Hunkeler AG

From a multitude of stand-alone solutions to a single collaboration platform

Hunkeler AG offers a wide array of paper processing systems and solutions. These technically complex machines are composed of numerous individual components whose design and function are detailed in a multitude of technical drawings, manuals and documentation. Accessing these data is of critical importance for the company’s own in-house engineers as well as for sales managers and engineers from external sales partners like Canon, HP and Xerox. Photos, videos, brochures, software packages, manuals and technical drawings for the machines are always needed, whether the task centers around sales or the design, maintenance, or repair of the equipment. And the amount of data at Hunkeler AG is vast. So how can this motley mountain of assets be managed efficiently?

Challenge: Achieve an overview and get organized

Before Hunkeler AG learned about the 4ALLPORTAL digital asset management (DAM) system at the topsoft trade fair in Switzerland, the company had worked with a number of different systems that were not networked with each other and were made by various manufacturers. These included a video database, an image database, a web-based file storage solution and, of course, its own internal company network. This system of stand-alone solutions had grown over time and in the meanwhile had developed some problems: numerous duplicates within the traditional server structure, no centralized and updated overview of all assets used within the company, high employee effort required for searches, and no transparent overview of the status (released or not released) of items such as media files, including photos and videos.

Solution: one tool for all assets

With our 4ALLPORTAL DAM, Hunkeler AG found the perfect tool to meet its needs: all assets related to the company’s products – including photos, videos, graphics, manuals, software packages and technical drawings – are now stored and managed centrally in the DAM. This was accomplished by first creating a DAM folder structure that applies globally for all company locations. Within this folder structure, individual departments including marketing, sales and engineering can access and manage their data independently according to their specific role. Hunkeler employees worked in parallel to transfer the old data from the four stand-alone solutions to the DAM while also making use of the occasion to perform a “spring cleaning” on the existing database.
The DAM was then rolled out, department by department, in its own corporate design. The traffic signal feature provides a quick overview of the release status of product images and videos for the marketing department in particular, which can, at the same time, use the comment function to collaborate efficiently with other departments. This saves time but more importantly reduces mistakes such as the use of images that have not been released. The desired data can also be downloaded in each case via individual download profiles. Additional 4ALLPORTAL DAM monitoring features will be configured at Hunkeler AG in the future, including statistical reports on download frequencies and image distribution as well as preview images for ZIP files.
Access to 4ALLPORTAL has been implemented company-wide via convenient single sign-on, with various roles and user permissions for employees. External engineers from distribution partners will also benefit from the new DAM system: various user-specific service levels will be set up for them, giving them access to a specific selection of documents directly in the DAM. As a result, the partners can independently equip themselves with the appropriate materials (current software updates, manuals, technical drawings, etc.) and will no longer need to detour through the marketing department at Hunkeler.

Result: greater employee satisfaction and more time

Hunkeler AG uses our 4ALLPORTAL DAM as a company-wide collaboration and data exchange platform for all assets associated with their in-house products. Data is managed and maintained centrally via the DAM, which means all employees have access to the latest data version at all times. Time-consuming and mistake-prone searching and distributing of product photos, videos and documents by email or other tools is now a thing of the past. As a result, Hunkeler AG is working faster, more effectively and much more efficiently overall. Since the integration, a number of improvements have especially benefited employees, above all the significantly reduced effort required to search for and find the right files.

Working with 4ALLPORTAL was extremely straightforward and the system was installed amazingly quickly. With the help of training courses, video tutorials and manuals, and thanks to its highly intuitive user interface, the 4ALLPORTAL DAM was very quickly and positively received by our employees. For us, the investment has paid off enormously: our company employees spend about 50 percent less time searching for the right assets. We will achieve our return on investment – calculated very conservatively – after no more than two years.

Matthias Annaheim Digital Marketing Manager at Hunkeler