Van Spijk Agenturen is Stress-Free with a Reliable Integrated EDI Solution

As a wholesaler in tools, Van Spijk Agenturen offers a total package for large DIY stores and a number of specialty shops. The company has been using EDI for more than 10 years to automate both the Procure-to-Pay (P2P) process with suppliers and the Order-to-Cash (O2C) message traffic with customers.

“The fact that I can trust that the integrated EDI solution works as it should and is stable and reliable is the greatest strength of working with a partner like Descartes.”

Peter Verhoeven, ICT Integration Specialist

Over 10 years ago, VSA was asked by the market to exchange supply chain messages such as orders, packing slips and invoices electronically rather than via email or in PDF format. This prompted the company to make the switch to Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), primarily for its major trading partners. VSA's goal was also to increase efficiency and achieve error-free processes with a stable solution. Automatic processing was expected to ensure a reliable and faster process. To this end, the integrated EDI solution from Descartes was considered.

As a wholesaler in tools, VSA purchases products from various suppliers. Some of the items end up in the central warehouse and are entered directly into the ERP via a Warehouse Management System (WMS). Then they are sent to customers. These are mainly B2B customers, such as large DIY stores and a number of specialty shops.

VSA uses the integrated EDI solution from Descartes for two message streams. The message exchange with suppliers involves outgoing orders. The message traffic with customers – the DIY stores, for example – involves incoming orders, outgoing Despatch Advice (DESADV) messages (electronic packing slips), outgoing order confirmations and outgoing invoices (INVOIC).

The EDI solution ensures that information from both message streams ends up directly in the ERP thanks to automatic recognition of, for example, the Global Location Number (GLN). All of this happens without manual intervention – and therefore without the risk of errors. This process automates the handling of the various messages for VSA.

“I have been working at VSA for 6.5 years now and have been using the Descartes EDI solution since then. It is very stable and we are very satisfied with it,” says Peter Verhoeven, ICT Integration Specialist. “Today, approximately 60% of our trading partners use EDI. These are the larger companies, and it saves us the most work,” Peter adds. Smaller DIY stores or other suppliers that do not (yet) have the option to use EDI continue to send messages via email. The company regularly receives requests from new suppliers, which means that the use of EDI is gradually increasing.

The major advantage for Peter Verhoeven is that “the EDI solution is stable and reliable, which means that hardly any problems arise. And if there is a case where, for example, certain characters in a message are not recognized, it is immediately flagged and we can take action right away. The EDI solution takes the worry off our hands and I can be confident that all messages will arrive correctly with all parties.”

Peter Verhoeven adds: “The collaboration with Descartes is going very well. We usually have contact with the same person and that works quite smoothly.

Looking to the future, Peter Verhoeven sees the European obligation to use e-invoicing via Peppol as a possible reason to sit down with Descartes in the foreseeable future, particularly initially for invoicing with Belgian parties.

It is important to VSA that the solution runs smoothly. This gives peace of mind and confidence in the correct completion of supply chain processes.

There are very few problems and if an anomaly does arise, it is immediately flagged by the system so that it can be dealt with instantly.

VSA would recommend the Descartes integrated EDI solution to other companies precisely because it is worry-free. No problems means no time lost to rework or repair.

By automating message exchange with 60% of its trading partners, VSA saves a lot of time that would otherwise be spent on manually entering and processing P2P or O2C messages.

Van Spijk Agenturen (VSA) represents a large number of leading manufacturers of lighting, storage systems, business and commercial vehicle equipment, machinery, and electrical and handheld tools in the Dutch and Belgian markets. Together they form the basis of a total package for the professional user and the DIYer.