With their online platform Arduvi, Andreas Zarfl (left) and Martin Pichler bring producers and timber construction companies together © Arduvi
If it is possible at all to order wood products online in the timber industry, one can only order them from individual producers or merchants. As a result, carpenters do not have the possibility to compare products and prices. For laminated timber producers and sawmills, on the other hand, it is often difficult to increase their customer base, which has been growing over years, without a massive effort.
Having these considerations in mind, industry expert Andreas Zarfl established the company Arduvi together with IT expert Martin Pichler in 2017. The closed B2B procurement platform focuses exclusively on timber construction products and brings producers and processing companies together at a virtual negotiating table. Today, 18 months after the cloud-based solution went online, over 200 timber construction companies and 30 producers are already using the system – and the number keeps growing rapidly.
Quick orders
Arduvi shows users an individual start page depending on whether they are customers or suppliers. For example, when a carpenter logs in, he can choose his preferred supplier and enter bills of materials into the program, which can also be taken over directly from drawing programs for individual projects. In addition to predefined criteria, such as type of wood, strength class, system length and quality, the customer can also make numerous special requests, such as “free of blue stain”, “order-picked” or “certified”. Thanks to a color code, the carpenter sees right away whether the individual items can be obtained immediately (green), with long delivery times (red) or only on request.
In the shopping cart, the customer then sees which producers could deliver the order. In addition to prices, the transport costs and delivery times of every supplier are also displayed here. “This offers the carpenter a quick and reliable comparison of all possible suppliers,” explains Zarfl. With another click of the mouse, the customer can send inquiries to one or more producers, which they can respond to with a concrete offer – which is also made directly in Arduvi. “Of course, sawmills or glulam producers can change their offers compared to the prices stated on the platform”, emphasizes Zarfl.
Flexible offers
If the carpenter accepts the offer and places the final order in Arduvi, the timber company can automatically import the bills of materials into its ERP system and start processing the order. In addition to an adjustable range for individual products, producers can also divide their terms and conditions of sale, such as minimum quantities, transport costs or surcharges for small quantities, into zones and customers. “This way, target groups, prices and delivery conditions can be adjusted as desired,” explains Zarfl.
Pinpoint delivery of CLT
Arduvi currently sells glulam, KVH, construction timber and sawn timber on its platform. According to Zarfl, these standardized products are predestined for e-commerce. Planed and cross-laminated timber are to be added to the product range this year. Timber construction companies can then reserve or order cross-laminated timber online at the producers, with the type of panel, quality, quantity, price and delivery time being specified on Arduvi.
