in use for a few weeks now. For example, there has already been a pleasing downward curve in the area of excess stock, which is one of Sonepar’s main objectives with the introduction of Slim4.

The improvements brought about by the Slimstock solution are also clearly noticeable on the process side.

“We have really made quantum leaps with Slim4. Instead of having to laboriously search for the required information, everything is now clearly available at a glance,” says Johann Ackermann.

The intelligent software not only speeds up and simplifies the standard processes involved in ordering goods but also identifies stock exceptions at an early stage, thereby increasing responsiveness. As a result, employees in daily business know directly what needs to be done and can take targeted corrective action at the necessary points.

“With Slim4, scarce time resources are used effectively to solve problems and minimise risks, which ultimately leads to significant added value in inventory optimisation,” says Johann Ackermann.

Expansion of Slim4 Use in Supply Planning

Overall, the implementation of Slim4 to date has already brought the electrical wholesaler a big step forwards. Sonepar in Germany would like to build on this in the future and is already planning the next steps. In February next year, the company is not only planning the parallel go-live of Slim4 and SAP in the last three central warehouses in northern Germany. The company would also like to extend the use of the supply chain planning software beyond this and gradually convert its 200 or so branches in Germany to the Slimstock solution.

“We are delighted that a global player like Sonepar has decided in favour of the further rollout of our Slim4 platform and is now also relying on our solutions in Germany. It makes us all the more proud that our experience and expertise is being trusted during a challenging time of transformation, when a new ERP system is being introduced in parallel,” concludes Rob Van Der Heiden, International Business Development Director at Slimstock.

Sonepar in Germany

In Germany, Sonepar supports customers from trade, commerce and industry as an equal partner with customer-orientated solutions: high-quality products and systems paired with a comprehensive range of services.

We are driven by a passion for customised solutions and focus on the needs of our customers: open, courageous and always fair. Over 5,000 employees at around 200 locations throughout Germany enrich Sonepar with their skills, expertise and personalities. We shape today and in the future and drive progress together.