Background & Requirements
This is not the first time that the Gretsch Unitas Group has collaborated with Mercoline: solutions from the M.SmartLogistics suite are already in use, including the Mercoline Transport Communicator and the DHL Express connection.
In the meantime, DHL Express has launched a new service for export shipments: ‘Paperless Trade’ (PLT) enables goods and invoice data to be transferred digitally. By automatically linking export shipments to this data, customs clearance is accelerated.
Gretsch Unitas wanted to utilise PLT to significantly reduce manual effort. This is because, until now, staff had to print out invoice data for all export shipments and place it manually into the dispatch envelope.
The customer’s requirements at a glance:
- Reduction in manual workload for staff
- Processing of digital invoice data within the customer’s system
- Implementation with SAP ECC and migration to SAP S/4HANA
“We were able to discuss our requirements openly and constructively with Mercoline and implement them promptly. The biggest challenge was processing digital invoice data within the customer’s system. This required close collaboration between the export, sales, customs and dispatch logistics departments.” – Bertram Karcher, SAP Consultant & Developer at Gretsch Unitas
Close collaboration with Mercoline and DHL
Gretsch Unitas is one of the first customers for whom Mercoline has implemented “Paperless Trade”. The exchange with the product management team was correspondingly close: following a needs analysis, the solution was further developed and implemented in close consultation and through regular meetings.
“Overall, it was a very successful project. Thanks to the intensive and collaborative partnership with DHL and Mercoline, we were able to achieve an optimal result based on efficient and streamlined processes.”
– Bertram Karcher, SAP Consultant & Developer at Gretsch Unitas
Success with Mercoline as a solution partner
‘Paperless Trade’ is now seamlessly integrated into Gretsch Unitas’s SAP system.
As a result, documents and data are automatically identified and transmitted to DHL Express. Staff no longer need to process documents manually – this saves time and boosts efficiency.
“To ensure the digital documents are created and made available in PDF format, comprehensive adjustments were made to the content management system in parallel. This means we are now able to process SAP documents immediately, efficiently and via drag-and-drop as PLT files.”
– Bertram Karcher, SAP Consultant & Developer at Gretsch Unitas
Outlook:
In addition to the “Paperless Trade” solution, further projects are already planned at Gretsch Unitas. These include, for example, the integration of another freight forwarder, an EWM connection and the introduction of the pricing tool.
About Gretsch Unitas
The Gretsch-Unitas Group is a leading global provider of security solutions.
Part of this is AGENA GmbH – the Group’s IT division – which, with around 70 employees, optimises digital processes within the Group, amongst other things. Its portfolio encompasses both IT services – such as system integration and the operation of complex IT infrastructures – and the development of bespoke software solutions.