EDI at Schlaraffenland
EDI arrives in the land of milk and honey
Let go – relax – enjoy. This is the slogan of Schlaraffenland GmbH, which is now palpable even in the IT department at the Austrian market leader in the air freshener and LED candle industry. This is a result of the fully integrated EDI outsourcing solution introduced approximately two years ago when Schlaraffenland switched to BMD*, a new business software. “It makes our lives so much easier!” said Ulrike Pointl, the responsible key account manager at Schlaraffenland. According to Ms. Pointl, the introduction of EDI was prompted by constantly growing and ever more specific client demands regarding the exchange of orders, despatch advices and invoices.
“To handle that, we had to take our processes to the next level,” she said. As a case in point, the highly dedicated manager mentioned a big client in Germany where a single order may end up translating into deliveries to 360 different stores. Ulrike Pointl is delighted with the solution: “Without EDI, we would have to enter everything manually 360 times. We now do it at the click of a mouse.” Ms. Pointl points out that things are going smoothly thanks to the “excellent collaboration between all players at Schlaraffenland, EDITEL and BMD* from the very first day, not only in terms of the implementation, but also for ongoing operations.” Richard Birmili, the responsible software consultant at BMD, seconds that: “The main challenge was to account for the varying specifications made by large retailers.
Thanks to the fantastic collaboration of everybody at Schlaraffenland GmbH, EDITEL and BMD, we successfully implemented all EDI connections even though we had to meet some very unique specifications,” he said. The successful trio won’t run out of challenges anytime soon because there are many other clients with a variety of different specifications. “We still have a lot to do,” said Ulrike Pointl, who looks forward to tackling the challenges ahead.
In brief
- EDI integration via EDITEL as an outsourcing solution
- Swift and straightforward document flow despite diverging retailer specifications
- Implemented message formats:
- Close collaboration and coordination with BMD, a software partner – Continuous consulting services and support by EDITEL when onboarding additional partners
* BMD Systemhaus GmbH is the largest provider of business software in Austria and has made a name for itself as a pioneer in the digitalization of invoicing and accounting software for certified public accountants. BMD Software relies on a database-oriented, integrated overall solution based on a holistic data model. All programs and functions have standardized usability with high ease of use and excellent online help.
About Schlaraffenland
Headquartered in Grödig in the province of Salzburg, Schlaraffenland GmbH is a supplier of high-quality products such as LED candles, LED decorative items, essential oils, scented candles, incense and accessories. Its clients include mostly furniture stores (Lutz Group, Leiner/kika), DIY stores (BAUHAUS, OBI, Hornbach, hagebau, HELLWEG), food retailers (SPAR Austria, Metro, real, Kaufland, Globus, Edeka, Norma) and drug stores (Müller, Budnikowsky).
