Joris Ide is a one-stop shop for steel building materials. This global company with roots in West-Flanders, has everything needed to construct an entire building from steel.
To support their sales process, they rely on the product configurator from Hive CPQ. Initially made available to internal sales staff, the tool is now also accessible to the public via the website. We spoke with ICT Manager Bernard Bossuyt.
Joris Ide supplies integrated steel solutions for construction across industrial, residential, and agricultural sectors. Our comprehensive product portfolio centers on steel roof and wall panels, specialized technical profiles, and essential accessories required to complete modern steel structures.
Operating through a network of 19 production sites, the company provides reliable supply across significant areas of Western and Eastern Europe. Joris Ide processes and delivers over 425,000 tons of rolled steel annually to the European market.
As Bernard notes, the company works extensively with architectural firms, project developers, and engineering firms on large-scale projects, while also maintaining a retail B2C offering that includes items such as garden sheds and carports. Joris Ide provides the materials and expertise necessary for projects of any size.
We mainly work with architectural firms, project developers, and engineering firms for buildings across various industries, but we also have a B2C offering, including garden sheds and carports.Bernard Bossuyt ICT Manager
“Our internal sales team has been using a custom-built quote tool within SAP for years; however, it has an administrative focus and lacks user-friendliness. With so many options available within our product offering, it takes quite some time to calculate a price. For a while now, we had been considering a product configurator with a strong visual element that allows for intuitive operation. The goal was for users to assemble a building – focusing on roofing, facades, and accessories – in just a few clicks. This would enable even someone with minimal product knowledge, such as a new employee or a customer, to generate a quote."
Joris Ide works with Delaware to improve its digital customer experience. Together, they explored whether it was best to develop product configuration software in-house or purchase an existing solution. Bernard explains, "Our existing environment is based on SAP’s standard solution, so we typically develop such applications internally using Fiori, SAP’s design system. However, after comparing the cost-benefit ratio and time-to-deploy, we concluded that bringing in an expert was the better option. After seeing the user interface and built-in capabilities of Hive CPQ, the decision was clear: their platform aligns well with our needs, and its user-friendliness, 3D visualization, and rendering capabilities were key factors. The seamless integration with our S/4 system – critical for processing our master data – also played a significant role."
We looked into developing a product configurator in-house, but after comparing the cost-benefit ratio and time-to-deploy, we concluded that bringing in an expert was the better option.Bernard Bossuyt ICT Manager
“Our products may look simple, but they are often quite complex. The variations and combinations can be extensive. With Hive CPQ, we now have a tool that requires less technical product knowledge, enabling new employees to get up to speed faster.”
Hive CPQ also reduces the margin for errors in orders, as confirmed by Simon Depuydt, SAP Customer Experience Lead at delaware. “Previously, the internal sales team had to manually calculate how many panels, screws, and gutters were needed for a configuration. Now, the tool does that for them. This reduces the number of return trips for missing parts. Additionally, Joris Ide can do more cross-selling: accessories such as transparent panels for skylights are clearly visible in the configurator, inspiring customers to explore additional options. In previous versions, they were unaware of all the possibilities."
“One of the first challenges was to translate our knowledge on the one hand, and the logic of our Excel sheets on the other hand, to the product configurator. With the support of the Hive team, who organized several work- shops, we succeeded smoothly. Their implementation team helped us transfer all the product information to the Hive platform, with the best possible service for our customers in mind.”
“In addition to building the product configurator, we set up integrations with our ERP and CRM systems. This was a must-have for us because our onboardings start from the CRM system. Thanks to those integrations, we have a seamless flow. We have to maintain the master data in only one place and can process incoming orders correctly.”
Hive CPQ provides a clear idea of a product’s aesthetics, but goes beyond a traditional visual product configurator, which typically focuses on appearance only, says Bernard. “Everything is automated; the configurator generates a full bill of materials, which is seamlessly integrated into our S/4 system with a single click. The configurator is an extension of our sales platform.”
Hive CPQ goes beyond a traditional visual product configurator, which typically focuses on appearance only; the configurator is an extension of our sales platform.Bernard Bossuyt ICT Manager
Another key benefit of Hive CPQ is that it requires minimal development for special requests, says Bernard. “We deliberately chose not to invest in an internal team specialized in product configurators. Once our products are added to the Configurator, it’s basically all good to go. Occasionally, we add new products, but that we can do ourselves. Only when we need to introduce new variants or options to the platform, we call on Hive CPQ and Delaware. The Configurator runs entirely on our master data, so as long as we keep that up to date, the process is almost fully automated.”
“We initially used the configurator internally for six months to ensure everything worked smoothly. During this period, we identified and corrected errors in master data and calculations. We wanted to build internal trust first. Once our employees saw that it worked well and no errors would come through to customers, enthusiasm grew.” Since October 2024, the configurator has been externally available via their B2B platform and website.
Joris Ide’s internal sales team can now generate quotes more quickly, and the number of quote requests has also increased. “Since launching the public configurator for private customers, we’ve seen a steady rise in price requests, even without an active marketing campaign. This has opened up a completely new sales channel with additional revenue potential. Internal feedback has also been positive.”
Since launching the public configurator for private customers, we’ve seen a steady rise in price requests, even without an active marketing campaign.Bernard Bossuyt ICT Manager
The project was part of a broader initiative with delaware, with whom Joris Ide has had a long-standing collaboration. “Joris Ide’s digital team defined the configurator’s specifications, followed by monthly status meetings to track progress,” says Simon from delaware.
Bernard adds, “The team was in near-daily contact to align on various aspects – essential when developing a graphical user interface with numerous variants, colors, and details. The collaboration went well overall: both project execution and deliverables met expectations. Our digital team was closely involved, and our marketing department also contributed, particularly with the look and feel and branding. Sales and back office teams participated in testing and validating the configurator.”
At the time of writing, the collaboration between Joris Ide, Hive CPQ, and delaware is ongoing. “We are currently working on Wetterbest, our Romanian business unit specializing in gutters and other roofing products. We have developed a gutter configurator, which is also relevant for the existing Product configurator since no roof is complete without gutters. Wetterbest had specific branding requirements, requiring some adjustments to the configurator.”
Another planned expansion is the integration of accessories and components for solar panels. “While we don’t sell solar panels ourselves, we do provide all the materials needed to install them on (our) roofs. This functionality will soon be available in the Product configurator.”
What’s next? “So far, we have deliberately limited the configurator to ‘simple’ rectangular buildings with flat roofs. We are now exploring expansions for other building types, such as L-shaped buildings and gable roofs. These upgrades will further assist resellers and engineering firms in quickly generating materials lists. Another planned expansion focuses on walls: seemingly simple, but with many complexities. Fortunately, we now have the framework, templates, workflows, experience, and knowledge to take those next steps.”
We at Hive CPQ look back on this successful collaboration with Joris Ide and delaware with great satisfaction. We look forward to further expanding and enhancing Joris Ide’s configurator in the future!
With this powerful, intuitive tool, you’ll glide through configurations, instantly seeing your dream design come to life while receiving a perfect price and quote right away. Give it a go today and start creating your perfect Joris Ide solution.
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