Pepperl+Fuchs

Cloud-based, headless, and dynamic

As a global company, PEPPERL+FUCHS is best known in the world of industrial sensor technology and electrical explosion protection. The company presents its product portfolio and services in a market- and customer-oriented manner on over 30 website variants. For its new website, PEPPERL+FUCHS is relying on a powerful digital experience platform (DXP): completely headless, cloud-based, and highly dynamic to deliver editorial content, product data, and a wide range of media assets with high performance. A key focus was on the seamless integration of content and services—for a consistent, customer-centric experience across all channels.

PEPPERL+FUCHS' portfolio and international availability in regional markets place high demands on the company's Digital Experience Platform (DXP). Editorial content and product data must be structured and, ideally, available in localized form to provide customers with the best possible support during their visit. A consistent database is also essential for efficient onsite search, the use of AI-based features, and indexing and ranking in search engines. A revamped user experience (UX) concept, accessible design, and seamless integration of the shop into the website were at the top of the wish list. The same applies to the display of all product-related information: data sheets, circuit diagrams, product documentation, declarations of conformity, certificates, associated software, and availability—customers can find all the information they need at a glance during their search.

Screenshot of a product from the PEPPERL+FUCHS portfolio

Cloud-based, AI-supported, and with a short time to market

The work of marketers and editors is supported by flexible front-end modules and powerful AI assistants. Integrated translation workflows facilitate rollout across 30 countries and 19 languages. The new infrastructure enables faster time to market, for example when launching new products, rolling out campaigns, or implementing regulatory requirements.

In addition, the consistent headless concept ensures that content can be used in the long term and the platform can be scaled. For future relaunches, PEPPERL+FUCHS can focus on content requirements and thus secure technical investments in the DXP for the long term.

A fundamental decision was the cloud-first strategy: The previous on-premise legacy CMS was replaced by a cloud-based hybrid CMS and connected headlessly. Other on-premises systems, such as digital asset management (DAM), were also successfully transformed to the cloud as part of the project. This means that PEPPERL+FUCHS always uses the latest product versions: New features of the DXP products are available promptly, continuous maintenance and security of the systems is ensured, and the customer's own IT team is relieved of additional work.

CHALLENGE

PEPPERL+FUCHS has a diverse portfolio, and the company's individual business processes are both a unique selling point and a challenge for the DXP.

Existing third-party integrations that were previously on-premise in the traditional legacy CMS had to be decoupled and transferred to a modern architecture.

Distributed development teams consisting of customer employees and Intentive developers should be able to work on the platform in parallel. The platform should be globally scalable, resilient, and high-performing.

To ensure a fast time-to-market, it should be possible to roll out new features quickly in future without affecting the development status of other teams.

Editors and marketers should benefit from modern, intuitive, and AI-powered products.

APPROACH

PEPPERL+FUCHS opted for a greenfield project with a completely new technology stack. Together with Intentive, suitable concepts and high-performance products were evaluated and selected.

Traditional integration points such as the CMS have been replaced by a modern cloud architecture.

In order to continue mapping individual business processes for which there are no standardized cloud offerings, a fully API-based middleware was developed in which any business logic can be mapped. This middleware approach based on open source components also strengthens the company's digital sovereignty.

Migrating the platform from classic hosting to a modern CI/CD-enabled cloud infrastructure enables distributed development teams and ensures global scalability.

SOLUTION

With the cloud-based headless DXP developed jointly with Intentive, PEPPERL+FUCHS now has a powerful foundation for successful digital marketing. A new, accessible front end meets regulatory requirements. High user-friendliness and customer-centric digital processes are the visible result of the joint effort with the customer.

But important foundations were also laid behind the scenes. Existing integrations are being transformed and adapted to new architectural concepts, which will save time and money in the future. Strategic requirements such as "cloud-first" and "API-first" have been consistently implemented.

Xenia MeyerManager Content Marketing Unit & Digital Communication
In-depth consulting and technical implementation expertise: In Intentive, we have found a 360° agency partner who understands us and will support us in the long term. The close cooperation and high level of service, even after the project is complete, help us to continue developing our DXP successfully and sustainably.