Why Zarges GmbH relies on the CONCETO AI-Extractor for document processing
As a traditional, quality-orientated company with over 90 years of experience, ZARGES relies on modern processes and maximum efficiency along the entire supply chain. As part of a future-proof digitalisation strategy, ZARGES was looking for a way to automatically transfer incoming customer orders to the SAP system - quickly, error-free and system-compatible.
With the AI-Extractor from CONCETO, ZARGES now automates the capture of incoming orders directly from PDF documents - including data validation, master data synchronisation and transfer to the SAP system. The result: faster throughput times, higher data quality and more capacity in sales.
"We were looking for a solution that would adapt to our processes - not the other way round. The AI Extractor impressed us with its surprisingly cost-effective implementation, high format flexibility and deep SAP integration, which noticeably reduces the workload of our specialist departments. "
Andreas Wendt,Manager Competence Centre SAP – ZARGES GmbH
The challenge
ZARGES processes a high volume of incoming customer orders every day, which arrive via various channels and formats - from structured EDI messages to unstructured PDF orders and accompanying documents.
The manual entry and allocation of these documents was time-consuming, error-prone and tied up considerable resources in the specialist departments. Particularly in drop shipment business, where PDF accompanying documents are available in addition to EDI orders, a high level of coordination and maintenance effort was required.
ZARGES was therefore looking for a solution that was not only scalable for high document volumes, but also enabled the merging of structured and unstructured data - and at the same time could be flexibly integrated into the existing SAP system landscape.
The evaluation phase
A few years ago, ZARGES was already using a classic OCR-based solution for automated document capture. However, this solution proved to be technically inflexible, maintenance-intensive and costly in everyday use - especially when processing customer-specific formats and changing document layouts. The expected benefits did not materialise, so the system was eventually discontinued.
As part of a company-wide digitalisation strategy, a new evaluation phase was therefore launched in which various providers and platforms were compared - with clearly defined requirements:
- High processing reliability - even with customised PDF layouts
- Economical scalability with high document volumes
- Linking structured (EDI) and unstructured (PDF) information
- Seamless integration into existing SAP processes
- Multilingualism for group-wide use in international subsidiaries
From test bench to production solution
ZARGES was already successfully using CONCETO's CIS/4 Cloud EDI service to handle electronic data exchange with customers, suppliers and logistics service providers (3PLs).
As part of the digitisation strategy, a solution was also sought to process unstructured documents - such as orders by PDF or email and the associated accompanying documents - automatically, without media discontinuity and with system support. Several providers were intensively scrutinised and compared.
CONCETO was once again awarded the contract - primarily due to the technological performance of the CIS/4 Cloud AI Extractor, its economic scalability compared to traditional OCR solutions and the seamless SAP integration.
The combination of AI Extractor and CIS/4 Cloud EDI Service impressed with its technical depth, proximity to SAP processes and an architecture that is equally suitable for cloud and hybrid operation. The central requirements were:
- the reliable recognition of individual customer layouts
- Linking with existing EDI data
- and end-to-end validation based on current SAP master data
A typical scenario: customer orders and accompanying documents arrive with a time delay and independent of the channel - e.g. as an EDI order plus PDF delivery note by email. The documents must be automatically recognised, assigned and merged into a complete business case.
The ability to synchronise PDF content in SAP and automatically add missing information such as material numbers or customer data or carry out specific checks was a convincing feature.
The CIS/4 Cloud - AI Extractor was implemented within a short period of time and is now a powerful, AI-based solution for intelligent document processing - including SAP-validated recognition, automatic data enrichment and multilingualism for internationally used document layouts.
"A key advantage for us was the ability to automatically merge structured and unstructured input data - regardless of the transmission channel. For example, customer-specific delivery documents can be reliably assigned to the respective customer orders. This reduces manual activities, increases data quality and noticeably reduces the workload of our specialist departments. "
Martin Soyer,IT Specialist SAP SD/LES/EDI/ATLAS – ZARGES GmbH
The result
The introduction of the solution has led to a significant increase in efficiency in the processing of incoming customer orders at ZARGES.
Thanks to the automated recognition, validation and enrichment of order data directly in the SAP system, the manual workload in the internal sales department has been reduced by around 65 %. Media disruptions and manual entries are largely eliminated.
The AI-supported document recognition achieves a recognition rate of over 95 % right from the start - even with non-standardised PDF formats and customer-specific layouts.
At the same time, throughput times in the order process have improved measurably. Incoming orders are now processed much faster and reworking is minimised - while at the same time increasing process quality and transparency, especially in complex scenarios such as drop shipments with accompanying documents.
Conclusion & outlook
By adding the AI Extractor to the existing CIS/4 cloud platform, ZARGES has taken an important step towards end-to-end, automated document processes. The channel-independent processing and intelligent linking of structured and unstructured data not only increases efficiency in order processing, but also sustainably improves process quality and transparency.
ZARGES is now planning to roll out the solution to other national companies on this technological basis. Thanks to its multilingualism, proximity to SAP and high format flexibility, the platform offers ideal conditions for harmonising and further automating document-based processes across the Group - scalable, secure and future-proof.
