thyssenkrupp Materials Services sets milestone in B2B E-Commerce: New online portal goes live

• Access to the range of the largest materials distributor and service provider in Germany at the click of a mouse
• E-Commerce accelerates further expansion of omnichannel strategy
• Digital transformation all the way: seamless interaction of artificial intelligence and online shop

To better meet the needs of commercial customers, thyssenkrupp Materials Services is expanding its online business: Effective immediately, thyssenkrupp Schulte, a subsidiary of the materials distribution and service provider, will launch a B2B portal throughout Germany at portal.thyssenkrupp-schulte.de. In a first step, the new digital offer is aimed at existing customers in the metal processing industry and trade. The B2B portal gives customers of Germany's biggest materials distributor access to the company's complete standard range of around 17,000 products in 57 categories – quick and easy with one click of a mouse, around the clock and seven days a week.

Online portal made to measure

In the B2B web shop, detailed information on each product can be found – from the availability and price of the goods to material data sheets. Possible quantity discounts can also be identified at a glance. As soon as the customer selects a product and places it in the shopping cart, the expected delivery time is displayed. Standard materials are usually delivered within 24 to 48 hours. "Our new B2B portal is simple and intuitive to use, makes shopping convenient and thus makes our customers' day-to-day business easier," says Michael Bäuerlein, Head of Digitalization and E-Commerce at thyssenkrupp Schulte.

Active on all channels

With the new B2B portal, Materials Services is taking the next important step towards implementing their omnichannel concept. The materials expert is continuously expanding the order options for customers – for example, since the end of 2018 the "easy supply" app has made it possible to order materials via smartphone. Whether by app, phone, fax, e-mail or now at portal.thyssenkrupp-schulte.de – the aim is to meet customers' requirements across all channels with tailor-made offers and services. "We want to offer our customers individual access to our product portfolio and an optimal shopping experience – across all channels and independent of time and place," says Martin Stillger, CEO of thyssenkrupp Schulte.

thyssenkrupp plans to continuously expand the B2B web portal and complement it with additional convenience functions for all customer groups. In the future, for example, customers will be able to retrieve and manage various documents themselves – from delivery notes to certifications. In addition, new customers will also be able to access the platform in the long term.

Digital transformation on the whole line

With the new B2B portal, thyssenkrupp Materials Services is systematically continuing its digitalization initiative – holistically and integrated. For example, in 2019 the materials distributor integrated artificial intelligence (AI) into its business processes: "alfred" is helping to dynamically manage the global logistics network with 271 warehouse locations and more than 150,000 products and services. The AI solution is also connected with the new B2B web portal and continuously analyzes the order items received in the online shop using this as a basis to determine the ideal transport and delivery routes to supply customers with the ordered goods in the best possible way.