A change of tools to meet customer needs
The result of a merger between GEMIDO and Addis Electronic, Gemaddis is gradually establishing itself as a leader in electronics in France. The company specializes in providing tools, components and consumables for the manufacture of printed circuits in a wide range of sectors, including healthcare, manufacturing, defense and even aerospace. For all these sectors, there is a lot at stake in terms of digital innovation, and they need responsive service providers at the cutting edge of the latest technology. The company has experienced strong growth and, in just six years, has grown from 7 to 41 employees at two locations in France and Tunisia.
In 2019, Gemaddis began to introduce digital tools to increase collaboration among employees and with customers. The intention was to support the company's strong growth by streamlining the number of suppliers they deal with and avoid the related difficulties in managing multiple suppliers.
We have saved €200,000 in travel expenses, saved valuable time, and significantly increased our revenue from €4 million in 2019 to €7.5 million in 2020, while cultivating an innovative corporate image.
Claude Wehrung, CEO, Gemaddis
Smooth and efficient communication using intuitive collaborative tools
Orange Business won over the company with a comprehensive Cisco-based proposal covering telephony, networks and IT. “A visit to their showroom in Lyon allowed me to discover many collaborative solutions that perfectly matched our ambitions,” said Claude Wehrung, CEO at Gemaddis.
“We came to an agreement fairly quickly and implemented the solution layer by layer. First with a Wi-Fi network based on the Cisco Meraki solution: the telephony part has a dedicated communication server, the collaborative tools, chat and videoconferencing are supported by a Cisco Webex solution, and finally, interactive Cisco Webex Boards.” The project – initiated before the health crisis – became all the more important when the lockdowns began, limiting travel and meetings with customers. “After discussing the context and our customer’s challenges, we quickly devised a solution to support the company's digital transformation with innovative services that contribute to its growth,” explains Dorine Denoyelle, Account Manager for Orange Business.
The employees learned to use the tools easily. “With our two locations 1,500 km apart, our employees immediately saw the benefit of remotely sharing their computer screens, as well as making technical sketches to avoid numerous email exchanges and misunderstandings due to the vocabulary used,” adds Claude Wehrung. For their customers, communication has been streamlined, whether in pre-sales or customer support (remote troubleshooting via the interactive Cisco Webex Board). The solutions show even more value when exchanges take place between entities located on different continents. “The impeccable audio and video quality of the tools has allowed us to do business with customers who said they appreciated the efficiency of the process,” he says.
Improved efficiency and an enhanced image for Gemaddis
The Cisco solution enabled Gemaddis to fulfill the needs of customers in various sectors – in particular healthcare and manufacturing – who required continuity of service during the health crisis. Looking beyond the crisis, the tools have fundamentally altered the company's relationships, something we expect will last a long time. What’s more, newcomers are now systematically trained to use the tools. And the results are there for all to see. “We have saved €200,000 in travel expenses, saved valuable time, and significantly increased our revenue from €4 million in 2019 to €7.5 million in 2020, while cultivating an innovative corporate image.”
Gemaddis does not intend to stop there. Aware of the benefits in terms of efficiency, stress reduction and seamless communication, the company is now working on migrating its office tools with Orange and upgrading its ERP to an integrated solution in SaaS mode.
€200,000
savings on travel since the implementation of collaborative tools