Customer Success Story
Effiziency boost at Getzner Textil AG
Digitalisation transforms document control
Shareflex Quality Documents solves the problem of multiple filing systems and creates clear structures.
Getzner Textil AG: Lots of documents, but no digital tool
Getzner Textil AG is a widely distributed company with 7 locations that is a global distributor of high quality fabrics and textiles on behalf of its customers. This results in a large number of documents, including work instructions, forms, checklists and guidelines, which pass through many hands as they are processed and used. The problem was that “we had a document structure, but we weren’t using a digital document management tool”, recalls Richard Pircher, Head of Corporate Development at Getzner Textil AG. In fact, the individual departments and employees had organised themselves in Outlook and stored their documents in their own filing structures. This had all the consequences that this entails:
Getzner Textil AG is a manufacturer of industrial fabrics based in Bludenz, Austria. The company was founded there in 1818 as a family business. Today it employs around 1,550 people at 7 locations in Austria, Switzerland and Germany, producing fabrics for African fashion, shirts and blouses, corporate fashion and technical textiles for customers worldwide. Getzner Textil AG produces around 78 million metres of fabric on 710 looms, 97 per cent of which is exported.
Challenge: multiple digital and analogue filing systems
“We were working inefficiently”, says Pircher, giving an insight into the filing system of earlier days. “Each department in the company worked with the document that was available – without knowing if it was up-to-date.” A second problem was to blame: multiple filing systems. “Filing was done both digitally in folders and analogue in ring binders.” A lack of standards for document storage made working with documents even more difficult. Last but not least, the company was growing. The number of employees at Getzner Textil AG had doubled within a few years – making it difficult to keep track of all the details.
The goal at Getzner Textil AG: a modern solution in the cloud
“A software solution was the logical next step to make the existing document structure available in digital form”, says Richard Pircher. As the driving force behind this step, he points to the CEO and the departments that are concerned with the issue of standards within the company. “Controlled documents are an absolute must for us”, says Pircher. “These are also mapped by filing structures on the server. However, we saw the need to offer a solution that is up-to-date and located in the cloud.”
Internet research for a provider: Microsoft-based solution
To find such a solution, Getzner Textil AG conducted an Internet search. “We are Microsoft-driven, so we said the solution had to run in the Microsoft cloud – SharePoint, OneDrive”, explains Richard Pircher. “And it had to have automated workflows that would remind us when something was out of date or needed to be reviewed or approved.” He explains: “We want to be alerted when something needs to be done. And we want to know who is next in line to take a step.”
Portal Systems: a spirit of partnership and in-depth understanding
In the period that followed, the company spoke to a number of vendors. One of them was Portal Systems. “We ended up staying with them”, says Pircher, “partly because we got to know parts of the team quite well and had some useful exchanges during our very first conversation.” Portal Systems’ strong focus on partnership was also convincing. “On top of that, they already had an in-depth understanding of our concerns and were able to show us the path forward in a virtual workshop.” Richard Pircher adds: “It was Corona’s fault. We had originally planned to meet face-to-face, but it quickly became clear that we could work well together from a distance. There was a good rapport and Portal Systems asked the right questions from the start.”
Getzner Textil AG impressed by Portal Systems’ structured approach
Richard Pircher describes this initial phase of the project as follows: “We were given a very structured set of questions to which we tried to find answers.” From meeting to meeting, the team tried to gain more and more clarity using these questions and exchanging interim feedback through all possible channels. “Finally, in our regular team meetings, we compared all the results.” Pircher particularly emphasises the structured approach at Portal Systems. “But I also found it amazing how everyone in the project team was on the same page.”
Shareflex Quality Documents: two-step implementation
The implementation of Shareflex Quality Documents as a software solution for document control took place in two steps and lasted a total of 13 months. “First, the tool was made available to us and then, in a second step, the documents were migrated into the system with technical support”, explains Richard Pircher. Overall, he says, the project was broken down into easily digestible steps, so there were no major challenges. “All tasks could be easily solved during the course of the project.”
More transparency and safety with Shareflex
At this point, Getzner Textil AG has been using Shareflex Quality Documents for more than three years. “There are now clear responsibilities and support points”, says Pircher, citing a first major advantage of the software. For example, the human resources department is responsible for labour law documents. The role of the auditor allows both legal and quality aspects to be checked. “The relevant people check these things and ensure that the appropriate experts have reviewed the documents, which is also recorded and logged in the workflow.”
Documents at Getzner Textil AG in just one place in SharePoint
Overall, there is much more transparency, says Pircher, and the security of workflows has increased significantly. “Many of our departments swear by it because they can rely on it. They know that everything has been clarified and what needs to be done and when.”
“It is now clear that documents are only stored in one place in SharePoint, and this is managed by the Portal Systems tool. It is absolutely clear what is up-to-date, we can distribute links and end up in exactly the right document, and that has already helped us a lot.”
The biggest advantage: no more searching and multiple filing
Richard Pircher describes the main advantage of Shareflex Quality Documents as follows: “No more searching.” Although not all areas are yet digitally mapped and there are still some documents to be digitised, “the pain points of searching and multiple filing are gone, so people can find and process documents much faster.” Another benefit: “We can break large documents into sections and use a technical bracket to organise the content.” This means that a document such as a 150-page employee handbook can be broken down into smaller units and delivered digitally in bite-sized chunks. However, it is still identifiable as part of the larger whole.
Shareflex Quality Documents introduced with key user structure
Overall, the introduction of the new software was very well received within the company, reflects Pircher. From a corporate development perspective, the company wanted to build pillars within the organisation in the form of a key user structure that would serve as first-level support for the respective department. This meant that some units were directly integrated from the outset. “The new solution was well received right from the start, both in production and in the administration, HR and legal departments.”
Getzner Textil AG: 3-step in-house training system
Everyone at Getzner Textil AG who has access to a PC also uses Shareflex Quality Documents. At the Bludenz site alone, that’s 600 people working with the system at different levels of intensity. Some of them only use the Shareflex system for search functions, while others also have permission to create documents, for example. The use of the system is taught in a three-level internal training model, tailored to the respective activity and the required user knowledge: from the search-only user to the standard user and the key user. “We also made a cool video to support these training courses”, reveals Richard Pircher.
Shareflex® Quality Documents
Document Control with SharePoint and Microsoft 365
Shareflex Quality Documents helps you organise and control your Quality Management documents.
- ✯ Create, distribute and provide QM documents easily
- ✯ Integration of QM manual and process map
- ✯ Auditing and archiving
Further cooperation with Portal Systems is set
“The decision to continue working with Portal Systems has been made”, says Richard Pircher. “We definitely want to continue using the system. The focus of our future cooperation will be on document management. Other processes to be digitised at Getzner Textil AG are still being evaluated.” However, Pircher describes the progress he has seen through the use of Shareflex Quality Documents alone: “I can’t put a figure on it, but the efficiency gains achieved through the new software are more than noticeable.”
Any questions? I will be happy to answer them personally!
Patrick Carl
Chief Sales Officer
Email: info[at]portalsystems.de
This post is also available in: German