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CASE Dustin

From fifteen to eight employees for ordering thanks to EDI and Anyform.

Mark Farman

PROJECT EXECUTIVE SUPPLY CHAIN CANON EUROPE
WATCH INTERVIEW

  • Case CANON

    Digitising the order flow. That’s how we are helping Canon.

Mark Farman

PROJECT EXECUTIVE SUPPLY CHAIN CANON EUROPE
WATCH INTERVIEW

RESULTS

Great cost savings and improved service across the entire order process

Canon’s activities focus on Business Imaging & Consumer Imaging. For both markets, the objective is summarised in one word: digitisation. Canon wants to transfer as many customers as possible to electronic ordering, both for the direct and the indirect channel.

Onetrail helps Canon Europe as its EDI partner to achieve this. Not only for the head office in Amstelveen, but also locally in the various countries that Canon operates in. At Canon’s request, we have connected hundreds of customers in no less than nineteen European countries. In recent years, the focus has been on the Consumer Imaging market.

Every Canon customer delivers orders in his own way, in his own format and in his own language. Onetrail knows how Canon wants to receive the orders and ensures that all incoming orders are converted to the correct Canon format.

In this way, Canon receives all orders that are placed or sent via Onetrail in the same format, with the right information, directly in the order management system, and without additional actions.

For Canon, it is important that orders and invoices are delivered electronically to its customers. This ensures a substantial cost saving and service improvement in its own order process and on the customer side. With electronic order statuses and packing slips, Canon automatically shares the latest order information with its customers via Onetrail.

THE CHALLENGE

Electronic ordering for all customers

In 2018, Canon decided to centralize all of its European order management in Amstelveen. Previously, this task was performed by various local offices, resulting in a complex, error-prone and time-consuming order process.

Canon wanted to receive all orders from customers in one way:  directly as an electronic order in its own company system. The company wanted to process orders faster and reduce mistakes, so that more time was left to focus on products and customers.

The problem was that this is difficult to implement in practice. This is because each Canon customer uses his own unique way to place an order. It was not an option for Canon to require all customers to order in the same way via EDI.

Solutions

INTERVIEW MARK FARMAN – PROJECT EXECUTIVE SUPPLY CHAIN CANON EUROPE

The process of digitising at Canon continues unabated. How do you manage this?

Mark: “Canon has strong ambitions in the field of digitisation and this will only increase in the future. The focus is mainly on connecting more and more customers to the digital highway, which we have created together with Onetrail in a structured way and at a fixed pace. This applies to the whole of Europe, all according to the same standard and systems.”

“For us, Onetrail is more than just an EDI provider. Since 2009, we have been working together in a close partnership to digitise the purchasing and sales processes with our customers as much as possible. Onetrail is capable of realising complex EDI connections for customers throughout Europe, but also for customers who send us their orders by e-mail, Onetrail offers a solution.”

“Even PDFs are automatically converted to EDI format, which is a requirement for our system. We no longer need to re-enter orders, as they are directly entered in our system. And the system automatically sends an update to customers if there is a change in the status of the order until it is completed, and an electronic invoice is sent. This is also regulated by Onetrail.”

Setting up a good data exchange connection is not always easy and we both realise this.

MARK FARMAN – PROJECT EXECUTIVE SUPPLY CHAIN CANON EUROPE
What was your biggest challenge when it comes to order data?

Mark: “The system at Canon requires limited data to process an order, in fact if one of our customers sends all kinds of extra information, then the system cannot handle this. Onetrail strips customer orders to the point that it is working in the right way. The moment we send an order status update, Onetrail adds information again for the customer. In this way, all regular processes remain intact and still different systems can communicate seamlessly with each other.”

How do you manage this together with Onetrail?

Mark: “We do this in very close collaboration, where we regularly meet at one another’s office. We plan which customers we will connect in the coming period via the Onetrail Trading Partner Network and which steps we need to take for this.”

“We are true partners, who work together to achieve the best result. Setting up a good data exchange connection is not always easy and we both realise this. It is good to see that we work closely together with the people at Onetrail and see this as a joint effort to make it a success.”

Mark Farman

PROJECT EXECUTIVE SUPPLY CHAIN CANON EUROPE

WATCH INTERVIEW

APPROACH ONETRAIL

A standard order format

Each Canon customer provides orders in his own way (via EDI, PDF or other order format) and in his own format and language. Onetrail knows how Canon wants to receive the orders. We ensure that all incoming orders are converted to the correct Canon format. In this way, Canon receives all orders placed or sent via Onetrail in the same format with the correct information, directly in the order management system, and without additional actions.

In addition, Canon also uses a standard order format for a part of its customers. This order (often a PDF) is transferred by Canon to Onetrail, after which we convert it into the Canon EDI format for automatic processing.

Then, if desired, the system also sends order responses, updates, packing slips and invoices from Canon to its customers in a consistent manner. Onetrail ensures that this information is updated to the Canon customer in the way chosen by the customer (EDI, online, e-mail). In 2018, around three hundred customers will be connected this way.

WHERE ARE WE STANDING RIGHT NOW?

Connect more customers in more countries

The partnership with Canon encompasses all of Europe. In the past ten years, Onetrail connected hundreds of customers for Canon through complex EDI order flows or by translating PDF orders into Canon’s format. And with the centralisation of the order process at the Canon headquarters, more customers will follow.

Facts & Figures

Our partnership with Canon

400
CUSTOMERS CONNECTED
19
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES CONNECTED
40,000
TRANSACTIONS PER MONTH
2009
START PARTNERSHIP

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