Interview with IT Manager of Raben BEXity

“At the end of the day, what matters is customer satisfaction …”

A lot has happened since 2020, when EDITEL successfully carried out the migration of the entire EDI system from the former ÖBB environment for Raben BEXity GmbH:  In addition to ensuring ongoing EDI operations with approximately 5,000 to 20,000 EDI messages daily, EDITEL, as the EDI service provider for Raben BEXity, handles an additional 15 to 20 new client connections annually. Behind this often lie detailed and time-critical coordination processes where smooth and trustful collaboration is crucial. In the interview below, Robert Blum, IT Director at Raben BEXity GmbH, explains why this partnership works so well and shares his thoughts on the main challenges in the EDI sector:

Robert Blum, IT Director, Raben BEXity GmbH

What has changed in the ongoing EDI operations since the migration two years ago and what challenges have arisen?

Our focus is to always offer our clients the best service they can get. In the realm of EDI, this means guaranteeing timely implementations and correct integrations at all times. As a client, I am aware that we often pass on stress, but the short turnaround time is always the biggest challenge for us. However, up to now, we have always met all deadlines, and I can’t recall a time when we had to tell a client saying, “sorry, we can’t do that.” So, kudos to EDITEL for a job well done!

In which business areas is EDI particularly essential for your company and why?

For us, it’s less about specific business areas – EDI is valuable where there’s volume. For instance, with high-end or major clients who need a different quality of service, like receiving feedback on individual orders.

Are there other areas at Raben BEXity where you see potential for EDI?

Yes, but it’s a fluid structure. We’re highly focused on EDI and also use it for our mid-tier and smaller clients because it’s considerably more efficient.

What are the key aspects of your partnership with EDITEL?

Our partnership is based on a straightforward concept: we determine the content, and EDITEL handles the technical aspects in the background. This reflects everybody’s focus and has worked splendidly over the past couple of years.

Which Raben BEXity teams are in contact with EDITEL?

We keep things pretty lean here, so we have one person in charge of interfaces who is deeply involved and focused solely on that.

How has your collaboration with EDITEL been, and how do you perceive their expertise and support?

The collaboration has been top-notch and operates at a very high level. It’s par for the course to have various coordination topics – but as long as business is running, those are just minor details. At the end of the day, what matters most to me is customer satisfaction.

Do you see any room for improvement?

No, because we get exactly what we ask for, so it’s all good.

If Raben BEXity no longer had EDI, then …

… we wouldn’t transport anything – that’s a fact. We would not be able to perform transports without working with Electronic Data Interchange, as 75% of our orders are based on it, with many subsystems connected as well. For instance, for a partner company to provide their client with information about a shipment, they rely on feedback from their freight forwarders. So, if we can’t provide feedback, the end client doesn’t get any information about their shipment. This is precisely why EDI is simply indispensable for kind of logistics services we provide.

Where do you see the most significant benefits of EDI technology in general?

It speeds things up and thereby frees up resources. We always aim to offer the best service at the best price in the market – EDI helps us achieve that.

What are Raben BEXity’s general goals/strategies regarding digitalization?

We are already highly digitalized, but our degree of digitalization and the requirements we face always depend on our environment.

If you had to compare your collaboration with EDITEL to a city in Europe, which one would it be?

Vienna. A city that is always touted as the most livable and of the highest quality in various rankings, even if its residents can be grumpy. 😉