UK Power Networks: EDI Case Study

Picture this… you’re a leading electricity distribution company that owns and operates the network of underground cables and overhead lines which distribute electricity in London, the East of England and the South East. Your networks are vast. Laid out, they would stretch several times around the circumference of the Earth.

But, faced with the challenge of providing extensive power infrastructure, you want to improve your on-time, in-full performance to your customers – 3,500 field engineers and project managers – in order to ensure you hit your targets.  With an annual spend within logistics of approximately £100million, you want to move away from laborious manual processes to an electronic means of communication. Initially you simply wanted to streamline your purchase order process but recognising the benefits of an outsourced solution you opt for an invoice matching and communications solution that can manage the life cycle of an order through to payment.

So, you open discussions with TruCommerce. Our solution can integrate with your SAP ERP and is tasked with providing full visibility into your order cycle. We provide a flexible solution and a low-cost process relative to the complex configuration of a mainframe system.

Now, you’re automating the flow of purchase orders, ASN’s and invoices between you and your top 35 material suppliers, representing about 80 per cent of transactions by value and activity. Our web based platform is proactive and collaborative and helps provide insight into supplier performance, which helps both parties achieve the best results.