Streamlining Business Process with E-Commerce

Murray Webb, President, Lipton Monarch and Co-Chair EFR E-Commerce CommitteeCraig Simpson, V.P.Information Technology, SERCA Foodservice and Co-Chair EFR E-Commerce CommitteeJim Greenwood, President, GFS Canada, Co-Chair EFR Steering Committee

Agenda

• EFR E-Commerce Mandate• Lipton Monarch/SERCA Foodservice

Pilot• Finlay Greenwood/Lynch Foods Pilot• The Road Forward

– EFR E-Commerce Roadmap– ECCnet

EFR Electronic Commerce Committee

• Created in 1997 to examine uses of electronic commerce in the foodservice supply chain.

• Voluntary industry committee composed of manufacturers, distributors, and brokers.

• Supported by industry associations.– ECCC, FCPMC, CCGD

Committee Mandate

To integrate electronic commerce and any other

viable methods of electronic communication into common business practices, from order

to reconciliation.

Committee Objectives

To streamline existing supply chain business processes through

enabling non-proprietary electronic commerce technologies, creating efficiencies and reducing costs.

Committee Progress to Date

1998• Foodservice EDI Survey 1999• Why EDI pamphlet• VICS 4010• EFR EDI Implementation Guideline• Foodservice input into 832 development 2000• SERCA/Lipton Monarch Pilot• Lynch/Finlay Greenwood Pilot

2000 Objectives

• EFR EDI roadmap & timelines– Future technologies assessment

• Industry support and use for ECCnet– Prologue migration to ECCnet

EFR EDI Pilots

• Two EFR EDI Pilots launched in 1999• Lipton Monarch/SERCA Foodservice

pilot to implement 4 EDI Transactions in the Purchase Cycle.

• Finlay Greenwood/Lynch Foods to implement EDI purchase orders and invoices.

Pilot Approach

The EFR pilot approach used was designed to determine potential

savings that could be realized in a controlled environment.

Lipton Monarch/SERCA Foodservice Pilot

The Purchase Cycle

Pilot Scope

• To document and demonstrate the benefits of implementing a complete suite of EDI transactions within the purchase cycle.

• EDI transactions used:– 832 Price Sales Catalogue– 850 Purchase Order– 855 Purchase Order Acknowledgement– 810 Invoice

Pre-Pilot AnalysisActivity-Based Cost Management: Strategic Decisions and

Operational Improvements

What Activities should we perform?

• Product-line and customer mix

• Customer relationships:

– Pricing

– Customer Service

– Vendor Inquiries

• Supplier relationships

• Market segmentation

• Distribution channels

What drives Activity Cost?

• Activity management

• Total quality

• Efficient Process

• Performance measurement

Activity-BasedActivity-BasedCostingCosting

StrategicStrategicViewView

Lipton/Lipton/MonarchMonarch

OperationalOperationalViewView

SERCASERCA

Resources

Activities

Business processes

Cost drivers

Product costs

Customer costs

Key Driver - SERCA

• For SERCA Foodservice the key driver for the pilot was the significant reduction or elimination of error rate and associated costs due to unsynchronized database information.

• A pre-pilot activity analysis indicated debit/ credit memo ratio to invoices was over 40%– 15% =Pricing errors – 28% =Shorts, damages, etc

Key Driver - Lipton Monarch

• For Lipton Monarch the key driver was the potential efficiencies and associated saving achievable through the automation of manual business processes enabled through the implementation of the 4 EDI transaction sets.

• A pre-pilot full ABC study indicated potential savings in customer service, billing and account receivable and administration

SERCA/Lipton Monarch Pre-pilot Process

Key New Product Information into Item File

Fill in Product Listing FormFax Form to SERCAKey New Product Information into Item File

Create P.O Fax P.O. to Lipton Monarch

Key P.O. into Order Entry System

Create InvoiceFax/Mail Invoice to SERCA

Receive Invoice & match to P.O.

