Rittal GmbH & Co. KG

Mastering Global Structures with Q.wiki

About Rittal GmbH & Co. KG

• System provider for control cabinets, power distribution, climate control, and IT infrastructure
• 11 production sites, 64 subsidiaries, and 40 agencies worldwide
• 9,700 employees
• Using Q.wiki Enterprise since March 2014

The Challenge Before Q.wiki
With a corporate structure as vast and international as ours, the challenge was clear: How do you design a management system that reflects local differences while maintaining group-wide consistency?

We needed a solution that could:

• Align subsidiaries across various countries and cultures
• Accommodate local practices without sacrificing standardization
• Provide transparency and control over compliance at every location

Why We Chose Q.wiki
Rittal placed its trust in our methodology as early as 2009 — well before Q.wiki existed in its current form. What convinced us back then wasn’t just the software, but the philosophy behind it: a truly interactive management system that prioritizes usability and real-world application.

As development of Q.wiki progressed, Rittal remained closely involved — ultimately becoming the lead user among corporate clients. Even during the pilot phase, Q.wiki demonstrated clear advantages over our previous Lotus Notes-based system:

• Dynamic and intuitive design
• High user acceptance
• Flexibility to adapt across departments and borders

The Result with Q.wiki
Today, the Friedhelm Loh Group, of which Rittal is a part, manages Q.wiki at both national and international levels.

To structure such a global system effectively, two key strategies have proven invaluable:

1. Minimum formal requirements were defined to guide local documentation practices while leaving room for subsidiary-specific processes.
2. A centralized global standards area was established for internationally valid documents, ensuring a shared foundation across the group.

Each subsidiary has its own dedicated space within Q.wiki, and dynamic overview pages provide clear visibility into:

• The specific requirements for each site
• Their current implementation status
• Group-wide compliance in real time

This structure strikes a balance between decentralized flexibility and centralized control — empowering local teams while maintaining global alignment.

A Lasting Partnership
We’re proud to have been an early supporter of Q.wiki and to have played a role in shaping its enterprise functionality. The experience and insights gained during this rollout continue to guide our management practices — and stand as proven best practices for other large organizations.