Fax2EDI improves supply chain processes

Retarus Fax2EDI provides companies with a simple solution for integrating customers and suppliers without EDI capabilities into their existing EDI communication processes. All business data is automatically supplied in the correct format without employees having to manually process inbound documents. This speeds up ordering processes, ensures faster cash flows, and provides major cost savings.

EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is used by companies all over the world to electronically exchange data such as orders, advance shipping notes and invoices with one another. Companies that receive such documentation from businesses which don’t have an EDI system due to the cost have to process the information manually or receive it via a web-based EDI portal. Both of these scenarios mean a vast increase in administrative work.

Use established communication processes

Retarus Fax2EDI is a simple way for companies to integrate business partners without EDI capabilities into their existing EDI communication processes. The business partners themselves can continue to send correspondence such as orders, shipping notes and invoices by fax without having to make any changes to their existing workflow. As a WebEDI portal is not required, no additional costs or administration are incurred.

Receive faxes, synchronize them with master data, and send the data via EDI

Retarus sets up new fax numbers for customers or simply uses their existing ones. When Retarus receives a fax, our OCR engine reproduces it digitally so it can be read and processed by machines. If a document is illegible because it contains handwriting, for example, it can be processed again manually. This information is then synchronized with the master data before being converted into the required format and delivered to the intended recipient. OCR, manual post-processing and master data capture all help to make sure that the structured data is an exact match with the original documents so they can be automatically processed by the recipient without any delay. This cuts down on the amount of paperwork involved while also shortening ordering processes, speeding up cash flows and providing cost savings of around 80% compared to manual order processing. As well as receiving the structured data, Fax2EDI users can also request the original faxes to perform additional checks or for archiving purposes.

Real-life example from the chemical industry

Major chemical manufacturers and suppliers generally receive their orders via EDI. Despite this, a number of customers still send their orders by fax as certain chemical compounds cannot be classified and therefore do not have an item number. Fax orders like these are converted to a PDF file and then sent via Retarus Fax-to-email to a Retarus email address. The PDF file is then processed by an OCR engine, converted via EDI and sent to the supplier’s SAP system. The supplier’s order processing team can then handle the order without having to enter it in SAP manually, meaning that they focus on their other work.