Automotive | £12.6 billion turnover
EDI jump-starts automation
A DiNet Integration Network solution
Improved speed & accuracy by
75%
of order invoicing processes
Quick & easy onboarding of
16
new Trading Partners
Overview
ITW Poland was established in 1994 and is a leading manufacturer of plastic parts for the automotive industry. A subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works Inc, ITW Poland needed an integrated EDI solution to enable them to compete as a tier-one supplier for major automotive companies.
Initially only exchanging order and invoicing documents with a small number of trading partners, ITW Poland originally had no EDI capability and were completely reliant on manual data exchange processes. Slow, expensive and prone to a high risk of data error, ITW Poland’s manual processes began to show a number of drawbacks as the company grew in size.
The main problem was that a lack of EDI capability prohibited them from trading with larger automotive OEM’s, most of whom mandated specific EDI approaches for speed, accuracy and consistency. Without an adequate EDI solution, on-boarding new trading partners would also be affected in a similar fashion severely restricting plans for future business growth.
Realising they would need to make some changes, ITW Poland began to research local EDI providers and contacted Data Interchange having read about their rich heritage in the automotive industry and ability to deliver cost-efficient and agile EDI solutions.
Speaking to Alessandro Poma, Lead EDI Consultant at Data Interchange’s Polish headquarters, ITW Poland outlined their business requirements.
Approach
Integration: Data Interchange designed an adaptable EDI solution that integrated directly with their ERP system and enabled them to exchange messages with multiple trading partners.
Conclusion
The first stage of implementing the solution was to set up a mailbox on the DiNet Integration Network; a global B2B messaging network that enables the exchange of EDI between trading partners. Odex Enterprise, Data Interchange’s flagship EDI integration platform was then configured and connected to the mailbox using a secure OFTP2 connection to act as a central hub for internal and external communications.
The second stage of the implementation process was to incorporate a data- transformation element into the solution. To do this, an Xlate Evolution component was configured to enable ITW Poland to perform in-house data transformation and convert files from one format to another. Crucially, this aspect of the solution allowed for total compliance with all mandated EDI approaches and removed concerns for future business growth.
Providing ITW Poland with a fully integrated and automated EDI solution, Data Interchange reduced data entry errors by eliminating the need to repeatedly input the same information into different systems. Costing only a third of their previous paper-based and manual equivalent, the Data Interchange solution improved the speed and accuracy of ITW Poland’s order invoicing processes by a staggering 75%.
Enabling real-time visibility of transactions and improved responsiveness and adaptability, ITW Poland have been able to on-board 16 new trading partners with separate EDI requirements quickly and easily. ITW Poland haves significantly grown since the go-live date, increasing the company headcount from 110 to 240 employees.
“Creating an integrated and automated EDI environment, Data Interchange saved us time and money, helping us to grow at an unbelievable rate”
- Andrzej Sikora, Logistics Manager
Automotive | £12.6 billion turnover
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