EDI Communication at Kotányi

The challenge

Kotányi started preparing the ground for going international early on, which involved highly complex supply chains. Today, the company creates approximately 3,000 to 5,000 orders every day that need to be filled within 24 hours. At Kotányi, a key success factor is the swift and smooth exchange of business data.

An Austrian EDI pioneer

As Kotányi grew fast and become more and more international, the company soon saw the need to automate its procurement of goods processes and ultimately to use Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). The spice manufacturer Kotányi was one of the earliest adopters of EDI in Austria. Today, the company processes roughly 250,000 EDI transactions per year via eXite, the EDI platform by EDITEL.

Among the many advantages is that orders (ORDERS) received by 11 a.m. can be delivered on the very same day, even if orders include more than 150 positions.

When it comes to the use of Electronic Data Interchange for exports (which comprise 71 percent of Kotányi’s business), the company is also an EDI trailblazer. In a total of eight countries (Austria as well as Germany, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia), Kotányi relies on EDITEL for all electronic order processing activities.

In addition to ongoing EDI transactions, Kotányi periodically works with EDITEL’s support service to meet specific client requests or country-specific requirements. In the recent past, these included, for example, the processing of invoices (INVOIC) and credits via EDI in Hungary, e-signature in the Czech Republic and the introduction of receipt advices (RECADV) for SPAR in Slovenia.

“Since EDI runs so smoothly with eXite, we barely notice it is there in our everyday work. What we do notice is the excellent service provided by EDITEL for addressing specific challenges. ” Martin Lorenz, head of IT at Kotányi.

Sophisticated support for outside sales representatives

When it comes to the company’s own employees, Kotányi is also very innovative in the area of EDI. One case in point is buyIT, an online order portal by EDI that Kotányi uses for its outside sales representatives. It allows them to process orders online while still at the client’s or shortly afterwards using a PC or a tablet. Martin Lorenz points out that the benefits of buyIT are not limited to processing orders: “It gives our outside sales representatives a good overview about the current orders so that they can provide the very best service our clients,” he said.

Benefits thanks to EDI at Kotányi

• Effortless processing of 250,000 EDI messages per year
• Orders filled within 24 hours from order to delivery
• EDI in exports: Order processing with a total of eight countries
• Ongoing support by EDITEL for specific client requirements
• Straightforward, location and time independent order recording for outside sales representatives via the online order portal buyIT