Digital transformation: modernising the IT estate in the refrigeration and air treatment industry

Context

Against a backdrop of strong international growth, this international industrial group specialising in refrigeration and air treatment, present in more than 100 countries, faced a major challenge: modernising its IT estate. The existing setup, built on Excel files, no longer met the needs of a rapidly expanding business.

Issues identified

Critical operational risk: dependence on a single person to maintain the Excel files
Limited scalability: the existing tools were difficult to develop further
Lack of automation: manual processes that consumed time and generated errors, so process automation was needed
No standardisation: no unified process for quoting installations, so the processes had to be standardised

What was at stake in the digital transformation

The digital transformation had three main objectives:

1. Modernising the business tools:

   • Building solutions matched to emerging needs
   • An API-first digital solution
   • A modern, intuitive user interface
   • Access from any device (responsive design)

2. Giving the sales teams autonomy:

   • Quoting tools usable on the move
   • A simplified interface for complex calculations
   • Process automation
   • Less time spent on training

3. System integration:

   • Smooth communication with the existing IT estate
   • Standardised API interfaces
   • Real-time data synchronisation

Project objectives

Our approach was structured around three main areas:

1. Documenting the business rules:

   • Mapping the existing processes
   • Formalising the calculation rules for:
     • Air treatment
     • Water management
     • Pressure control
     • Power calculations
     • Cooling and heating systems

2. Technical architecture:

   • Defining the API interfaces
   • Integration with the existing systems (ERP, CRM)
   • Securing data exchanges

3. A collaborative approach:

   • Co-designing with the business teams
   • Requirements workshops
   • Ongoing training sessions

Results

1. Technology innovation

• A modern web platform built for quoting
• A scalable API-first architecture
• Robust, proven open source technologies

2. Improved processes

• An agile way of working put in place
• Automated continuous deployment
• Comprehensive technical documentation (BDD approach with Gherkin)

3. Skills development

• Training for the internal teams
• Successful skills transfer
• Technical autonomy achieved

4. Support and maintenance

• A structured application maintenance service put in place
• Clearly defined support processes
• Dedicated teams set up

Business impact

The digital transformation achieved the following:

• A robust, scalable digital platform in place.
• Standardised quoting processes.
• Process automation.
• Better collaboration between teams
• Reduced operational risk
• Better traceability of operations
• A robust, scalable digital solution.
• A modernised IT estate.

This digital transformation shows how a methodical, collaborative approach can modernise critical business processes while securing the buy-in of end users.