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Customer Story

Transforming Wavin's Digital Landscape with Xebia

Xebia transformed Wavin into a digital leader by facilitating the launch of an e-commerce platform and the adoption of agile methodologies.
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Related Services
Digital Transfomation

Industry
Manufacturing

Company
Xebia

Wavin, a leading manufacturer of sustainable water and heating solutions, operates in a traditional industry with deep roots in engineering and infrastructure. Founded in the 1950s, Wavin has become a world leader in pipe systems, operating in 44 markets worldwide. While its legacy is steeped in manufacturing excellence, Wavin’s ambition to modernize and adapt to the digital age led to a transformative partnership with Xebia.
Why
Modernize and adapt to overcome challenges in a traditional industry characterized by legacy systems and resistance to change.
What
Implementation of first online store, reduced time-to-market for new developments, and a culture of agility and customer-centricity, positioning Wavin as a digital leader in its industry.
How
Implementation of a multi-pronged transformation strategy, which included adopting agile methodologies, launching and managing a scalable e-commerce platform on Google Cloud, and harmonizing legacy systems with innovative solutions.

Digital Evolution in a Legacy Market

Wavin's initial foray into digital transformation was limited to a static website. Moving into e-commerce posed significant hurdles due to traditional supply chain structures and resistance to change in various regional markets.

With a legacy system and traditional working methods, adopting agile principles to accelerate development and innovation was a significant cultural shift.

Wavin partnered with Xebia to embark on a bold transformation journey, addressing these challenges with a multi-pronged approach:

Engineering Culture at Scale with Right-shoring

Xebia introduced a hybrid model balancing in-house architectural leadership with right-shoring development capabilities. By leveraging Xebia's Consultancy hub in the Netherlands and development expertise in Poland, Wavin achieved:

  • A scalable, cost-efficient engineering model.
  • Expertise tailored to specific needs across the tech stack, including frontend, backend, SAP integrations, and managed services.
  • Reduced time-to-market with agile, three-week release cycles. Backed by 24-7 support service on Google Cloud.

 

E-commerce Breakthrough

When COVID-19 disrupted global markets, Xebia helped Wavin pivot quickly by building a fully operational e-commerce platform in Indonesia, a digitally forward market.
The platform:

  • Successfully tested Wavin’s ability to sell directly online.
  • Became the foundation for scaling e-commerce operations globally.
  • Demonstrated resilience and adaptability, even in markets with deeply entrenched traditional practices.

Harmonizing Legacy and Innovation

To overcome the friction between legacy systems and agile methodologies, Xebia implemented a middleware layer that decoupled Wavin’s front end from its backend. This innovation:

  • Enabled frequent, customer-focused updates without disrupting core systems.
  • Brought flexibility to Wavin’s operations, fostering collaboration between traditional SAP teams and agile engineering units.
  • Reduced operational bottlenecks, allowing Wavin to test and implement new ideas faster.

 

 
"Partnering with Xebia has been a game-changer for Wavin. They not only scaled the technical expertise to build our e-commerce platform but also helped us adopt a culture of agility and innovation. Today, we’re more aligned with our customers’ needs and better equipped to thrive in the digital era."
wavin logo
Thomas De Jong Global It Director, Wavin

Nothing Short of Transformative Wins:

  • E-commerce Growth: 

    Wavin's first online store went live in Indonesia within months, proving the viability of digital sales in a traditionally offline market. This success catalyzed the roll-out of e-commerce across other regions.

  • Operational Agility:

    Agile development cycles reduced time-to-market from six months to three weeks, fostering innovation and responsiveness.

  • Cultural Shift: 

    Wavin embraced an engineering culture grounded in agility, collaboration, and customer-centricity. This shift bridged the gap between traditional and digital ways of working.

Creating Digital Leaders

Wavin’s transformation journey with Xebia exemplifies how bold digital strategies, combined with the right cultural shift, can turn traditional businesses into modern, customer-centric enterprises. Xebia helped Wavin by delivering engineering excellence at scale and enabling e-commerce growth. 

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