In 2012, when public cloud services started to gain traction, DELFINGEN became an early adopter to improve file control and operational efficiency. With its traditional on-prem solutions, employees didn’t always know where files were located or whether they were working on the most current file version. IT teams were spending significant time supporting users and managing software and infrastructure. Rising costs and frequent server outages were also issues that slowed productivity and innovation.

For one of its first cloud use cases, DELFINGEN replaced its traditional productivity tools with Google Workspace. DELFINGEN chose Google Workspace because it was the only B2B cloud-native productivity platform at the time and it met all of DELFINGEN's requirements for ease of use, availability, real-time collaboration, and global support. Additionally, many employees were already using Google Workspace on their own to help with collaboration.

Shifting to an online work model required a culture change, but employees quickly adapted to centralized, cloud-based operations and efficiency increased. Collaborators could work simultaneously on the same files and there were no longer file version or file location issues. App outages became a distant memory because Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Slides were always available. After the migration to Google Workspace, IT teams also recouped time for working on value-added tasks.

To help meet evolving requirements, DELFINGEN implements add-ons from the Google Workspace ecosystem where possible, rather than adding apps from new third-party partners. That way, the company minimizes administrative complexity and maximizes the time IT teams have to focus on projects that drive revenue. 

Rather than giving users open access to all available add-ons, DELFINGEN's IT department uses the Google Admin console to control which add-ons are available to user groups. "Security and maintainability are key priorities at DELFINGEN," says Etienne Grivelet, Chief Technology Officer at DELFINGEN. "We've implemented a centralized model for applications and add-ons in our Google Workspace to ensure a secure and efficient digital workspace. This allows us to curate a list of approved tools that meet our strict security standards. Employees can choose from our list of Google Workspace add-ons that we've approved for use, and we've implemented some, like Comeen, for all employees."

DELFINGEN initially adopted the Comeen add-on in 2019 so it could deploy digital signs across its sites to provide consistent corporate communications about project KPIs, shipping updates, corporate events, and other news. Today, DELFINGEN has 60 digital monitors installed in manufacturing plants' shop floors, in break and lunch rooms, and at entrances. From the Comeen Admin console, users at individual sites control what appears on their digital signs by adding links to Google Sheets, Slides, and Docs. Global administrators also have centralized insight and control over all digital displays. "Comeen is used and appreciated by all our collaborators," says Etienne Grivelet. "It’s especially helpful for providing information to operators in our plants who may not have access to shop floor terminals."

By 2022, DELFINGEN wanted to advance its IT security policies so that it could earn the Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange (TISAX) certification. TISAX is a data-protection security standard for car manufacturers, service providers, and suppliers. As an automobile parts manufacturer, DELFINGEN must be TISAX certified to ensure its long-term success. "Eleven of our top 20 global clients require us to be TISAX compliant," explains Marc Lemke.

To help facilitate compliance, DELFINGEN began replacing its Windows-based PCs and laptops with Google Chromebooks, which run ChromeOS. IT teams centrally manage the Chromebooks along with the company's Google Workspace environment and Google Cloud services from the Google Cloud console. The centralized management ensures DELFINGEN's IT teams can consistently enforce all corporate policies across its devices, services, apps, and data.

DELFINGEN also expanded its use of Comeen to meet the TISAX requirements for securing its physical buildings. Previously, the company had used paper-based processes to register building guests. There was no way to ensure that employees provided guests with information about visitor policies—or that guests provided requested registration information when they arrived onsite. Additionally, administrators had to take pictures of a guest log book to track and analyze visitor information for auditors. 

Because Comeen is integrated with Google Workspace, DELFINGEN was able to quickly digitize its guest-management policies at its three sites that have frequent visitors. Today, when an employee wants to invite guests, the employee creates a Google Calendar invite and clicks to check the boxes that will automatically attach visitor policy documents. "Comeen notifies our guests of our visitor policies before they come onsite, so they can prepare for their visit," explained Etienne Grivelet . "For example, it's helpful for them to know that taking pictures is not allowed in our buildings." 

When guests arrive at a site that uses Comeen for visitor management, they check in using a kiosk. Comeen automatically alerts the employee who sent the invite that their guests arrived via Gmail, and it automatically prints a personalized badge for each visitor. 

At any time, administrators can use the Comeen dashboard to see which guests entered the building, how long they were there, and whether visitor access policies were shared with guests. Etienne Grivelet says, "Comeen is a really nice, fully embedded solution that makes visitor management processes easy for us." 

After it adopted Comeen for visitor management, DELFINGEN was able to earn its TISAX certification in 2022. Today, 150 employees actively use Comeen for visitor management including Google Workspace administrators, developers, communications managers, and IT teams.