Implementation of Comarch EDI at METRO Digital

Why EDI?

The interchange of business information and paper documents between a retail chain and its suppliers entails high costs of processing large amounts of data and errors arising from, for instance, the ’human factor’ of document handling. In this case, the implementation of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) was a logical way to improve business communication.

METRO Digital decided to migrate to the Comarch solutions because of business opportunities related to an advanced Comarch EDI solution, which replaced the previous tool utilized by the company.

Aim of the Project

METRO Digital was looking for a strategic partner who would supply a cutting-edge EDI transaction platform for managing business partners and transferring the business information. The supply goal was to achieve best-in-class service in conjunction with competitive pricing and improved functionality. Additionally, METRO Digital expected to work with a partner who has the capability to improve the relationship and the scale to meet the dynamic nature of their business, including performing these services on a global basis.

Implemented Product

The EDI project at METRO covered two areas:

1. The migration of the EDI services from the former provider to Comarch EDI.

2. Continuous Managed EDI Services for METRO Digital.

The migration phase was successfully accomplished one year after the start of the project and from that moment METRO EDI infrastructure for 24 countries and 35 sales lines is managed by the Comarch team.

The following operations are being provided by Comarch to METRO Digital:

Infrastructure – the EDI Platform used by METRO Digital is hosted in Comarch Data Center (modern data processing and storage facilities), thus Comarch is responsible for the overall management of the Infrastructure of the EDI (hardware, software, network, etc.).
Operations – within the operations part Comarch is responsible for overall processing of EDI messages, i.e. for documents transmission/routing, validations, translations, etc.
Support – under support services Comarch is providing: day-to-day Project Management, Platform Monitoring, Transactions Tracking and Errors Monitoring, Service Desk and Service Level Management.

Remarks from METRO Digital

We keep in touch with many suppliers and issue hundreds of orders every day. This is why continuity and efficiency in exchanging documents with suppliers is so important, especially when they refer to orders that are realized within a few hours on the same day. There is no room for any error or misunderstanding. Comarch EDI significantly improved Metro AG business communication with suppliers. What is more, it also enables quick decision making and appropriate response in a constantly changing business environment."