Thomas Schreiner, CFO of Zollner Elektronik, explains: "When we started our prototyping portal, we asked ourselves: Are our customers ready for a web-based, digital interface to edit their parts lists and interact with Zollner? And can we make this happen while maintaining the highest level of quality and professionalism that our customers expect from Zollner? I am pleased to say that a year and a half later, the answer to both is a resounding yes."

"The Covid-induced supply chain crisis has shown everyone the damage and disruption that can be caused by a lack of visibility when supply chain data is stored in Excel and on-premise ERP systems," says Sebastian Schaal, founder of Luminovo. "When you then consider the shortage of skilled labor, it becomes clear that investing in process automation like our software is the only viable option to manage the expected growth in the electronics industry over the next few years."

Better collaboration across company boundaries

Saving effort and costs through more process automation is not the only goal of Luminovo and Zollner: Timon Ruban, Co-Founder of Luminovo, adds: "By digitizing the interface between Zollner and their customers, we enable an unprecedented level of collaboration across company boundaries, from OEMs and EMS providers to distributors and chip manufacturers. We have a new generation of procurement professionals in the electronics industry who have grown up with modern 'Amazon-like' shopping experiences and who expect the same experience with maximum speed and transparency from their suppliers."

The next goals on Zollner and Luminovo's joint agenda are to extend the customer portal from prototypes to series production and to increase speed and transparency beyond the request for quotation stage to other common touchpoints between EMS providers and their customers, such as monitoring stock levels and updating demand forecasts.

"Customer portals in the EMS industry are becoming the norm"

Markus Aschenbrenner, Member of the Management Board at Zollner, summarizes: "In a few years, customer portals will be the norm for collaboration in the EMS industry, not the exception. By driving this new way of working with our customers, Zollner is positioning itself at the forefront of this movement in the EMS industry. We look forward to working with Luminovo to make these innovations a reality."