EDI integration into your own ERP system: How EDI implementation was quickly resolved at Heimatgut
About Heimatgut
Heimatgut began in 2014 with a promise: "We will rid snacks of their bad reputation." No sooner said than done. The Hamburg-based food startup is shaking up the snack market with organic products free from chemicals. Today, 20 employees manage the diverse product range and have ensured that the Heimatgut brand can be found in every supermarket. Heimatgut promises: Always vegan. Always organic. Never artificial.
In addition to D2C business via its own online shop, dm, Edeka, and Alnatura are among its most important retail partners. We use Weclapp as our ERP system.
Time-consuming processes slow down your growth
Digitalization and automation no longer seem to be just hackneyed buzzwords. Nevertheless, there are still processes that have to be carried out largely manually. Heimatgut had the same experience when it first established business relationships with food retailers. Orders had to be taken and manually transferred to the ERP system before a delivery confirmation could be sent to the customer. The subsequent invoicing also had to be done manually, which resulted in an incredibly time-consuming process.
Errors cause annoying extra work
Due to manual data entry, errors are almost inevitable. This led to strange and unfortunately costly situations, such as the wrong chips being delivered to Austria. Penalties and nerve-wracking emails were the result. In addition, working with multiple open windows and spreadsheets is both tedious and monotonous. The desire to process orders exclusively in the company's own ERP system grew steadily.
As an interim solution, a CSV import was manually transferred to the system. However, this meant that no outgoing messages could be sent. This process caused considerable additional work for the operations team.
One of the few ways to automate this process is to use the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) standard. EDI enables the direct exchange of order documents between ERP systems.
These requirements must be met
Since EDI is a proven standard, several service providers offer the creation of an EDI interface. For this reason, the solution should meet these requirements.
- 100% integration with weclapp — no manual data import or export
- New EDI connections possible with a single click
- No lengthy IT project — smooth connection can be implemented at short notice
However, the search for a suitable EDI service provider was slow and ended in frustration for Heimatgut. None of the offers could provide a simple connection to all trading partners that could also be mapped in the company's ERP system.
At first, I was very skeptical about Procuros, as I had found that many EDI service providers were unable to meet our requirements. However, the EDI connection worked smoothly right from the start. And that was despite the fact that we had only provided the API data two hours before the kick-off meeting.
Constantin Hasche, Project Manager
Only a few days left until a smooth EDI connection
The Procuros Integration Hub enabled Heimatgut to immediately improve its ordering processes. Since all trading partners are already connected to the Procuros Hub via EDI, only a one-time connection is required, which then enables a direct EDI connection to all important trading partners.
Ausschlaggebend für Heimatgut bei der Wahl dieser Lösung war, dass sie eine 100-prozentige Integration mit weclapp bietet und in nur zwei Tagen implementiert werden kann. Alles, was für die Einrichtung der EDI-Verbindung benötigt wurde, waren die API-Daten von weclapp.
All processes in one place
The effects of a smooth EDI connection on daily work are clearly visible in the operations team. Whereas previously many spreadsheets and windows were open at the same time, now only weclapp is needed. All processes converge in weclapp and all tasks can be completed from here. Switching back and forth between Excel, the supplier portal, and other programs is no longer necessary. All processes are mapped holistically in one place and can be handled from here.
Webinar Procuros x Heimatgut x weclapp