Planmeca – Stay flexible with Apple

Planmeca – Stay flexible with Apple.

In 1971, Planmeca began producing treatment chairs and instrument cabinets in Finland. Today, the company is the world’s largest private manufacturer of dental devices, well-known for its dental treatment chairs, treatment units, 2D and 3D imaging devices, CAD/CAM products and software solutions based on Windows and macOS. In Germany, the sales team is dispersed and has recently started working with Apple hardware. Planmeca Vertriebs GmbH chose to lease devices from Bechtle as a result of the flexible and affordable cost structure.

Project details.

Services

Mobility
Client Management
Modern Workplace

Industry

Manufacturing

Manufacturer

Apple

Company size

> 1,500 employees

Challenge.

Planmeca Oy is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of dental technology, selling its products in 120 countries including Germany. In the process of expanding its digital and decentralised work processes, The German team decided to completely renew the hardware and software environments. The devices previously used were returned on a specific date and replaced with new models.

Planmeca’s products work with macOS and other operating systems. Dental practices that are particularly focussed on the aesthetics of their working environment are therefore happy to use them with the Apple desktop PCs and tablets. Alongside image, the Planmeca sales team appreciated Apple’s IT security, user friendliness and flexibility. However, the iPhones, iPads and MacBooks needed to be made available quickly with a reasonable cost structure. An additional requirement related to the products’ second level support: All Planmeca employees in Germany either work in co-working spaces, in the field or even from home. This means that support cannot be centralised otherwise IT security cannot be guaranteed. Planmeca was looking for an efficient procurement model with simple MDM and fast delivery.

Once we had decided to go with Apple hardware for our sales team, we had to decide if we should buy or lease. It was the financial aspects that swayed us towards leasing our iPads, iPhones and MacBooks. Bechtle handles the entire process, ensuring quick and reliable delivery. All devices were configured centrally using Mobile Device Management thus securing our IT environment.

Thomas Göbel, Technical Customer Service, Planmeca Vertriebs GmbH

Solution.

Instead of purchasing the hardware as is usually the case, Planmeca discovered the possibility of leasing the Apple devices they needed through Bechtle. The benefit is clear: The hardware is always up-to-date and is up to 35% cheaper than purchasing a new device. Once the leasing period is up, Planmeca can either give the devices back, upgrade to the latest hardware with a new leasing contract, extend the existing contract or purchase the products at market value. The company only pays for the use of the leased devices with Bechtle handling everything else.

After consulting with Bechtle on which devices were required, Planmeca Deutschland ordered over a dozen MacBook Pros, iPhone XRs and iPads for its sales team through Apple Financial Services. Bechtle facilitated the contract, which runs for 24 months. Within only three days, Bechtle had delivered the notebooks, smartphones and tablets directly to the Planmeca employees. Utilising Apple Business Manager, the company’s IT admins were able to configure the new hardware remotely and, with the web-based MDM solution from JamF Now and its integrated security features (e.g. encryption, APN), they were able to configure all device settings in advance. When the new notebooks, smartphones and tablets were first switched on, the exact apps and services Planmeca wanted were automatically downloaded. Apple Business Manager also enables employee accounts to be quickly and easily created with managed Apple IDs so every new colleague has the technical equipment needed without having to go the headquarters. This means that IT admins retain control and are able to provide dispersed support.

Business benefits.

With the Apple devices leased through Bechtle, Planmeca is in a position to offer its employees homogeneous hardware and software that makes work fun and acts as a great motivator. Bechtle is also the middleman when it comes to ensuring the hardware gets from Apple to Planmeca and vice versa. IT security is always guaranteed, employees have fast and easy access to the software they need and leasing costs are transparent, budgetable and more attractive than purchasing.