How One Distributor Used Search, ERP, and Self-Service to Win in a Conservative Market

What happens when a small team in a traditional industry decides to act like a digital-first leader?

That’s the story of Partech, a Norwegian-based distributor and system integrator specializing in hydraulic components. Despite operating in an industry where fax machines and phone orders still rule, Partech saw an opportunity to change the game. Not just for themselves, but for their customers.

And they did it with focus, not flash.

The Digital Wake-Up Call: Why Partech Had to Change

Like many distributors, Partech faced a familiar challenge: they had a website, but it wasn’t working for the business.

Their legacy eCommerce platform lacked integration with their ERP, which meant online prices were rarely accurate and product availability was hard to trust. Their SEO presence was minimal, limiting discovery by new customers. And while their team was technically skilled, they were small, just eight people, making complex tooling a non-starter.

But Partech’s engineering and IT lead, Robin Sørensen, understood where the market was heading:

“We wanted to be where new customers are looking online. Visibility and product availability matter more than ever.”

The reality? Their customers, marine engineers, mining operators, and hydropower technicians, were already starting their search online. Even if they placed orders by phone or email, discovery was happening digitally.

Why Selling Hydraulic Parts Online Isn’t Like Selling T-Shirts

Partech’s product catalog is anything but simple. With over 160,000 SKUs and only 4,000 held in stock, the vast majority of their business runs on made-to-order fulfillment. That means accurate product content, real-time pricing, and visibility into lead times isn’t “nice to have” it’s critical to customer trust.

Layer on top of that:

• A complex ERP pricing structure with customer-specific discounts
  
• Frequent equipment-down emergencies requiring urgent part sourcing
  
• A conservative customer base with long-standing offline habits

It’s a mix that would make most digital teams pause.

And that’s exactly why Partech leaned into the fundamentals: not flash, not hype. Just helping customers do their job.

What Worked: The Three Pillars of Digital Growth

Rather than chasing buzzwords, Partech anchored their digital strategy in three key areas:

1. ERP Integration that Actually Worked

Instead of bolting a store onto the side of the business, they made integration table stakes. Real-time pricing, inventory, and customer-specific information all flow directly from Microsoft Dynamics Business Central into the web experience.

To support this, Partech chose Sana Commerce, a platform built to integrate natively with their ERP, ensuring back-end accuracy matched the front-end experience.

Lesson for other distributors: If your website doesn’t reflect your ERP, your customers won’t trust it.

2. Search as the Starting Line

Partech knew their buyers searched by part number, spec, or technical need. So they treated search not as a feature, but as a front door. Clean product content, fast filtering, and SEO-first architecture helped them win visibility and relevance, even against larger competitors.

For teams with big catalogs, intelligent search isn’t optional. It’s how you earn the first click.

3. Scaling with a Lean Team

With only eight employees, Partech couldn’t afford to run a complex, high-maintenance eCommerce stack. So they prioritized platforms and workflows that didn’t require daily babysitting. That lets them focus their limited time on what matters: content accuracy, lead time transparency, and customer support.

Adoption doesn’t come from complexity. It comes from simplicity, inside and out.

The Results? A Digital Branch That Delivers

Today, Partech has built what many larger distributors are still chasing: a digital branch that extends their physical presence, supports their team, and actually helps their customers get the job done.

Their success isn’t about one platform. It’s about clarity.

Clarity about what customers actually need online.
Clarity about what internal teams can realistically manage.
And clarity that digital isn’t a project. It’s a capability.

For Other Distributors: A Template Worth Studying

Partech didn’t have a massive team, flashy UI, or a seven-figure budget. But they knew their customers, picked the right levers, and committed to operationalizing their digital experience.

Their journey proves what we teach inside B2BEA’s Foundations Course and Executive training tracks:

• Integration isn’t optional.
• Product content is your digital shelf.
• ERP is your source of truth.
• Self-service starts with trust.

And above all?

B2B eCommerce isn’t about “being online.”
It’s about making life easier for your customers.

That’s the real transformation.