COMPO

For companies like COMPO, an international supplier of horticultural and plant protection products, a network failure has major ramifications. A stable connection is vital to business because the entire organisation of orders, from invoicing to clearing goods for customs, is electronic. If the network fails, it is not just communication that stops — the entire logistics system grinds to a halt. If promised delivery deadlines are not met, the supply chain is interrupted and customers are left with empty shelves. This would have a serious impact on the business and the manufacturer’s image at the height of the gardening season.

To avoid this, COMPO partnered with Colt and moved its network infrastructure to a Software Defined Wide Area Network (SD WAN). This technology offers flexibility in controlling data traffic and provides strong protection against failures.

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The network is critical to business

COMPO, a leading supplier of branded plant care products, operates from 20 locations worldwide and supplies DIY retailers, garden centres and cooperatives. Around 80% of its orders are received electronically. The entire fulfilment process runs on SAP, which places significant demands on the network. The previous MPLS network could no longer meet these requirements. Locations with limited bandwidth experienced bottlenecks and saw their business processes slow down.

When telephony moved to Voice over IP, the need to manage data traffic effectively and prioritise calls and video became even more important. With the MPLS contract ending, COMPO focused on flexibility and the ability to manage and prioritise traffic when evaluating new solutions. Bidders were invited to propose approaches.

“Our business model depends on meeting delivery deadlines. We cannot afford a network failure. SD WAN reduces the risk and keeps operations running even during peak gardening season,”
— Geert Tielemans, Head of IT Systems and Technologies

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Flexible and resilient with SD WAN

Most bidders recommended SD WAN, which allows the entire network to be controlled centrally through software. This greatly reduces the time required for maintenance and administration because changes do not rely on on‑site hardware but are implemented centrally. What made Colt stand out was not just the technology but the reliability of the migration plan.

“The decisive factor was Colt’s commitment to a smooth transition. Moving to a new network is always the biggest risk. We had problems when switching to MPLS previously. Because Colt already operated our MPLS lines, we knew the migration would be easier,” — Geert Tielemans

Another key point was the integration of the existing SIP trunking solution. “Colt already provides our SIP trunks, so nothing had to be separated or rebuilt. Colt offers cost‑efficient SIP services and strong support in all the countries where we operate,” — Geert Tielemans

SD WAN now connects 17 locations, five in Germany and twelve across Europe, each with bandwidth sized to local needs. Even remote sites that were previously difficult to integrate, such as a production site in northern Germany, now benefit thanks to Colt’s Customer Premises Equipment handling traffic control. Instead of routing all traffic through a central breakout point, local Internet breakouts are now used. Lower‑cost connections handle non‑critical data, while voice services and access to business applications such as SAP and Seeburger benefit from significantly higher bandwidth.

Migration is progressing well, with half of the sites already live.

“Where we have migrated, everything is running extremely well. High download volumes and bottlenecks are a thing of the past. We benefit from better traffic control, improved call quality and higher bandwidth — all at the same cost,” — Geert Tielemans

Investing in the network is investing in the future

COMPO’s experience shows that an efficient network is essential for smooth logistics and reliable delivery, especially in businesses that depend on precise timing. SD WAN not only reduces the risk of failures, it also provides a future‑proof foundation for evolving ERP and digital systems.