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Wolfgang Winstel, CEOEstablished in 2001, the company specializes in providing solutions for manufacturing organizations. “We focus on the manufacturing industries and our modules include tool-based purchasing and sourcing operations where buyers can ensure they procure their direct materials at the best price from the best suppliers,” opines Winstel. An important aspect is the capability to integrate with the client’s ERP system in order to handle the seamless transfer of the material master, vendor master, and other data and allow for the automatic transmission of documents. “If needed POOL4TOOL can also connect with multiple ERP systems and map the records of the different data bases in one consolidated view,” states Winstel.
Key to the platform is its eSourcing Portal. The platform offers the necessary capabilities to perform Requests for Quotation (RFQ) which suppliers receive and answer via a supplier portal. An important feature for clients in the manufacturing industries is the support for complex cost breakdowns. A direct material request for quotation will often require extensive information. The ability to process all of this, conduct background calculations, present a comparison of bids to the buyer—and even allow the development and analysis of multiple scenarios for planning purposes—is essential for effective decision making.
POOL4TOOL is a cloud-based comprehensive platform with sophisticated modules for purchasing and their adjacent departments that is cost-effective and time-saving
The POOL4TOOL SCM portal offers Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) connections in two ways. Classic EDI, which allows customers to build one-to-one EDI connections with their suppliers and Web EDI, which allows the suppliers to log on and see or create documents in an easy to operate graphical user interface.
Finally, Winstel highlights the case of an automotive supplier. The client has 25 buyers charged with managing the purchase requisitions of 250+ engineers. Their challenges included receiving requisition information in the form of countless spreadsheets and documents, which then had to be manually sent to suppliers—using emails for price requests. “Since the client implemented our POOL4TOOL platform, all three parties, the engineers, the buyers, and the suppliers are now on one platform and all operations are performed automated and online, saving time and providing a faster sourcing process while avoiding errors,” explains Winstel.
Forging ahead, POOL4TOOL will extend their eSourcing capabilities by providing a comparison of bid price points with market index data, and leverage big data analytics functionality—improving insight into spend and performance. “We will continue to focus on providing an all-in-one solution with enhanced features and modules,” concludes Winstel.
