Frosta AGSupplier Management Optimization Reducing Process Duration and Costs
Before the supplier portal Comarch Web-EDI was introduced, FRoSTA did not have a solution for the exchange of electronic documents with smaller goods suppliers and service providers. Until the portal‘s implementation, the order processes were characterized by media discontinuity, i.e. the orders were submitted via phone, e-mail, or paper document. Incoming invoices likewise had to be integrated laboriously into the existing invoice verification processes; being received in PDF format or paper form, they had to undergo an OCR process (Optical Character Recognition) first.
For these reasons, FRoSTA strived for a uniform integration of all suppliers into the electronic document exchange to systematically avoid media discontinuity within the exchange process. This way, it could improve the security, efficiency, and speed of the complete document exchange required to perform business processes. The subsequent electronic invoice processing was also supposed to be considerably facilitated and sped up by the transfer of EDI invoice data and related invoice data images (PDF documents).
April 2014, FRoSTA decided to implement Comarch B2B Network. A workshop conducted to analyze FRoSTA‘s requirements concerning data transfer in detail and to individually adjust the Web-EDI portal to the suppliers‘ needs enabled a deep understanding by both parties of the problems to be solved and of Comarch B2B Network as a product.
FRoSTA‘s specific requirements regarding the solutions Comarch Web-EDI and Comarch B2B Network were assessed during a workshop and afterwards recorded in a functional specification document. Based on this functional specification, the project was realized in close cooperation with FRoSTA and within a period of less than six months.
Orders effected by FRoSTA are transferred via a communication channel to the Comarch Clearing Center. The suppliers are then provided with these orders either through Comarch Web-EDI or by means of direct EDI integration. Incoming invoices are in turn transmitted through a communication channel to FRoSTA. For each invoice, an invoice record and a PDF file for FRoSTA‘s present processing of incoming invoices are transferred. Thus, the solutions Comarch Web-EDI and Comarch B2B Network fit in seamlessly with the existing processes at FRoSTA AG.
Comarch Web-EDI and Comarch B2B Network are centrally operated in a Comarch Data Center as SaaS solutions. In the SaaS model (Software as a Service), the software is outsourced and accessed by way of a cloud. As a result, FRoSTA did not have to invest into
special hardware or software. Comarch Web-EDI and Comarch B2B Network enable FRoSTA to electronically exchange orders and invoices with their suppliers even if they are not EDI-capable. Thanks to direct integration into the existing incoming invoice processing, the costs as well as the duration of processes at FRoSTA can be reduced.
Comarch is an international provider of IT solutions with more than 5,000 employees in 24 countries and 85,000 customers worldwide. Comarch B2B Network is a secure, cloud-based platform for electronic communication and transactions, which is particularly suited for supply chain solutions. It supports companies worldwide in faster, better, and more concise communication with their business partners. Numerous customers such as REWE, Sony, Osram, or Shell rely on Comarch B2B Network.
In the future, further suppliers will be included in the electronic invoice processing, either through Comarch Web-EDI or by means of a direct connection. Thus, the manual efforts required at FRoSTA to process incoming invoices will continue to constantly decrease. It is the aim to connect nearly all suppliers by means of Comarch B2B Network.
Having implemented Comarch B2B Network, we now use a system that was flexibly and readily available to optimally connect our suppliers and which optimizes our supply chain. Smaller suppliers, in particular, are given the possibility to securely and easily exchange all necessary documents with us through a supplier portal. All partners benefit from a considerable increase in flexibility and security."
Robert Blasing
Head of IT at FRoSTA
