Following its rollout in the United Kingdom and Spain, the “materials4me” online shop is now also available in Germany. Starting from the end of April 2016, small users and end customers in the country can now order materials in standard dimensions and custom short lengths online. With the launch of the shop thyssenkrupp Materials Services is continuing its multichannel digital strategy as planned and stepping up its coverage of the European market.
“”materials4me” is successfully up and running in the United Kingdom and Spain and is receiving an increasing number of hits,” says Hans-Josef Hoss, board member of Materials Services. By opening up the option of purchasing products in small quantities to customers in Germany, Materials Services is accessing a further promising market. Hoss: “In Germany too the aim is to address new target groups, including small trades and home improvement enthusiasts.” With the launch of “materials4me” these customers will be able to choose from an extensive range of metals and plastics. Over 10,000 products are currently available on “materials4me” in Europe.
The foundation stone for Materials Services’ digital strategy was laid back in 2007 with the introduction of “OnlineMetals” in the USA. thyssenkrupp is now using the knowledge gained from this experience to accelerate the rollout of its online shops in Europe.www.materials4me.de
Against this background Materials Services also consistently upgrades its online portals for existing customer groups. To meet customer requirements as fully as possible, the company monitors the functionality of its sites in terms of product offering and user-friendliness. For this it uses among other things feedback from customers, which it incorporates directly into the optimization process. This approach has also been adopted for an online shop being piloted in Belgium for the processing of materials from CAD drawings, which is also proving successful.
The digital transformation at Materials Services is supported by an extensive change management process within the company.
“materials4me” is now available to German end customers and small users at: www.materials4me.de
About Materials Services
With around 480 locations in over 40 countries, the Materials Services business area specializes in materials distribution, logistics and services, the provision of technical services as well as services for industrial plants and steel mills. In addition to rolled steel, stainless steel, tubes and pipes, nonferrous metals, specialty materials and plastics, Materials Services also offers services from processing and logistics to warehouse and inventory management through to supply chain and project management.