B2B eCommerce Transformation with Tungsram, GE Lighting, and Current

How Three Industry Leaders Built a Shared Digital Future

Introduction

By the late 2010s, the lighting industry had reached a turning point in digitalization. Traditional business models could no longer keep up with evolving customer expectations.

In this environment, three historically and technologically connected brands — Tungsram, GE Lighting, and Current by GE — joined forces on a shared digital foundation powered by Salesforce B2B Commerce and Experience Cloud.

The goal was to create a unified B2B eCommerce and CRM platform that integrates sales, customer service, order management, and reporting — all built on real-time data and a 360° customer view.

The Connection Between the Three Brands

The story of Tungsram, GE Lighting, and Current spans more than a century.
Tungsram, a pioneer of the Hungarian lighting industry, was acquired by General Electric (GE) after the fall of communism. This made Tungsram the European headquarters of GE Lighting, operating for decades as part of GE’s global network.

In the mid-2010s, GE launched Current by GE, a brand specializing in industrial lighting, energy management, and IoT solutions.
Later, Savant Systems acquired GE Lighting, while Tungsram regained its independence — yet remained connected to GE’s technological and commercial ecosystem.

This shared heritage created a connected but organizationally independent network, where all three companies rebuilt their B2B operations on a single digital platform.

Business Challenges

Each company faced similar pain points:

• Fragmented systems – Sales and customer data were stored across multiple, non-integrated sources (e.g. Excel, local CRMs).
• Limited visibility – Order and customer management lacked transparency.
• Manual administration – Many processes required manual data entry and email communication.
• No unified customer view – The full history of customer interactions wasn’t visible in one system.
• Rising B2B expectations – Corporate buyers began expecting the same seamless digital experiences as in B2C.

The Salesforce-Based Solution

Their collective answer was the Salesforce ecosystem, which all three companies adopted in a coordinated rollout.

Core technological components:

• Salesforce B2B Commerce Cloud – A digital commerce platform optimized for enterprise ordering, featuring custom pricing logic, fast reordering, and multi-tier payment options.
• Salesforce Experience Cloud – A self-service partner portal providing real-time access to stock levels, pricing, and contract details.
• SAP integration – A two-way data connection between the ERP and Salesforce environments.
• Tableau Analytics – Advanced visualization and performance tracking with account manager–level reporting.
• Service Cloud – Integrated customer service and complaint management processes.

Business Impact

The new digital architecture transformed how these organizations operate on multiple levels:

• Real-time data flow between sales, logistics, and customer service.
• 360° customer view, displaying all interactions and orders in one unified dashboard.
• Data-driven decision-making, enabling accurate performance measurement and forecasting.
• Enhanced customer experience, allowing partners to manage orders quickly and independently.
• Mobile access and Outlook integration, empowering field sales teams with up-to-date data.

The Human Side of Transformation

This transformation was more than a systems upgrade — it represented a cultural shift.

Sales teams at GE Lighting and Tungsram transitioned from manual spreadsheets to real-time, data-driven work.
Management gained full, up-to-date visibility into operations through Salesforce dashboards — segmented by region, product, or customer.

A Shared Digital Legacy

Today, Tungsram, GE Lighting, and Current operate as separate companies — yet share a common digital philosophy:
an integrated, Salesforce-powered B2B eCommerce ecosystem.

This foundation allows them to:

• Scale on shared technological infrastructure
• Leverage unified customer data
• Deliver a consistent experience for global partners

Conclusion

The collaboration between Tungsram, GE Lighting, and Current is a rare yet powerful example of how digital transformation can unite independent organizations through shared technological heritage.

With Salesforce B2B Commerce and Experience Cloud, three major players in industrial lighting have elevated their B2B operations to a new level — one where light connects the world not only physically, but digitally as well.