The ongoing optimisation of its e-commerce presence is a key sales and marketing objective for Erwin Halder KG. As a leading manufacturer in the fields of standard parts, workpiece clamping, aviation products, hand tools and hunting, Halder serves a wide range of target groups in international markets with an extremely broad product range, thereby significantly increasing its online sales. This constellation constantly gives rise to new requirements for the underlying e-commerce solution.
Halder has been relying on INFOLOX for PIM, online, print and e-commerce for over 12 years. This continuity enables constant optimisation of the overall solution and the technologies used, while making full use of the experience gained together. Consistency and innovation thus go hand in hand.
With over a million content objects in 21 languages, different product worlds for different target groups, each with its own design, and market-specific e-commerce implementations, Halder's PIM implementation, online catalogue and web shop place special demands on the technologies used and the solution partner responsible.
Since 2023, the INFOLOX Omnichannel Box has not only been rebranded as the INFOLOX PXP Product Experience Platform, but has also undergone a gradual yet consistent expansion of its technologies towards MACH (microservices, API-driven, cloud, headless) – a development that benefits both long-standing INFOLOX customers and new customers alike.
Following the relaunch, Halder focused not only on a wide range of functional and design-related optimisations, but also, and especially with a view to internationalisation, on ensuring outstanding performance of the website even in distant markets such as the Far East and North America. Contemporary user experience elements with dynamic, graphics-driven real-time elements such as flyout menus and search functions required performance adjustments, as did the increased number of visits from customers in markets such as Japan, Korea and Hong Kong, and expanded payment provider connections for the USA.
A package of measures comprising several elements was implemented to ensure performance. The analytical basis for the underlying key figures was established through comprehensive monitoring of the running applications and services. The most important measure for performance optimisation was the integration of Amazon CloudFront as a global CDN (content delivery network) service, which securely delivers data, videos, applications and APIs with low latency and high transfer speeds.
This connection is particularly complex in the context of B2B e-commerce, as product information can be delivered relatively easily via the CDN, but customer-specific prices, information, shopping baskets and check-out processes still have to run directly via the e-commerce cloud located in Germany. "Excessively long" B2B parts lists in particular have a corresponding impact here. Therefore, the performance of these elements and processes was also optimised through a comprehensive upgrade of the e-commerce components, so that prices and availability, for example, are delivered asynchronously. A configurable web application firewall (WAF) also minimises performance losses due to unnecessary calls by bots and protects the system against external attacks.
This lays the foundation for future enhancements such as the introduction of a MAM system and the integration of products from the companies and brands Picard and Ruthe, which were acquired by Halder, into the online presence. The necessary product data has already been transferred to EPIM and used for print publications.
Oliver Vogel, Head of Sales and Marketing at Erwin Halder KG, is delighted:
"Continuing our collaboration with INFOLOX has once again proven to be the right decision. With innovation and consistency in PIM, online, print and e-commerce, INFOLOX delivers highly competitive solutions – combined with pleasing cost efficiency. The development and response of international markets in terms of product communication and e-commerce has been consistently positive."
Gunnar Fuelle, Managing Director of INFOLOX GmbH, adds:
"The challenge for INFOLOX as a provider of a comprehensive solution is to design, implement and operate a wide range of innovative requirements, from PIM to publishing to e-commerce, in ever new and individual forms – while always ensuring outstanding performance and scalability. The creative requirements of our long-standing customer Halder always present us with a special challenge – and we are delighted to have met it once again."
About Erwin Halder KG
Over 80 years of experience, around 200 employees, modern machinery and an extensive product range in the areas of standard parts, aviation products and hand tools form the basis for the rapid and competent fulfilment of a wide variety of customer requirements at Erwin Halder KG in Achstetten-Bronnen. Precision made in Germany – a high standard that Erwin Halder KG reliably meets every day with its international expertise – worldwide.
About infolox
INFOLOX is a leading agency for omnichannel marketing, e-commerce and product communication with a focus on system integration. From strategy consulting, conception and system selection to implementation, customisation and integration to hosting, support and maintenance – INFOLOX offers comprehensive solutions from a single source.
