Case Study: BontexGeo
Case Study: BontexGeoFragmented document management
With a digital workplace built on SharePoint Online, BontexGeo brings structure to its document management and collaboration between departments. This allows the company to work more efficiently and prepares it for international growth.
BontexGeo produces technical textiles and geosynthetics used in infrastructure projects and industrial applications. Their solutions not only enhance the technical performance of these applications but also help reduce the ecological footprint.
In recent years, BontexGeo has experienced impressive growth, now operating six production and distribution sites across Europe: Belgium, Hungary, France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Spain.
However, this expansion—driven by acquisitions—also brought challenges in managing and sharing data and documents. Each site historically operated with its own local data servers, leading to a fragmented document management system.
"Collaborating and sharing documents with colleagues across multiple locations had become increasingly difficult," says Ina Cornelis, CFO at BontexGeo. "Emailing attachments back and forth or setting up a VPN were no longer practical solutions. It was clear that we needed a cloud-based approach."
Additionally, the cost of purchasing and maintaining local servers was becoming unjustifiable. With the rapid pace of technological advancements, the IT team also struggled to keep up with the latest features and evolving employee needs.
The solution: a digital workplace with SharePoint Online
9altitudes proposed a migration to SharePoint Online, the collaboration platform and content management system integrated with Microsoft 365.
"9altitudes convinced us with their expertise, especially since they had successfully managed their own growth and document management using SharePoint Online," says Ina Cornelis.
BontexGeo began the migration process with an in-depth analysis of each department's specific needs. At the same time, the transition to SharePoint Online presented a valuable opportunity for data optimization and cleaning.
Today, each department has its own private and public cloud space—allowing them to manage documents internally while easily sharing relevant files externally. Additionally, SharePoint Online serves as a central hub for sharing internal company news
According to Ina Cornelis, SharePoint Online enables much better collaboration between colleagues across departments and locations, as well as with external partners.
“We no longer send documents as email attachments. Today, our documents are simply stored in the cloud, and if needed, multiple users can work in the same document simultaneously—without the hassle of email exchanges.”
A technology implementation thrives or fails based on user adoption. Fortunately, adoption at BontexGeo has been very high, says IT Manager Katrien Blomme: “Everyone quickly recognized the need and benefits of SharePoint Online. Moreover, the platform allows us to work on and share documents much more collaboratively. For instance, during budget rounds, documents need to be shared quickly and efficiently with several colleagues, and we need to collaborate on the same document. With SharePoint Online, that’s now easy, which is a big step forward.”
More efficient teamwork
The collaboration
BontexGeo had a positive experience working with 9altitudes, says Ina Cornelis. The company was continuously challenged to think carefully about the optimal structure of the SharePoint Online environment. Despite the complexity of BontexGeo's organization and the associated permissions structure, 9altitudes successfully delivered a streamlined platform.
A key element of 9altitudes' offering was the train-the-trainer approach. Both the IT team and the department "owners" received thorough advice on using SharePoint Online, so they could pass on their knowledge to other users.
About BontexGeo
BontexGeo provides innovative and trusted geosynthetic solutions to meet a diverse range of engineering challenges.
They aim to provide high quality solutions to the construction and infrastructure industry that lead to increased performance and lifetime expectancy and a reduced environmental impact of the construction projects.
To this aim, BontexGeo develops, produces and sells high-end geosynthetics made from different polymers, which help our customers to be successful in their projects.
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