JAKALA merges multiple legacy platforms and creates a unified multi-brand ecosystem for Saint-Gobain

One of the biggest challenges was renewing 160+ international websites, each with their own expectations and specificities, for Saint-Gobain’s construction brands.

JAKALA (formerly FFW) had to create a platform able to handle a multi-brand and multi-site approach, with a primary focus on creating economies of scale and total flexibility in reusing developed website modules and site features.  

The team also faced numerous significant business and technology hurdles:

• Diverse UX/UI creation: Saint-Gobain needed to provide unique user experiences for each business unit, so the team had to craft distinct designs that were aligned with varying stakeholder demands.
• Legacy platform analysis: Analysing and migrating from multiple legacy platforms, including Drupal 7, Sitecore, and a bespoke CMS. This was complex, particularly when some legacy features lacked precise specifications and necessitated reverse-engineering efforts to ensure continued functionality.
• Stakeholder management: Handling multiple external and internal stakeholders added complexity to project coordination, communication, and decision-making processes.
• Third-party integrations: Saint-Gobain needed to integrate third-party systems such as PIM, CRM, and marketing automation systems, requiring meticulous planning and execution to ensure seamless functionality.
• PIM integration complexity: Integrating product information management (PIM) systems posed a critical challenge due to the diversity of products and solutions for different brands across websites. This led to three PIM systems managing 32 different data models.
• Drupal 7 migration: The company needed to build a new platform and migrate roughly 100 websites to Drupal 10 from Drupal 7 before its end of life, ensuring data integrity and compliance.
• Governance and efficiency: Saint-Gobain wanted to establish a governance model that allowed it to share functionalities across business units, achieving faster time to market and reducing the total cost of ownership.
• Feature customisation: The company wanted to create a web platform that offered business units a variety of features — and autonomy over their sites’ UX/UI and content — providing customisation options that allowed units to tailor sites to their specific needs while maintaining a core platform.
• Change management during a Drupal migration project proved to be a formidable challenge, requiring careful planning and strategic implementation to navigate effectively.

The project resulted in notable achievements, such as accommodating over 160 websites on the platform (and counting!), implementing a multi-vendor system for efficient feature sharing across brands, and hosting eight brands with room for further growth. Additionally, it led to a significant decrease in time to market and a notable reduction in the total cost of ownership, enhancing cost efficiency within the digital ecosystem.

JAKALA (formerly FFW) created the platform to be used in executing the company’s multi-brand strategy. The platform is used as the main driver in a larger Saint-Gobain revamp strategy. The flexible platform setup has extended to other sectors and now covers more than just the building sector.

The multi-brand website platform has allowed Saint-Gobain to create new digital user journeys by implementing clear synergies between multi brands on the same website. This will enable Saint-Gobain to serve its target groups with solutions responding to their needs.

The project achieved significant outcomes, including:

• 160+ websites: The platform successfully accommodates over 160 websites.
• Multi-vendor flexibility: A multi-vendor platform enables efficient feature reuse across various brands and websites.
• 8+ brands: Currently, eight brands utilise the platform, with potential for further expansion.
• Time to market reduction: The project led to a substantial reduction in time to market.
• Total cost of ownership (TCO) reduction: The TCO was significantly lowered, enhancing cost efficiency across the digital ecosystem.

Overall, Saint-Gobain utilised the following JAKALA services:

• Audits & technical consultancy
• Business and technical discovery
• UX & UI design
• Data and analytics
• SEO and performance optimisation
• Web development
• 25+ third party integrations
• Security and compliance
• Multi-brand platform
• Enterprise platform integration
• Continuous development and evolutions