The Impact of Order Processing Automation on Customer Care and Sales Logistics

TRUMPF SE + Co. KG is a market and technology leader in the field of machine tools and lasers for industrial manufacturing. The case describes a problem that arises after the main product has been sold. As customers order after-sales services and spare parts, customer care and sales logistics are key. TRUMPF’s subsidiaries handle tens of thousands of electronic orders per year. Thus, order processing, which until now has mainly been done manually by skilled workers, is a lever for increasing efficiency. The case study investigates how to create a win–win situation for both the customer and the manufacturer. Making order processing more efficient reduces costs (internal perspective), but also enhances logistics process quality to fulfil the “seven rights” of logistics. The case provided involves automation, robotics, and knowledge transfer (from theory to practice), which are important to an organization that seeks to maintain its position at the technological forefront. Students are required to carry out a cost–benefit calculation relating to the trade-off between innovation (automation) and the status quo, and critically analyze the choices faced by the company. Entrepreneurial thinking is encouraged throughout.