Case Anttila_eng.indd
Transcription
Case Anttila_eng.indd
Customer case: Anttila Safe, familiar EDI handles Anttila’s orders The Anttila department store knows that EDI (electronic data interchange) is still the most reliable way to transmit data when the company orders larger amounts of products from its suppliers. EDI is also spreading to other parts of Europe, which is good news for the future of EDI messaging and for its development. “Whenever we get a major new supplier, we check to see if the company is equipped for EDI”, says Satu Koskinen, Chief Information Officer at Anttila. Anttila has used Tieto’s EDI service since 1994. Order and invoice messages are sent to and from suppliers as a matter of routine with EDI. ”But we still have potential to expand the use of EDI, especially with slightly smaller suppliers”, adds Ms Koskinen. EDI is used not only for placing orders but also by return post for confirmation of orders, and for delivery note information and invoices. ”It’s sensible to transmit as much data as possible between us and our suppliers along the same channel”, says Matti Akselin, Senior Systems Designer at Anttila. EDI continues to grow ”EDI is going strong today. Food manufacturers, wholesalers and logistics companies make extensive use of EDI. The number of messages passing through the data service has exceeded the one billion a year mark”, says Sales Director Nina Juneja from Tieto Value Networks business unit. ”The commissioning of EDI systems is usually problem free since EDI has been tested so many times”, adds Project Manager Sirpa Ahonen from the same unit. The data content of EDI messages is regularly improved, and global versions are made of the messages, for use at a company’s units operating in different countries, for example. The changes to the data content are often related to changes in the processing of payments or to making additions to the content, since different suppliers need different sorts of information on their orders. EDI does not usually run into problems EDI usually functions without a hitch, once the connection has been set up between the customer placing orders and the supplier. “Data transfer may slow down a little when order messages are sent abroad, but that is not the fault of EDI”, says Matti Akselin, Senior Systems Designer, who has been responsible with Sirpa Ahonen at Tieto for Anttila’s EDI system since the 1990s. ”Cooperation has been extremely smooth. The fact that our EDI contact at Tieto has been the same person for many years has been a real benefit for us. We value her expertise”, states CIO Satu Koskinen. Anttila has mainly used EDI with its For further information, please contact: Nina Juneja, nina.juneja@tieto.com • www.tieto.com/fvc CIO Satu Koskinen, Anttila Oy: ”It’s a good thing that EDI is developed, but fortunately new versions aren’t released too often. EDI’s strong points are that it is familiar, reliable and stays the same, and that commissioning is simple.” Customer case: Anttila suppliers in Finland, but nowadays it sends electronic orders to other countries as well, in particular to Sweden and Germany. Sales figures and volumes sold are monitored daily. Purchase orders from Anttila’s department stores, the Kodin Ykkönen home and interior décor stores, and online netAnttila, altogether 40 department stores, are sent as EDI messages from a centralised location, to a large extent automatically. EDI is also used for data transmission with other partners: Transport messages are sent to Itella and information about forwarding is exchanged with Keslog. New logistics centre in Kerava Anttila also makes efficient use of EDI for the reception of invoices. ”We receive genuine e-invoices, conventional EDI invoices and e-invoices that have been converted from EDI. Genuine e-invoices are forwarded to Tieto’s e-invoice service, Invoice Center”, states Mr Akselin and continues: ”Since switching to e-invoices requires a relatively small investment and gives many benefits, suppliers have been changing over to it at a brisk pace. E-invoices account for well over 50 per cent of all of Anttila’s invoicing.” A new logistics centre is being built for Anttila in Kerava that will be completed in 2011. ”The new logistics centre will not alter the order process. Goods will still be ordered through EDI”, reveals Ms Koskinen. Customer Anttila has altogether 40 department stores in different parts of Finland: Anttila department stores, Kodin Ykkönen home and interior décor stores and netAnttila. Kalle Anttila established his first mail order company back in 1952. The first discount department store opened two years later in Sörnäinen, Helsinki. Kesko acquired Anttila in 1996. The challenge Huge number of order and invoice messages in Finland and abroad, changes to data content. Tieto’s solution Wide ranging use of EDI, also used for receiving invoices. Results EDI functions without a hitch, orders and invoices reach their destinations. www.anttila.fi/in_brief.html For further information, please contact: Nina Juneja, nina.juneja@tieto.com • www.tieto.com/fvc CIO Satu Koskinen and Matti Akselin, Senior Systems Designer, at Anttila are happy that EDI functions reliably in data transfer and does not change too much over the years.