KraussMaffei: ORBIS CallingONE redefines Teams telephony

The KraussMaffei Group has taken its company-wide communication to a new level. Together with ORBIS Modern Work GmbH, it has introduced the highly flexible and multi-redundant telephony solution ORBIS CallingONE – a forward-looking combination of Microsoft Teams telephony and advanced cloud services.

We encounter products manufactured with KraussMaffei machines every day. This is because the systems produced by this long-established Munich-based company have been synonymous with innovation in plastics and rubber processing for decades. Among other things, they manufacture dashboards for premium car manufacturers such as BMW, sports and play equipment, components for the electrical industry, toothbrushes, and medical technology. Recycling systems are also part of the portfolio: for example, machines that can shred, clean, and reprocess plastic waste into granulate. With 16 locations worldwide, 30 subsidiaries, and around 4,200 employees, modern communication is a key factor for success.

Telephony landscape resembles a patchwork quilt

Before ORBIS CallingONE with Teams telephony, telephony at KraussMaffei was complex and inconsistent: for example, the plant in Laatzen, just outside Hanover, used internal Microsoft Teams telephony, which was connected to the public telephone network via a local SBC (session border controller) cluster. However, the headquarters in Munich and other locations relied in part on completely separate systems, mostly with classic landline telephone systems at their core or as simple Voice over IP solutions. "There was no uniform approach across the company. The many parallel systems led to parallel challenges," recalls Matthias Többens, Team Lead ITO Workplace Services at KraussMaffei.

Many problems typical of a heterogeneous and mature structure were also part of everyday life at the Munich-based systems manufacturer:

• There was no global address book: Employees had to know numbers or look them up themselves.
• Duplicate infrastructure: Microsoft Teams and classic telephone systems ran side by side – including classic desk phones, duplicate headsets, and inflexible hardware.
• Lack of mobility 1: When out in the field or on business trips, employees could only be reached via their office landline number if cumbersome call forwarding to a cell phone had been set up.
• Lack of mobility 2: During the coronavirus pandemic, when employees were required to work from home for long periods of time, numerous and sometimes private makeshift solutions emerged.
• High operating costs: External service providers were commissioned to maintain the telephone systems – unless the internal IT departments had to allocate their own resources for this purpose.
• High telephony costs: Telephone providers charge a significant surcharge for international calls.

"The pandemic, if nothing else, has shown us how urgently we need a modern, flexible solution," says Többens. Initial preparatory work, such as setting up an SBC cluster, had already been done, but COVID-19 was the final catalyst for the switch.

The mission: uniform, scalable telephony

The goal was a uniform, scalable, and highly available solution that could be rolled out first in Europe and then worldwide. "It was important to us that the system be fully automated and require little effort to operate—24/7, reliable, and redundant," said Többens, describing the requirements.

ORBIS came into play through a long-standing IT hardware partner. After initial discussions, their telephony solution ORBIS CallingONE convinced us to be[TB1]  a flexible and tailor-made system:

• Seamless integration into Microsoft Teams
• Cloud architecture with redundant security
• Scalability for future locations and new employees
• Free choice of telephony provider
• Comprehensive support from ORBIS, including provider handling and support

The rollout began simultaneously at the headquarters in Munich and at the plant in Laatzen. This was followed by a gradual rollout to other German and European locations, as well as various subsidiaries. "Right from the start, even large locations could be integrated within a few days. And the actual downtime, during which neither the old nor the new system is available, is only a few minutes," reports team leader Többens.

The great flexibility of ORBIS CallingONE is also helpful here: there are no restrictions when it comes to choosing a telephony provider. Companies do not have to sign new contracts, but can keep their preferred provider and continue to benefit from previously negotiated terms.

ORBIS CallingONE is also adaptable when it comes to connecting devices that are otherwise excluded from Teams telephony: SIP phones, door intercoms, fax machines, and more. At KraussMaffei, for example, emergency call systems (e.g., in elevators) as well as porter and barrier systems were taken into account, along with internationally important requirements such as call groups and call forwarding. "ORBIS immediately understands what you need and implements it professionally. From my side and from my colleagues, there is nothing but praise," emphasizes Matthias Többens.

ORBIS CallingONE as a reliable communication hub

KraussMaffei attributes its successful collaboration with ORBIS to the company's partnership-based and solution-oriented approach: "The experts at ORBIS talk to us on an equal footing. Our concerns are taken seriously and understood," says Többens. The reliability of the solution itself is equally impressive. There has not been a single failure since its introduction. A professional ticket system was set up, but so far it has not been needed once. ORBIS was able to quickly implement adjustments or functional enhancements, such as optimizing call handling on the hotlines by displaying unanswered calls and a callback status for them; both were tested in a specially developed test environment in Munich.

Flexible and productive communication for everyone

Today, Teams telephony with ORBIS CallingONE is a natural part of everyday work at most locations. This is hardly surprising, as the advantages are many and varied: Whether in the office, at home, or on the road, calls can be made seamlessly via laptop, smartphone, or hands-free system. Even ongoing calls can be easily transferred from one device to the next. In addition, telephone and video conferences can be started ad hoc at any time – including chats, screen sharing, or file transfers. "Today, we no longer need any lead time for modern meetings," says Többens.

The global company address book is also very helpful for telephony. It is available to all employees and can be kept up to date with little effort – centrally controlled and redundantly secured. On request, the address book can also include private contact lists, which are then available regardless of location.

IT relieved, budget spared: ORBIS CallingONE makes it possible

For Matthias Többens, the lower costs naturally play a role in the positive assessment – especially through savings in operation: "International calls are now cost-neutral for us. And administration is much easier because we have streamlined the infrastructure and our IT department no longer has any telephony tasks thanks to the managed service from ORBIS CallingONE. Everyone also benefits from significantly higher system security thanks to the cloud architecture. With ORBIS CallingONE and ORBIS, we have made the leap into modern, cloud-based corporate communications. The solution is flexible, reliable, and future-proof—and provides the perfect basis for integrating new locations without any problems."

Many of these advantages were hoped for from the outset. However, there are also some unexpected benefits: "The use of headsets and smartphones literally creates room to move. Our employees use this extensively, whether in the office, on the road, or at home," reports Többens, summarizing: "For us, ORBIS CallingONE is not just a telephony solution, but a tool that is changing the way we work together – now also in the US and worldwide. We will definitely continue to rely on ORBIS CallingONE in the future and will connect new locations or companies directly."