Zollner Elektronik has selected Luminovo, a quoting, procurement, and collaboration software for the electronics supply chain, as a core partner for its digitalisation strategy. The additional time capacity gained would be used to focus on the diverse needs of its customers.
The two companies would build on their collaboration that led to the launch of Zollner’s RapidSample prototyping portal in August 2022.
Thomas Schreiner, CFO at Zollner Elektronik AG, explains: “When we started with our prototyping portal, we asked ourselves: are our customers ready for a browser-native digital interface to process their BOMs and interact with Zollner? And can we bring this to life while maintaining the highest level of quality and professionalism our customers have come to expect from Zollner? I’m happy to say that a year and a half later, the answer to both is a resounding yes.”
“The COVID supply chain crisis showed everyone the damage and disruption that can be caused by a lack of transparency brought on by supply chain data locked in Excel and on-premise ERPs,” says Sebastian Schaal, Founder of Luminovo. “Add to this the shortage of qualified labour, and it becomes obvious that investment in process automation, enabled by software such as ours, is the only feasible option to cope with the expected growth in the electronics industry over the next years.”
But saving effort and costs through more process automation isn’t the only goal for Luminovo and Zollner.
Timon Ruban, Luminovo’s second founder, adds: “By digitising Zollner’s customer interface, we are enabling a never-before-seen collaboration across company boundaries, from OEM to EMS provider, to distributors and chip manufacturers. There is a new generation of procurement professionals in the electronics industry that grew up with modern ‘Amazon-like’ buying experiences, and they expect the same experience, with maximum speed and transparency from their suppliers today.”
Zollner and Luminovo plan to expand their customer collaboration portal from handling prototypes to managing series production. They aim to improve speed and transparency not only during the request for quotation (RfQ) phase but also at other key interaction points between EMS and its customers, such as monitoring inventory levels and updating demand forecasts.
Markus Aschenbrenner, Member of the board at Zollner, concludes: “In a few year’s time, having a customer collaboration portal will be the norm, not the exception, in the EMS industry. By pioneering this new type of collaboration with our customers, Zollner is positioning itself at the forefront of this movement in the EMS industry, and we’re excited to continue to partner with Luminovo to make these innovations a reality.”
