Pauwels Sauces strengthens backup and storage with AXI and Dell.

Pauwels Sauzen strengthened its IT foundation with a revamped server, storage, and backup environment, thorough network segmentation, and an updated disaster recovery plan. Together with AXI, the company ensured scalability, reliability, and continuity.

International player in food

Pauwels Sauzen is a Belgian producer of sauces for food service and retail. With its headquarters in Oelegem, a second production site in Herent, and commercial branches in France and the United Kingdom, Pauwels has grown into an international player. Innovation, quality, and customer focus have been central to the company since 1909. With an annual production of more than 150 million liters of sauce, the company is ready for further growth, both in terms of volume and market diversification.

The challenge: flexibility and scalability 

After years of stable growth, the existing IT infrastructure at Pauwels Sauzen was gradually in need of renewal. Some components had been in use for more than six years, which led to increased pressure on storage capacity and support contracts that were gradually expiring.

In addition, there was a clear need for greater flexibility and scalability. From an IT perspective, there was a need for optimal management and a future-proof environment.

The solution: modern storage and back-up

Together with AXI, Pauwels Sauzen opted for a completely revamped on-premises infrastructure based on Dell Technologies. On-premises was a logical choice here, given the presence of multiple systems for controlling the production environment and the associated need for low latency. Data is now stored securely and efficiently for all production sites. This setup guarantees full continuity for the two production sites.

Furthermore, the network architecture was optimized and the backup strategy and disaster recovery plan were updated. When sizing the new servers, license management for VMware was optimized with a focus on simplicity and scalability.

AXI partnership: trust, expertise and pragmatism

Pauwels Sauzen chose AXI primarily because of our technical expertise and no-nonsense approach. The fact that AXI is familiar with Dell Technologies also played a role: Pauwels was already working with Dell and wanted to continue along the same lines to keep the transition manageable for its own IT staff.

In addition, Pauwels also deliberately opted for a 24/7 SLA. This means that its own team can count on support outside office hours – should that ever be necessary. Thanks to this agreement, the internal IT team retains control, but there is always a safety net.

Results: continuity, security, and room for growth

The upgraded infrastructure offers Pauwels Sauzen greater comfort and security. Maintenance and updates can now be carried out without interrupting production, thanks to the distribution across the two production sites. The backup solution is robust and well protected.

And with a scalable storage solution, the company is once again ready to grow further, without having to make additional investments in infrastructure in the short term.