werbemax — Agency Takeover and Redesign on Drupal 11
Last updated: March 2026
Client: werbemax.de Industry: Promotional Products (B2B) Services: Agency takeover, cleanup, redesign Language: German Website: werbemax.de
The Challenge
werbemax came to arocom with a clear starting point: the previous agency could no longer maintain the project. The website suffered from stalled development, outdated modules and unstructured content management. A typical case of technical debt that had accumulated over years.
Stalled Development and Technical Debt
Outdated modules, missing updates, accumulated workarounds. The existing codebase was no longer maintainable and blocked any further development. Before anything new could be built, the technical foundation needed cleanup.
Unstructured Content Management
Content types had grown organically, taxonomies were inconsistent, editorial work was cumbersome. A well-designed content architecture that meets the requirements of a B2B promotional products provider was missing entirely.
Agency Switch Without Knowledge Transfer
Project takeovers without proper documentation are demanding. arocom had to work through an unfamiliar codebase, understand dependencies and reconstruct decisions made by the previous agency before the actual work could begin.
Redesign During Live Operations
The redesign had to be implemented in an agency partnership while the online shop and website continued running in production. No big-bang relaunch, but a step-by-step transformation.
The Solution
Clean Up First, Then Redesign
The foundation of every successful project takeover is discipline: don't immediately rebuild, but first understand and clean up. arocom systematically analyzed the existing codebase, removed outdated modules, introduced Composer as dependency management and migrated the platform to Drupal 11.
Only when the technical foundation was stable did the actual redesign begin — in an agency partnership with a design agency.
Content Architecture and Custom Modules
The core of the work was the complete rebuild of the content architecture and the development of tailored functionality:
7 Content Types, 16 Taxonomies
The entire content structure was redesigned. 7 content types map the product range, references, news and company information. 16 taxonomies ensure consistent categorization and filtering capabilities.
28 Custom Modules
Wishlist, pricing logic, extended search, banner system, swiper components and more — all developed as clean Drupal modules, documented and testable.
Composerization
Migration to Composer as central dependency management. 127 contrib modules properly versioned, update paths clearly defined. No more manual downloads, no version conflicts.
Search API Integration
Faceted search across the entire product range. Customers find promotional products by category, price range, material and other criteria — fast and precise.
The Results
Stable Technical Foundation
From technical debt to a clean Drupal 11 platform. Composer, current modules, documented code — the foundation for sustainable development.
Modern Redesign
A contemporary appearance that reflects the quality of werbemax products. Implemented in an agency partnership, without operational interruption.
Editorial Efficiency
The new content architecture with 7 content types and 16 taxonomies makes editorial work structured and efficient. Products, references and news can be maintained consistently.
Long-term Partnership
Since September 2023, arocom has been continuously maintaining werbemax.de. 1,536 commits show: this is not a one-time handover, but an active partnership.
Since 2023 we have been working with arocom after switching agencies. We greatly appreciate the practical advice and swift implementation. After just a few months of optimizing our Drupal website, we could already see significant improvements. The collaboration works really well.
Planning an Agency Takeover?
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What happens during a project takeover from another agency?
arocom first analyzes the existing codebase, dependencies and technical condition. Then comes cleanup: removing outdated modules, introducing Composer, closing security gaps. Only when the foundation is stable does further development begin. For werbemax, this process paved the way for a complete redesign.
How does a content architecture restructuring work?
arocom inventories all existing content types, analyzes redundancies and designs a new structure. For werbemax, this meant: 7 clearly defined content types and 16 taxonomies that properly map the product range, references and news. Migration of existing content happens incrementally.
What does Composerization mean for Drupal?
Composer is the standard dependency management for Drupal. Composerization means migrating from manually downloaded modules to Composer-managed packages. This makes updates plannable, version conflicts visible and the entire codebase reproducible.
Can arocom take over existing Drupal projects from other agencies?
Yes. Project takeovers are a common scenario at arocom. What matters is a thorough analysis of the existing codebase and a realistic plan for cleanup. The werbemax project shows how a takeover can become a long-term partnership.
Further Reading
- Drupal Development — Custom Drupal solutions by arocom
- Drupal Future Check (Audit) — Is your platform future-proof?
- Why Drupal? — What sets Drupal apart from other CMS
- All References — More arocom projects