Cloud data management for fast and simple processes
In cooperation with AEB, A+P has largely automated the assignment of eVVs to its internal ERP according to custom parameters.
Challenge
1,500 imports per month, daily arrivals, and in some cases only hours between import and export:the Swiss manufacturer of industrial components Angst+Pfister (A+P) moves goods across Swiss borders on a daily basis.In order to comply with compliance regulations, proof of preferential origin must be forwarded to customers.Electronic assessment decisions (eVVs) must be fetched from customs for this and assigned to the corresponding order items in the internal ERP.As a just-in-time delivery partner, A+P focuses on same-day processing - i.e. processing all shipments on the day of receipt.If this is not achieved, there may be unnecessary customs duties in the customer's destination country in addition to possible compliance issues.On the other hand, if the process succeeds, A+P has gained a competitive advantage through the saved customs duties.
However, same-day processing could only rarely be achieved until now.The reason:the assignment of the eVVs simply takes too long, despite supporting software that fetches the eVVs from customs.The eVVs then had to be manually assigned to the order items in huge Excel lists.This process tied up two employees full time, a workload that had never been intended.A+P therefore had to do one thing above all: speed up the process.
But how do you speed up a process when you don't know exactly what the solution is?Thanks to modular cloud technology, AEB has a unique solution landscape with nXt, which can cope with such specific requirements.
Right at the beginning of the project, it was clear that direct communication between customs and the ERP was not a viable option due to the complex ERP environment.Therefore, a method had to be developed to automatically link both data sets outside the ERP.Through agile project management, a cloud-based solution was realized, which fetches all eVVs from customs via the standardized import filing module, while the order items and article master data in A+P's ERP are accessed via an interface.For the automated assignment of the eVVs to the appropriate order item, corresponding key value pairs are now collected from both data sets in accordance with A+P's specific data model and then linked to one another.To adapt the AEB cloud platform to these specific requirements, real data from A+P was worked with and tested directly.Subsequently, it was possible to ensure that the final result reaches the highest possible automation rate through several iterations.
"What really impressed us is that the AEB Cloud was able to largely automate the process.Our ERP is not standard software and has grown with our company.Nobody really believed that the communication and further processing of data between customs and the ERP could even be automated.”
Belinda Blumer, Team Lead Import/Export
The AEB cloud now sits like a flexible hinge between the two systems and enables further processing of data which would not have been possible originally.Thanks to the AEB software's modular architecture, it could be integrated seamlessly into the A+P software landscape without costly in-house developments.If A+P needs additional functions in the future, they can be added to the system at any time.
Result
The solution has reduced the workload for eVV assignments by 75%.In addition, the process has been simplified for employees and around 80% of the eVVs are now assigned automatically.This makes it much easier for A+P to comply with same-day processing and compliance regulations.
If an automated assignment is not possible, this is mainly due to incorrect eVVs.With imports, the eVVs are generated based on the forwarder's entries into the customs system.If mistakes are made and the eVVs are not complete or correct, they are automatically detected by the system and an employee just has to correct and verify them.Afterwards, they can be easily assigned to the corresponding order item in the ERP in the cloud.
In addition to achieving the project objective, the flexibility of the AEB Cloud was particularly impressive.The system enables smooth communication between two systems, which was previously impossible.This ensures compliance with regulations, saves costs, and gives A+P customers the assurance that all their preference data has the relevant proof.
Speed up your customs processes now with AEB
About Angst+Pfister
Angst+Pfister (A+P) was founded in Zurich in 1920 and is a developer, manufacturer, and supplier of industrial components.A+P serves more than 20,000 customers in over 50 countries every year.The company provides support from the selection of materials and designs to the development, production, procurement, and qualification of parts and delivers them wherever and whenever they are needed.