followfood connects all trade partners in days with Procuros EDI as API
.png)
Facts
- Document types: Orders, Invoices
- Trade partners and logistics partners connected: 29
- yearly transactions = 15k+ per year
Benefits
- Time until first document dispatch: 2 weeks
- 5-6 hours saved time / week / person
- 90% less errors due to automated data flow
About followfood
followfood is not just a company that sells sustainable food, but describes itself as a movement for sustainability and transparency along the supply chain. What makes it special is that every product is tagged with a tracking code, so it's quick and easy to see where the product comes from - full transparency all the way back to the source. The more than 90 products are distributed 100% sustainably to two million customers and with the rapid growth, there is no end in sight.
The problem
An outdated ERP system proved to be a real bottleneck for followfood's strong growth. It no longer matched the processes needed to meet demand. In order to fulfill the new requirements, followfood had to implement a new ERP system.
The hurdle: An already established EDI set-up had to be transferred to the new ERP system. In doing so, the EDI service provider had to create the respective 1:1 mappings, i.e. connections to more than 30 individual trading partners such as Rewe or Edeka, from scratch and adjust them to the format of the new ERP system. A tedious, costly and time-consuming task, which is why followfood was also looking for a new EDI solution in the course of selecting the new ERP system.
Having been used to a seamless exchange of orders, invoices, and shipping notifications, followfood couldn't make use of supplier portals (such as Edeka or Rewe). The advantages of seamlessly exchanging documents with trading partners and being able to map everything in the ERP system were no longer to be missed. In addition, the introduction of a new ERP system already caused enough effort within all departments, so that the topic of EDI should not cause any further headaches.
The Solution
The easiest and fastest way to establish an EDI integration with a new ERP system to all trading partners is via APIs, which serve the EDI data standard. A data hub eliminates tedious 1:1 mappings and a one-time connection to the ERP system is sufficient to connect all trade partners with different file formats and requirements. Cloud-based solutions such as the Procuros Integration Hub enable this data hub and thus a secure and fast integration without a lengthy IT project.
A particular advantage here is that many trading partners are already connected to the Procuros Integration Hub. As a result, the implementation with the new ERP system for followfood was solved within 2 weeks. The wide range of file formats covered by the Integration Hub was one of the decisive arguments for followfood to introduce the new standard of B2B transactions with Procuros.
"Thanks to Procuros, we were able to quickly follow up on EDI. A new ERP system already provides for enough substantial changes, EDI should simply be integrated seamlessly and without a lengthy project." Johann Matis
A key advantage of EDI-as-API solutions is the ability to map trading partners with different communication channels directly in an ERP system. In this way, trading partners who still mainly send invoice documents via e-mail can also be connected with the Integration Hub and all documents are transferred directly to the ERP system for processing.
In the future, this will give followfood the opportunity to connect trading partners with simplified technical requirements using a modern standard. This includes, for example, local fisheries that only produce in small and sustainable quantities and therefore do not have a large IT infrastructure. followfood is thus spared a lot of manual work. Everything is automated and digitized in one place: Their new ERP system.
Results
Thanks to the smooth interaction between the new ERP system and the Procuros Integration Hub, followfood is able to manage its growth. They expect a revenue of €80 million in 2023. The constant exchange between followfood and Procuros offers another advantage: feedback from our customers allows us to continuously improve the Integration Hub and add new features together.
"What I appreciate about Procuros is the uncomplicated and quick communication. Problems are solved in a short time and we there’s one less thing to worry about." Johann Matis
Followfood's journey towards a completely transparent supply chain is something we are proud to be part of!