High-level expertise for all things flour“ is the guiding principle of the GoodMills Group, which provides top-quality foodstuffs to millions of people in central and eastern Europe on a daily basis. This company, which is owned by the Raiffeisen corporation, pairs the benefits of an international network with local expertise about specific European markets. This combination of expertise, experience, and regional roots allows the GoodMills Group to leverage opportunities on local markets.
EDI competencies for smooth data exchange
For instance, Bulgaria, which is home to one of the largest and sophisticated mills in the Balkans, is one of the company‘s major markets. During the company-wide SAP introduction, Bulgaria was also the first country that concurrently had to make major changes to the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) system it uses to communicate with its business partners. The goal was to ensure the continued smooth exchange of orders, despatch advices, and invoices with major retailers including Billa, Metro, and Kaufland after finalizing the SAP implementation.
Due to the new centralized system environment, this project was not feasible with the previous local EDI provider, which is why EDITEL was selected as a partner for its experience, expertise, and international presence. Clearly focused on the goal and with a non-negotiable deadline for the go-live in mind, SAP was introduced during ongoing operations, interfaces were defined, and the corresponding EDI mappings were prepared and tested together with the client.
Go-live with SAP and EDI
The system went live exactly as planned and did not have any negative effect on ongoing operations. “We really appreciated EDITEL‘s top-notch problem-solving skills and flexibility, especially during the critical phase,” said Sharif Issa, the SAP project manager at GoodMills Group, praising the project implementation:
“The EDI connection allows for prompt planning and helps us eliminate mistakes. Despatch advices, invoices, and credits always go directly into the corresponding system and the process is fast and always accurate. Finally, we are saving considerable amounts of paper, which is a plus for the environment,” Mr. Sharif added.
While this does not mean that everything happens faster at GoodMills Bulgaria than in other countries, a sophisticated system environment paired with a tried-and-trusted EDI service provider certainly prepare the ground for a successful and digitalized future while saving a lot of time. In addition, a solid basis for the introduction of EDI operations in other countries is now available.
