Two Crowdfox customers, Röhm and TÜV NORD, have reached the final round of the BME Business Awards 2025, presented annually by the German Association for Materials Management, Purchasing and Logistics (BME). The awards recognize procurement initiatives that deliver measurable improvements and strategically advance the role of purchasing within organizations. As a technology partner, Crowdfox supported both companies in simplifying indirect procurement, increasing transparency, and reducing costs.
Röhm, a global chemicals company headquartered in Darmstadt and widely known as the inventor of PLEXIGLAS®, was nominated in the category Procurement Excellence (Large Enterprises) alongside automation specialist Festo (1st place) and Deutsche Telekom. TÜV NORD reached the final round in the Sustainable Supply Award category, together with tour operator DERTOUR and TROX (1st place), a manufacturer of ventilation and air-conditioning components and systems.
“We congratulate all winners of the BME Business Awards 2025 – and especially our customers Röhm and TÜV NORD on reaching the final round,” says Dirk Schäfer, CEO of Crowdfox. “It is a strong signal, because these awards highlight projects that work in practice and deliver measurable impact. We are very proud that our customers placed in the Top 3 in two out of four categories. The projects differ in focus, but they share one core principle: procurement must be as simple as possible for employees and as controllable as necessary for the organization.”
Röhm: More than 6% savings in indirect procurement
Six years after its carve-out from an international group with more than 30,000 employees, Röhm is in the midst of a strategic procurement transformation. The focus is on reducing complexity, increasing speed and steering capability – while facing sustained cost pressure in the chemical industry. One major bottleneck was the previously used catalog platform, which was perceived as insufficiently user-friendly, difficult to maintain, and poorly integrated, limiting both day-to-day efficiency and strategic procurement goals.
As part of the modernization of its central ERP system, Röhm simplified and further automated indirect procurement. Crowdfox now serves as the central ordering interface fully integrated into the ERP environment and supported the global rollout across Germany, China, and the United States.
The results are measurable: Röhm reports over 6% savings across indirect procurement without catalog optimization, and more than 20% savings in highly competitive categories. As the new strategy is further expanded, additional annual savings in the mid six-figure range are expected. In addition, ChatCFX, Crowdfox’s AI-based solution for guided intake management and the reduction of free-text orders, is planned to further streamline processes and unlock additional savings.
“We did not simply digitize an existing process – we redesigned it,” says Benjamin Wenn, Head of Technical Procurement at Röhm. “The result is a significantly more automated setup with real competition embedded in an internal marketplace model. This reduces free-text orders, improves data quality, and makes procurement far more controllable – with a direct contribution to results.”
TÜV NORD: Establishing CO₂ transparency in indirect procurement
TÜV NORD has implemented CO₂ transparency in indirect procurement reporting at material group level, enabling emissions to be tracked and managed in a data-driven way. The CO₂ analysis is powered by the Crowdfox add-on ESG Insights, implemented in collaboration with sustainability data partner Ctrl+S.
“For us, it was crucial to make sustainability in procurement measurable – without complicating daily operations,” says Markus Klein, Head of Procurement at TÜV NORD. “With CO₂ transparency in reporting and a standardized ordering process, we have created a robust foundation to steer procurement more efficiently and more sustainably at the same time. This project shows that environmental and climate protection must – and can – go hand in hand with economic value creation. Crowdfox has become an important sparring partner for us in this journey.”
Two projects, one ambition: measuring impact, improving decisions
“Both projects clearly demonstrate what executive boards expect from procurement today,” says Dirk Schäfer. “Röhm makes financial impact visible through increased competition, fewer free-text orders, and consistent automation. TÜV NORD is the first to establish reliable CO₂ measurement in indirect procurement and combines this with standardization across multiple entities. This is the direction for the coming years: realizing cost levers and steering sustainability in a data-driven way – without adding complexity to everyday operations.”