Since 1981
Koller Formenbau GmbH
“From paper to EDI with engDAX.Convert”
“The solution, developed by the company HÜNGSBERG, runs flawlessly in connection with SAP. Messaging with debtors and creditors takes place via the formats VDA 4905 (DELFOR), VDA 4913 (DESADV) and SHPMNT. The cooperation with HÜNGSBERG was seamless, to which short response times were a big contributor whenever any problems occurred / needed to be solved.”
(Hubert Schwer, user/decision maker, Koller Formenbau GmbH)
Customer profile
The brothers Max and Thomas Koller founded Koller Formenbau GmbH in 1994. Its core competences are tool and mould making.
In these core areas, the company develops and manufactures tools and moulds for all the development phases of a new automobile, from model to prototype production all the way up to series production. The company manufactures both injection moulds and compression moulds. The development and design of the moulds takes place in the company’s own CAD and NC department.
Koller Group has further locations in Germany and Hungary. It is a family-run, internationally thinking and acting technology company with its headquarters in the heart of Bavaria.
Initial situation
In 2011, the Koller Group approached us with the primary goal of connecting the customer BMW with the formats delivery call-off, delivery note and invoice via EDI. Up to this point, the above-mentioned order formats were handled via paper, which not only meant a high manual and thus time-intensive effort but also made the entire process more prone to errors.
Challenge
The Koller Group had just recently introduced an in-house SAP system and the processes had not been precisely defined yet. A complete integration into their newly introduced ERP system was required. For this purpose, EDI messages were to be exchanged automatically between the SAP and the EDI system, with HÜNGSBERG’s EDI system taking over this task. Furthermore, the EDI connection was a completely new topic for Koller Formenbau GmbH, as it was not part of the company’s core business and internal knowledge on this topic had yet to be established.
Solution and advantages
The Koller Group decided to use our HÜNGSBERG EDI solution with the following components:
- engDAX for the exchange of logistical data
- engDAX.Convert for the conversion of the exchange formats, in this case SAP IDOC to VDA and vice versa
- Mappings that translate the individual message types: delivery instruction, delivery bill and credit bills.
The solution has been rounded off with the module engDAX.SAPInterface, which triggers the SAP system via RFC (Remote Function Call) for the automated reading of the received and converted messages.
On the output side the data from the SAP system is stored in a directory and sent automatically via ediDAX to the corresponding partner via the module ediDAX.DirectoryScan, i. e. a directory configured according to the virtual file name.
Thus, all requirements of the Koller Group regarding the complete integration of the EDI solution were fulfilled and now the clerks at Koller work exclusively via the SAP system to process received data or transmit data via EDI to communication partners.
In the meantime, the Koller Group has connected with other well-known customers such as VW, Magna, Faurecia, as well as suppliers in additional formats via EDI. Through internal EDI knowledge it leverages the advantages of greater effectiveness, time savings and error prevention.
