300 industries
supplied
Open valves for fastdata flow
Global SD-WAN modernization at Bürkert Fluid Control Systems
Bürkert Fluid Control Systems
Our customer
From control valves and pneumatic flow controllers to smart sensor technology: Bürkert Fluid Control Systems, a company based in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, offers modern, high-quality solutions for handling liquids and gases. The hidden champion from the south of Germany is considered one of the world’s leading manufacturers of measuring, control and regulating systems for liquids and gases, supplying over 300 industries. Bürkert solutions can be found in breweries and laboratories, but also in the fields of medicine, bioengineering and aerospace technology. The fluid specialist exports more than 70 percent of its products all over the world.
What the family-owned company stands out for: Bürkert has been delivering high quality for decades and consistently invests in research and innovative products. Founded in 1946 by technology pioneer Christian Bürkert in Ingelfingen, the engineering supplier initially produced temperature controllers for incubators and kitchen stoves. Over the years, the focus increasingly shifted to valve technology. Bürkert became a sought-after address for solenoid valves, in particular. Today, the company employs 2,000 people in Germany alone and operates a sales network in over 30 countries. To strengthen its position as market leader, Bürkert is investing in its digital infrastructure. Faster data connections and cloud capability not only improve internal processes, but also open up new customer services and business models.
1946
founded
€ 720 million
revenue in 2022
7.3%
R&D expenses
100%
reinvestment rate
3,500+ employees
worldwide
in over 30 countries
Sales network
Thesituation
Modernization of MPLS network
Bürkert Fluid Control operates a worldwide company network across several continents. “All locations use applications from our German data centers. Therefore, we need a high-bandwidth data network,” says Alexander Schäfer, Team Coach IT Infrastructure at Bürkert. The majority of the branch offices were previously connected to the German data centers via Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS). MPLS is a type of transmission that is independent of the Internet, ideal for the stable transmission of large volumes of data in companies. But the MPLS technology in Bürkert’s network was getting on in years and needed modernization. Far-flung locations in the Asia-Pacific Region were experiencing significant latency on the MPLS network compared to existing Internet lines. Moreover, a WAN optimization had not produced the desired results. As a result, some sites were not able to operate important applications smoothly in everyday work.
Thesolution
Telekom SD-WAN based on Aruba
Bürkert put the operation of its WAN network out to tender, and Deutsche Telekom was awarded the contract with its full managed service offering.
Between December 2020 and September 2022, Deutsche Telekom modernized around 90 percent of the corporate network and introduced an SD-WAN solution from Aruba. The program transparently displays data traffic throughout the network, distributes data packages as efficiently as possible over the available lines and thus saves up to 30 percent of the required bandwidths. Bürkert’s renewed network is largely based on MPLS and Internet lines. The software, also known as the overlay, makes the network’s performance visible and prevents latencies by prioritizing important data packets and automatically sending them over a free line in the event of bottlenecks. The combination of two active lines ensures that a free connection is always available. In addition, the various site regions EMEA, America and Asia / Pacific received local breakouts to the Internet so that Internet access does not run centrally via the German data centers.
"In several workshops, Deutsche Telekom showed us its solution, including our special requirements and implemented the project despite the pandemic within the planned time frame."
Theresult
With the modernized lines and a newly integrated SD-WAN solution operated by Deutsche Telekom, Bürkert has solved its persistent bandwidth and latency problems. Employees at all sites can now use applications from the German data centers fluidly. In addition, new sites can be connected to the network more quickly via SD-WAN routers. Bürkert was also able to reduce the costs for the new network by ten percent. “The switch to SD-WAN has paid off for us right down the line. We now have a state-of-the-art corporate network with which we can tackle further innovative solutions such as cloud access,” says Alexander Schäfer. “What’s more, in Deutsche Telekom we have a reliable and strategic partner at our side with whom we can tackle further digital transformation projects.”
"The switch to SD-WAN, operated by Deutsche Telekom, has paid off for us right down the line. We now have a state-of-the-art corporate network with which we can tackle further innovative solutions such as cloud services."
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