Case Study

How a digital quotation process reduces response times and creates transparency

SCHAKO, a traditional pioneer of ventilation and air conditioning technology from Kolbingen,Germany, has stood for innovation and highest quality since 1928. As the inventor of the swirl diffuser and leading manufacturer of components and systems for ventilation, air conditioning, fire protection and smoke extraction technology, the company serves customers throughout Europe. With five production sites and as part of the international SCHAKO Group, SCHAKO is one of the technology leaders in the industry.

Limitations of traditional quotation processes

The growing demand for customized ventilation solutions for commercial and public buildings brought new challenges - particularly in the complex quotation management of technical building equipment.

Challenge

With continuous growth and increasing demand for customized ventilation solutions, SCHAKO faced typical industry challenges:

Traditional quotation process: SCHAKO already had centralized inquiry management, but the entire process was based on paper formats. This naturally led to longer processing times, increased administrative effort, and limited transparency in processing status.
Growing complexity: The increasing requirements for technical solutions and the growing number of inquiries required more efficient coordination between different departments - from technical planning to sales.
Limited process optimization: The traditional approach offered little opportunity for systematic analysis and continuous improvement of workflows.
Scaling challenges: With increasing order volume, it became increasingly difficult to maintain the usual high quality and response speed.

These challenges are typical for successful, growing companies in the technical building equipment industry and gave SCHAKO the opportunity to take their business processes to the next level through intelligent digitalization.

Solution

SCHAKO decided to implement kinisto, the intelligent software for inquiry management and quotation creation. Beyond simply digitizing the paper-based process, kinisto offers intelligent features that optimize the entire quotation workflow:

Automated inquiry capture: All incoming inquiries are centrally recorded in kinisto and automatically categorized.
Intelligent prioritization: The system supports strategic evaluation and prioritization of inquiries based on project size, deadline, and probability of success.
Seamless collaboration: All involved employees - from technical consulting to product specialists to sales - work together on the kinisto platform.
AI-supported quotation creation: Intelligent product suggestions and automated categorizations significantly accelerate quotation creation.
Transparent process control: Every processing step is documented transparently, bottlenecks become immediately visible.

kinisto doesn’t just make our quotation process digital, but it also makes it measurable for the first time. We can see where the bottlenecks are - and optimize specifically. Step by step, we’re unlocking the full potential of the software, such as AI-supported variant recognition.

Alexander Bacher

Chief Information Officer

Result

The implementation of kinisto has led to measurable improvements at SCHAKO:

More efficient quotation creation: SCHAKO creates several thousand quotes monthly through kinisto - efficiently, digitally, and with automated workflows.
Faster quote delivery: Through the optimized workflow, SCHAKO can not only create more quotes in the same time, but also deliver them earlier. The improved response speed strengthens the company’s competitive position.
Optimized collaboration: Inquiry management, prioritization, and collaboration between departments works smoothly and efficiently with kinisto. Through collaboration and workflow features like assignments, configurable status values and tags, automation rules, and complete inquiry history, all employees always have the information they need.
Complete digitalization: The new quotation process is comprehensively digital. All involved employees work together on the unified kinisto platform - from the first inquiry to the final quote delivery.
Unprecedented transparency: Through the fully digital process, SCHAKO has complete transparency over the entire quotation process for the first time. The company now knows exactly which bottlenecks in the process need further optimization and where targeted support generates the greatest added value.
Continuous process optimization: The detailed analyses enable SCHAKO to continuously refine the quotation process and realize further efficiency gains.

A decisive factor for success was the close and trusting collaboration with kinisto during the implementation phase. The go-live went smoothly, even though employees from various departments were simultaneously transitioned to the new platform. This seamless introduction laid the foundation for rapid adoption and immediate benefit from the new solution.

The transformation is evident in many details of daily work:

Volume: Several thousand quotes are processed monthly through kinisto
Speed: Noticeably reduced processing times through optimized workflows
Quality: Earlier quote delivery through more efficient processes
Transparency: Complete traceability of all processing steps
Employee satisfaction: Team relief through automation of recurring tasks

Through digitalization, we have achieved significantly more transparency in quotation processing. Inquiries are now processed even faster, which considerably increases our efficiency. Through the collaboration with kinisto, we have become much more flexible.

Konstantin Belousow

Deputy Head of Quotation Department

Conclusion

The implementation of kinisto has fundamentally transformed the quotation process at SCHAKO. Through complete digitalization, intelligent automation, and the creation of a central collaboration platform, the company has revolutionized its quotation creation.

The combination of increased volume, reduced processing times, and unprecedented transparency gives SCHAKO a decisive competitive advantage. The company can now respond faster and more precisely to customer inquiries, while simultaneously freeing up resources for strategic tasks.

With kinisto, SCHAKO has taken the decisive step into the digital future of quotation management - an investment that optimally positions SCHAKO for the increasing demands of technical building equipment.