Reagecon, the world’s largest manufacturer of standards and reagents and supplier of chemicals, consumables and equipment to testing laboratories across the globe has implemented a Sana web-store to simplify the complex buying process for its customers.

The web-store integrates with Reagecon’s SAP Business One ERP system to deliver technical and regulatory data on each product page, including the display of vital safety certificates. This information is already held in Reagecon’s SAP ERP system, and the Sana platform will instantly reflect it on the product pages.

Operating in a highly regulated industry, Reagecon has invested in Sana’s e-commerce platform to utilise the data held in SAP to manage buying complexities, such as shipping regulations that can result in not transporting some hazardous chemicals together.

According to Thomas Neylon, sales manager at Reagecon, “Sana’s integration with our SAP ERP solution was vital. We knew that we didn’t want to maintain two separate solutions. The fact that changes to one, caused by a sale or change in stock level for example, is reflected instantly in the other was key to our decision to implement Sana.”

The ability to customise the look and feel of the product pages was also an important driver in the decision to implement the Sana platform. “We had a vision for the customer experience so we knew how we needed the pages to look and where the data should be located on the page. The capability of the Sana web store to be able to easily tweak product pages to suit existing stock and new product launches was very attractive,” adds Neylon.

The Sana webstore will also be used to manage the vastly different product lines on sale: from high volume products such as a simple bottle cap to high value, low volume scientific testing equipment. The webstore will be able to provide stock availability, visibility and individual customer pricing in local currencies. This is key to supporting Reagecon’s ability to sell globally – specifically in high-growth markets such as China. 

“Reagecon was clear from the outset as to what it needed to achieve with a web-store. This included managing, selling and delivering – in some cases – highly technical, fragile and hazardous materials. The web-store needed to make all of that data visible to potential purchasers. Sana’s ability to integrate into ERP systems makes it simple for our customers, and their customers,” says Reuben Mink, global sales director at Sana. 

Reagecon manufactures 10,000 products of its own and distributes a further 70,000 consumables to laboratories around the world from its HQ in Ireland. The Sana web-store is already supporting 20,000 products with a view to extending it shortly to 30,000+.

Prior to the implementation of a webstore, Reagecon used traditional sales and marketing methods such as product catalogues. Its website was outdated and the sales team were being inundated with stock availability and technical enquiries. In addition, each order had to be entered into the ERP manually.

The Sana webstore will eventually replace the catalogues that Reagecon uses to sell its products. These catalogues were often out-of-date as soon as they were published, yet were only replaced every 2-3 years.

In addition to providing laboratory equipment, chemicals and consumables, Reagecon also supplies testing products that enable laboratories to get accurate results by delivering a ‘standard’. These products are used to calibrate laboratory analysers and set standards for measurement.