Schaeffler is a German company dedicated to the production of supplies for the automotive industry. Its main products include clutch systems, transmission components, bearings and engine timing systems. With a turnover of approximately 15.8 billion euros, the Schaeffler Group is a leader in innovation and technology in the industrial and automotive sectors.
The challenge: Regulatory compliance and automation of large volumes of invoices
With the entry into force of the new Electronic Invoicing Act in Germany (E-Rechnungsgesetz — Wachstumschancengesetz law), Schaeffler was faced with the challenge of complying with the new regulations, which require the use of Electronic Invoices for B2B transactions. In Germany, all companies must be able to receive electronic invoices as of January 2025, we explain it to you in more detail in this article.
In addition, the company was looking for a solution that would allow it to automate the management of a large volume of invoices in an efficient manner.
The solution: Invictia and its integration with Tradeshift
To address these challenges, Schaeffler chose Our Invictia by Brait solution, a global e-invoicing solution that not only ensures regulatory compliance in several countries, but also offers advanced automation capabilities. In the case of Schaeffler, it was implemented in conjunction with Tradeshift, a platform that facilitates the digitization and automation of Accounts Payable Processes, even when invoices are received via PDF, significantly reducing human intervention.
Among the main features implemented, the following stand out:
- Integration of purchasing flows: Schaeffler's ERP has been integrated with Tradeshift services, allowing automatic synchronization of purchase orders generated in SAP and sent to Tradeshift, as well as of received merchandise entries.
- Automating vendor invoice processing: Invoices received by suppliers in Tradeshift are automatically sent to the SAP ERP, eliminating the need to enter data manually, thanks to the advanced OCR, minimizing human intervention and resulting errors as much as possible.
- Update of invoice statuses from SAP to Tradeshift.
- Integration of the historical flow of supplier invoices received between SAP and Tradeshift.
- Automatic copying of vendor invoices: Every invoice received in SAP is automatically copied to Tradeshift, ensuring full traceability of all transactions.
e-Invoicing Solution All in One: Efficiency and regulatory compliance at the same time
The implementation of SAP Invictia together with Tradeshift in Schaeffler has generated positive results on several levels:
- Full compliance with the German Electronic Invoicing Act, ensuring that all transactions are aligned with current regulations.
- Billing cycle automation, with a significant reduction in the time spent managing invoices and errors in their accounting.
- Workflow optimization in the accounts payable department.
- Better visibility and control of invoices, which facilitates financial management and auditing.
Schaeffler and Invictia, undoubtedly a case study
The case study of Schaeffler demonstrates how a company can adapt quickly and effectively to the new regulations of e-invoicing in Germany. Thanks to Invictia by Brait and its integration with Tradeshift, Schaeffler has been able to automate and improve the management of its massive volume of invoices, complying with regulations and improving its internal processes.
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Get in touch with us and discover how Invictia can help your company!
We advise you on electronic invoicing, regulations at European and/or global level, as well as on the optimization of processes.
