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OMNICHANNEL COMMERCE IN THE PAINT RETAIL INDUSTRY
As a partner to 16 paint wholesalers at over 180 locations in Germany, CMS Dienstleistungs-GmbH worked with us to develop a B2B platform that combines brick-and-mortar and online business with maximum functionality and services. The focus was on developing a system landscape based on SAP Commerce Cloud, which ensures central networking with all parties involved. Today, 16 paint wholesalers work with the same article, supplier, and customer base on the system.
CUSTOMER
CMS Dienstleistungs-GmbH
PROJECT DURATION
Ongoing, since 07/2018
EXPERTISE
- Consulting
- Concept development
- Design
- Programming
- Support & maintenance
Technologies
- SAP Commerce Cloud
- FIS/mpm
- SAP PI/PO
- JAVA
- HTML / CSS
- Google Analytics
The CMS GROUP consists of CMS Dienstleistungs-GmbH and a network of 16 paint wholesalers. As part of DAW, CMS Dienstleistungs-GmbH supports its wholesale companies, which currently have over 180 locations (as of October 2025), and provides this Germany-wide dealer network with a comprehensive range of services.
Approximately 100 employees work at the CMS Dienstleistungs-GmbH headquarters in Ober-Ramstadt in the departments of purchasing, sales, product management, logistics/materials management, marketing, IT, finance and accounting, controlling, and human resources. The CMS GROUP currently employs over 2,000 people nationwide. For more information, please visit www.cms-gruppe.de.
THE TASK
GENUINE B2B SERVICE FOR THE PAINT WHOLESALE TRADE
One of the main focuses of the task was to optimally connect the existing SAP ERP systems with an omnichannel platform based on SAP Commerce, which provides real added value for specialist wholesalers and their customers.
This involved both comprehensive master data management and the development of functionalities and services that provide order, billing, and other sales processes in a customer-oriented, professional, and reliable manner. This was a challenging task, which Medienwerft mastered together with FIS Informationssysteme und Consulting GmbH and in close cooperation with the customer.
Do you have a similar challenge for us? Then feel free to contact us!
OUR SOLUTION
A PLATFORM FOR ALL PARTNERS
In addition to adopting and expanding proven functionalities—from the product catalog and material availability to warehouse logistics, the display of individual price conditions, and order and payment processing—all existing processes were reviewed.
The aim here was to take into account the requirements of all partners with regard to the utility value of the offering and to create a solution that ensures central networking with all parties involved. Additional value-added services, such as the virtual mixing of thousands of colors or support with accounting tasks for affiliated craft businesses, round off the platform’s offering.
THE CHALLENGE
OPTIMAL DATA MANAGEMENT TAILORED TO YOUR NEEDS
Whether purchasing in Berlin and delivery to a construction site in Munich, whether conditions and invoicing for one or more partners, or automated best price finding – the CMS platform delivers the right data according to requirements. The focus here is on the seamless integration of the SAP-based merchandise management system.
It is important that the prices charged by the respective specialist wholesalers for the products are made available in real time. Since the price output can vary depending on the customer, the integration of intelligent interface management was particularly necessary.
IMPORTANT CRITERION: TIME SAVINGS
Service design played an important role in the development of the platform. One of the objectives was definitely to save time, both externally for the customer and internally during processing. An example that illustrates this nicely is the exact color mixing with the “color selection” service.
When a customer specifies their own special color shade and orders it, the application not only accesses the quantity and price class assignment in the ERP system in the background, but also feeds the color mixing systems with the various information required for the actual color production process. On the customer side, the intuitive user guidance is impressive, while on the process side, the previously necessary checking steps for the recipe and its output are no longer necessary. A win-win situation.
SUPPORTING CUSTOMERS
In addition to objectives such as strengthening the competitive position and expanding services, the focus was also on supporting customers in their day-to-day business. For example, craft businesses can use the system for their accounting tasks thanks to fully digitized document management.
All invoices, delivery notes, and order-related documents are available around the clock. An interface to the WinWorker software, which craft businesses of all trades use to organize their offices and construction sites, enables the seamless management and processing of orders and projects from system to system.
Six success factors
for demanding SAP Commerce projects
Find out what you need to bear in mind when implementing SAP Commerce projects and what will help you achieve your business goals in our recorded live webinar with Benjamin Malsch (Lead Solution Architect) and Martin van Haaren (Head of Consulting & Project Management) from Medienwerft, as well as Marcus Michel, Head of IT at CMS Dienstleistungs-GmbH.
CONCLUSION
B2B TAKEN ONE STEP FURTHER
With the introduction of its omnichannel commerce platform for paint wholesalers, CMS Dienstleistungs-GmbH has taken an intelligent approach to B2B. It is not just a matter of offering products and services, but of tailoring them down to the smallest detail to the needs of their target groups.
While processes run deep into the ERP systems in the background, B2B users expect useful, meaningful, and labor-saving services on the platform. In the course of the project, master data management was optimized with the help of software tools such as FIS/mpm. With the decision to use SAP Commerce and the associated development opportunities, the platform is also equipped for new, future markets.
CLIENT QUOTE
Our goal was not only to build a flexible shop system, but also a B2B platform that adapts to the needs of our partners and is highly scalable.
