Simplified order process with digital self-service portal

HTR GmbH, based in Thalheim near Wels, is part of the RICO Group and specializes in the heat treatment of metals. For 25 years, HTR has been offering a wide range of services, including vacuum and protective gas hardening, nitriding, plasma nitriding, and induction hardening. HTR employs around 60 people and supplies customers throughout Austria and neighboring German-speaking regions.
“We don’t have permanent contracts with our customers but work solely on an order-by-order basis. Since each customer has different requirements for the refinement of their components, it is time-consuming to convert individual customer requests into orders for our hardening plant. That is why we looked for a digital solution to standardize the process, make it more efficient, eliminate sources of error, and offer our customers the highest possible flexibility and service quality,” explains DI Klaus Höggerl, Managing Director of HTR GmbH.

Orders submitted on paper
Until now, parts that were to be treated were delivered with a handwritten note as the order. These handwritten orders were often imprecise, requiring follow-up calls to customers for clarification. Moreover, due to the lack of prior order information, resource planning was impossible. As a result, the diverse range of orders was to be fully digitalized – from inquiries to invoicing -  providing earlier access to order information and optimizing the utilization of the hardening plant. 

Moreover, the solution also needed to integrate with the central ERP system and strengthen the company’s USP: fast, flexible, and high-quality delivery. “We complete most orders in about three and a half days. Many orders are time-sensitive, and customers request updates frequently. That’s why we wanted to create a system that allows customers to place orders and access order information 24/7,” says Höggerl, explaining the requirements.

Flexible digitalization platform as a foundation
When searching for an implementation partner, HTR chose IT business solutions provider DCCS. “A regional partner was important to us, and our sister company already had very good experiences with DCCS as a digitalization partner. The proposed concept was coherent and transparent,” says Höggerl.

For the development of the order portal, DCCS selected the low-code platform WEBCON BPS, which offers an excellent foundation for process modeling and workflow automation. Additionally, the system can be hosted on-premise within the company. 


The customer portal enables standardized and clearly structured order processing. Predefined combinations of hardening procedures and permitted materials are stored in the system, ensuring accurate entry of even complex orders. The direct connection of the portal to the ERP system automates the ordering process and thus minimizes the manual effort involved in order processing. It also serves as a “single point of information” where customers can view order status, order history, and other relevant details at any time.


Challenging complexity
Representing the variety of technological processes and materials in a logical, digital order system was a major challenge.
“We work with several hundred materials that can be processed using different hardening methods. This results in thousands of possible combinations or work plans,” explains Höggerl. 

As this logic is often not obvious to the user, it was very challenging to make the portal user-friendly and understandable for the customer - despite its high level of complexity.

“Mapping the backend logic and fully digitalizing the process from portal input to ERP and back again was a major task. DCCS supported us constructively and professionally with its industry experience and deep understanding of our processes,” says Höggerl.After numerous workshops, agile implementation steps, test phases, and adjustments, the new solution went live. This allows the portal solution to synchronise the data of an order with the ERP system and, for example, generate a possible processing and delivery date. If the order is processed, the ERP reports status changes back to the portal, where they are immediately visible to the customer.


Efficient, end-to-end order process
Reading and checking the handwritten orders and entering them into the ERP system was time-consuming and error-prone. All essential information such as material quality, finishing process, desired delivery date, test certificate or special requests had to be captured by the order processing department and manually transferred to the ERP system.

The new order portal now maps the entire process digitally and seamlessly into the ERP system. Customers can enter their orders in the portal at any time, guided by a user-friendly menu showing for example possible materials and hardening methods and thus clarifies the options to select. 

“In addition, the portal allows recurring orders to be generated directly from the order history, eliminating the need to re-enter them — a clear benefit for our customers” says Höggerl.
After placing an order online, a delivery note with a QR code is automatically generated, which the customer prints and attaches to the shipment. 

Upon arrival at HTR, the QR code is scanned, data is automatically recorded, and the goods are booked into the ERP system. After a quantity check, the order can be processed immediately.
This saves a considerable amount of time and helps to avoid call-backs to customers due to missing information as well as errors when entering orders.
“The portal accelerates the entire process and significantly increases planning and utilization of the hardening plant. It also helps us improve efficiency and productivity while saving energy by using the plant more effectively,” says Höggerl.