How El Origen with Procuros digitizes the entire ordering process and uses EDI and ERP as a basis for scalable growth

El Origen has always relied on a scalable infrastructure to automate the ordering process end-to-end. By linking the Xentral ERP system and the Procuros Integration Hub, orders, delivery notes, and invoices from retailers are fully automated. All key retail partners could be connected with a single click, enabling even a rapid increase in order volume to be handled smoothly. Welcome to the Crunchy Revolution.

What's the best thing you can do with plantains and cassava? That's right, organic chips! El Origen is bringing these snacks, which have long been popular in Latin America, to Europe, sparking a "crunchy revolution." The crispy organic chips are extremely popular and can be found on the shelves of Rewe, Edeka, and Alnatura.

State-of-the-art operating procedures right from the start

With the help of Rewe StartUp Lounge, the first bags of chips were listed in test markets throughout Germany. The products were very well received, and it quickly became clear that they would not remain limited to the test markets of a single food retailer. Automated order processing is essential to ensure the purchase quantities required for permanent listing with various retailers.

The Xentral ERP system was therefore introduced at El Origen and used to map internal processes such as warehouse management and order processing.

In addition to introducing the merchandise management system, El Origen quickly realized that one piece of the puzzle for automated, end-to-end ordering processes was still missing: a smooth EDI connection.

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) ensures the automated exchange of all order documents such as invoices and delivery notifications, eliminating the need for manual transfer of orders into the ERP system, for example. Only through appropriate EDI integration with the ERP system can order processing be fully digitized and automated.

EDI and ERP are a perfect match — or are they?

At first glance, combining ERP and EDI seems very logical. But why hasn't this interaction become standard practice in every company?

This is due to the very limited options available to date for implementing EDI easily, quickly, and cost-effectively. Complex and expensive IT integrations made EDI implementation an extreme challenge, especially for many start-ups. However, web-based applications such as the Procuros Integration Hub offer completely new possibilities and have performed very well at El Origen, particularly thanks to their transaction-based pricing. EDI connections can be set up with just a few clicks and without connection fees. In addition, a plug-and-play connector makes it possible to connect the Xentral ERP system to the platform in no time at all.

El Origin connects you to all your trading partners with just a few clicks and no upfront investment. In addition, our plug-and-play connection to the Xentral ERP system allows you to connect to the platform in no time at all.

This enables companies such as El Origen to anticipate the requirements of retailers and offer EDI from the outset.

Manage high demand with the Procuros Integration Hub

From today's perspective, the early establishment of a scalable infrastructure was more than advantageous. From one day to the next, demand rose rapidly and El Origen chips were on the shelves of all major grocery stores in Germany. Thanks to forward thinking and the early implementation of ERP and the corresponding EDI connection, the rush for organic chips was successfully managed.

Thanks to the hub architecture of the Procuros Integration Hub, 10 trading partners were quickly connected. The smooth flow of documents between retailers and the company's own ERP system also ensured that the operations team was not burdened with tedious manual data entry.

With Procuros, we can quickly and easily establish EDI connections with our customers. This makes our daily work much easier, as order processing and invoicing are now almost completely automated.

Katharina Franke, Supply Chain Manager at El Origen

The Procuros Integration Hub

Procuros is the first one-to-all platform for digital connection to trading partners. Thanks to existing EDI connections to all trading partners, new and existing trading partners can be connected to your ERP system with just a few clicks. The smooth interaction between ERP and EDI can be set up within a few days and forms the basis for scalable processes. In this article, which we wrote together with Xentral and our partner 4foodies, we have summarized when you should consider introducing an ERP system.