Customer Testimonial
Rock-Solid Procurement Processes – Schone & Bruns Masters Digital Workflows with easy DMS
about Schone & Bruns
Schone & Bruns GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in Meppen, is a leading steel construction company with around 340 employees. The company specializes in the design, fabrication and assembly of steel structures, particularly for the chemical industry and bridge construction. It processes approximately 13,500 tonnes of steel each year.
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rock-solid procurement processes
In the world of heavy steel construction, precision and reliability are essential. Schone und Bruns GmbH & Co. KG from Meppen demonstrate that these virtues must not end at the workshop door. Together with easy, the company is transforming its procurement processes from a traditional filing system into a transparent, dynamic digital workflow.
When Christian Todt, Head of Procurement at Schone und Bruns, talks about his company, one thing becomes immediately clear: this is a business that moves massive volumes. The long-established Emsland-based company processes around 13,500 tonnes of steel each year. Whether complex pipe bridges for the chemical industry or impressive traffic bridges – the projects are as individual as they are demanding. This individuality is also reflected in internal processes.
“We don’t do anything serial,” emphasizes Todt. “Every construction project has its own dynamics.”
from archive to active workflow
Schone und Bruns began working with easy several years ago by digitalizing incoming invoice processing with easy invoice and implementing the digital archive system easy archive. All software solutions are integrated into the ERP system Microsoft Dynamics NAV (Navision). In recent years, the integration of easy DMS has transformed passive document storage into an active workflow that now forms the backbone of procurement.
The process starts at work preparation. When requirements for steel quantities, quality grades and cutting lists are generated, easy DMS serves as the central information hub.
“We use the stored documents to manage our inquiries directly with suppliers,”
explains Todt. Once the most cost-effective supplier has been selected and the order is triggered in Navision, the related documents are automatically archived in easy archive during the print process. The key advantage: all subsequent documents such as quotations, order confirmations and delivery schedules are added to the same transaction. This creates a complete digital file for every procurement process.
Transparency as a Strategic Advantage
For the company in Meppen, the benefits are obvious. In an environment where adherence to deadlines determines the success of large-scale assembly projects, lack of information is a significant risk factor.
“The main advantage is that multiple departments can access data without having to make constant phone inquiries,”
says Christian Todt. This transparency is essential for project coordination and execution. All employees – both at headquarters in Meppen and on construction sites – can see the current status of material orders and associated delivery times at any moment.
Lennart Nehus, a dual student at Schone und Bruns, also sees digitization as the key to managing complex projects:
“With large projects involving many sub-steps and assemblies, we simply couldn’t keep up using Excel spreadsheets in the past. Today, we can continuously track our progress.”
The Human Side of Digitalization
However, technology is only one side of the coin. Schone und Bruns employs around 340 people, many of whom have been working on construction sites across Germany for decades. Here, digital innovation meets established working practices. The challenge: even a delivery note arriving on a construction site must find its way into the system.
Christian Todt knows that digitization also requires persuasion:
“People who have been working on construction sites for 40 years don’t necessarily like the idea of suddenly having to scan documents.”
Clear responsibilities and, at times, a certain level of process discipline are required to prevent gaps in the digital chain.
Looking Ahead – First the Foundation, Then the Extras
Topics such as artificial intelligence (AI) and further automation are already being discussed at Schone und Bruns – but are evaluated with down-to-earth pragmatism. For Lennart Nehus, who extensively examined the digitalization of work processes in his bachelor’s thesis, the foundation must be solid:
“The basic model has to be in place so that processes are traceable. Only then do AI solutions really make sens.”
With construction projects at Schone und Bruns being highly individual, the human factor in procurement and planning remains crucial. easy’s document management provides the flexible framework needed to channel these individual requirements into structured processes.
Schone und Bruns clearly demonstrate that digitalization in medium-sized businesses is not an end in itself, but a tool for creating transparency and making the complexity of modern steel construction projects easier to manage.
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How DMS & AI are rocking companies
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Especially for a company of our size, it is crucial to always know the status of our different process steps – moving away from confusing Excel spreadsheets toward genuine traceability.
Christian Todt,
Head of Procurement, Schone & Bruns GmbH & Co. KG
