Having already developed the Haustech mobile app for Pestalozzi Haustechnik, we have now also been able to support the Stahltechnik division. 

Pestalozzi Stahltechnik - Steel and metal since 1763

Pestalozzi Stahltechnik, a division of Pestalozzi AG, is a specialist in steel, metal and custom services for industry and metal construction. Pestalozzi Stahltechnik offers its customers a comprehensive range of products and services.

Products individually configured

Certain products (such as fire protection doors) require customized planning and configuration and result in correspondingly individual prices. With the System Calculator, Pestalozzi customers can now configure products themselves and obtain an initial price calculation quickly and easily. 

The initial version of the System Calculator contains systems for fire protection doors from Forster and Jansen. In the future, the calculator will be expanded to include other manufacturers and product categories. To make this possible, we have built a flexible system together with Pestalozzi Stahltechnik.

Why a web-based configurator and calculator?

The introduction of a web-based configurator brings benefits both for Pestalozzi's customers and for the company itself.

From the customers point of view 

The process of planning and preparing quotations for products in the metal construction sector often still involves a lot of analogue work. 

This is well illustrated by the example of fire protection doors. These have to be configured differently depending on the building and their planning is complex, as regulations have to be adhered to.

Metalworkers often base their planning on projects that have already been implemented and the guide prices, catalogues and specification sheets provided by AM Suisse to ensure safety. They often also use their own checklists to compile all the relevant facts and components. Keeping these up to date is time-consuming and therefore the latest material prices are not always taken into account.

The configuration and quotation process is therefore not only error-prone, but also time-consuming, which is not ideal given the high price pressure and increasing importance of accurate prices. Accordingly, there is a need for efficient and reliable price calculation.

The System Calculator ensures that no important points are forgotten during planning and that safety aspects and current material prices are taken into account. A price calculation for the desired system is supplied, which can serve as the basis for the quotation.

From a business perspective 

For Pestalozzi Stahltechnik, the System Calculator offers an opportunity to increase efficiency in the sales process. The digital solution allows customers' needs to be addressed in a targeted manner. At the same time, the Pestalozzi sales team can support its customers in finding the right products and configurations in a more targeted and data-based manner with the help of the demand shown in the calculator.

Pestalozzi is thus also positioning itself as a technically competent and modern company that responds to the needs of its customers.

Calculator functions: what the tool currently offers

• Login with existing e-shop login

• Dashboard with overview of all objects and items, either as tiles or in a list view

• Create new objects (construction projects, such as a house) and items (e.g. a door system)

• Step-by-step configuration of the desired product. This ensures that the configurations are technically valid and feasible.

• Generated is an indicative price calculation as well as an overview of all components and processing steps. The information is provided in sufficient detail so that it can be integrated 1:1 into quotations.

• Download the calculation as a PDF or Excel file

• Notifications in the event of price updates for the respective products (automatically generated from the backend) or marketing messages that can be entered and sent in the CMS.

• Easy access to the respective product documentation from the manufacturer

How did we ensure that the right functionalities were implemented in an easy-to-use interface?

Initially, interviews were conducted with Pestalozzi customers to find out how configuration processes currently work, what difficulties exist and what needs customers have with regard to the configuration of fire protection doors. For example, it became clear that price is one of the most important criteria and that it is therefore helpful to know an indicative price for a door system as quickly as possible.

Based on the findings from these interviews, a clickable prototype was built based on wireframes. This illustrated the scope of the solution. With the help of this prototype, internal testing was carried out with Pestalozzi Stahltechnik employees. Initial feedback and the resulting changes were incorporated into the prototype.

The internally validated and optimized wireframes were then presented to selected customers. The results of this qualitative user research and testing with the prototype were considered in the design and implementation phase.

For example, it was noted that the font size should be adjusted for better readability, that English terms should be avoided or that the test subjects would like to be able to copy objects or items.  

This process of multiple validation of the scope and concept helped us to better understand the different target groups and take their needs into account during implementation. The result is a solution that actually generates added value in the context of the users. In addition, inspiration for continuous development has already been gathered. 

Less is more

Pestalozzi decided to launch the calculator initially with «only» one type of product, namely fire protection doors from the manufacturers Forster and Jansen. A conscious decision was made to keep the product range small at the beginning and to build the system in such a way that it would be scalable in the future, meet the needs of users and work with a good data basis. This ensured that a solid foundation was created for further developments in the future.

The implementation in practice

The System Calculator was implemented for desktop and tablet due to the usage requirements. To ensure expandability, we created a component-based design, which also simplified the implementation. Close collaboration with the Pestalozzi data team and Pestalozzi IT in general was also important for efficient implementation. This created a good user experience for customers: With the existing Pestalozzi e-shop login, they can also log in to the System Calculator. An interface to the existing and well-structured database ensures that the content in the calculator system is always up to date and correct. 

We implemented the frontend with Next.js, React and TypeScript as the basis, as well as the PHP/Laravel/Statamic stack in the backend.