Reconcile Difference

Fax Debit/Credit to Lipton Monarch

Create Debit/Credit Memo

Phone Call/Inquiry Manage Phone Call/Inquiry

Generate Payment Mail Cheque to Lipton Monarch

Process Payments

Manage Deductions

Key Product Promotion Information into Item File

Key Product Change Information into Item File

SERCA/Lipton Monarch Pilot

832 Database Synchronization

850 Purchase Order

855 Purchase Order Ack.

810 Invoice

• Product information and price is transferred using 832.

• Lipton Monarch transmits item data to SERCA and then updates the data when changes are made.

Benefits• Eliminates costly errors “downstream”.• Success on data alignment required to ensure other

benefits.

Changes

Prices

Item Maintenance

Data SynchronizationData Synchronization

Procurement

• Purchase Order is transmitted to Lipton Monarch.• Acknowledgement and error corrections are transmitted

to SERCA using the PO acknowledgement.

• Benefits include:– Higher customer service levels, reduced time delays– Increased automation of procurement process– Elimination of manual key entry and associated errors.

Purchase Order

PO Acknowledgment

Invoicing

• Invoice is transmitted to SERCA• Matched to P.O. and payment generated

• Completes the EDI document loop.• Time/data entry benefits.

Invoice

Pilot Findings - Lipton Monarch

• Implementation of 4 EDI transactions permitted automation of purchase cycle.

• Efficiencies gained in 3 primary areas:– Customer Service– Billing and Accounts Receivable– General Administration

• Savings = 34% of three primary areas outlined above

• Savings determined by labour savings and reduction in consumption of resources.

Pilot Findings - Lipton Monarch

• 34% savings were an accumulation of efficiencies in 5 functions in dealing with SERCA in the pilot:– 75% saving the order management process (850 &

832)– 20% saving in inquiry management (832)– 50% saving in billing and reconciliation (832, 855,

850)– 5% savings on collections and 15% savings in

deduction management.– 5% savings in general administration

Pilot Findings - SERCA Foodservice

• 832 provided foundational data accuracy for the entire process. Ensured correct:– U.P.C./SCC– Description– Price, allowances, etc.– Product sizing: dimensions, cube, weight, etc.

• 850 automated purchase order process• 855 provided rapid order confirmation and

notification of discrepancy from P.O. (substitution etc,).

Pilot Findings - SERCA Foodservice

• Total debit/credit memo ratio to invoices was reduced from over 40% to 10%

• Pricing errors reduced from 15% to 6.6%*• Debit/credit memos due to short shipment

eliminated. • Ongoing audit in place to monitor results over

time.

* 6.6% error rate due to management error not data integrity.

Critical Mass

Full savings potential can only be realized when critical mass is

achieved with trading partners

Key Lessons

• Data synchronization provides the foundational data for the E-Commerce process.

• Efficiencies are gained though error-free automation of business processes.

• Critical mass vital to industry-wide efficiencies.

Finlay Greenwood/Lynch Foods

Purchase Order/Invoices

Pilot Scope

• To document and demonstrate the benefits of implementing EDI purchase orders and invoices.

• A secondary objective was to demonstrate the speed with which an EDI program could be implemented.

• EDI transaction used:– 850 Purchase Order– 810 Invoice

Procurement/Invoicing

• Purchase order is generated and transmitted to Lynch Foods.

• Invoice in generated and transmitted to Finlay Greenwood

• Potential benefits include:– Increased automation of procurement and billing

process– Elimination of manual key entry and associated errors

Purchase Order

Invoice

Key Pilot Learnings

• Permitted automation of p.o. process for Finlay Greenwood and automation of invoicing process for Lynch foods.

• Full benefits not realized due to lack of integration• Limited volume of transaction makes savings

difficult to quantify.• Total Lynch EDI experience underscores need for:

– One standard 1 version– One set of core data for entire industry– Data synchronization.

Moving Forward

• Both Lynch and Finlay Greenwood support EDI and E-Commerce as correct path for foodservice.

• GFS to implement extensive E-Commerce program.

• Findlay Greenwood estimates that, by implementing the same 4 EDI transactions as Lipton Monarch and SERCA, could save $120,000 per year.

Savings Calculation

• 20% of A/P and 12.5% of purchasing time currently spent resolving invoice discrepancies = $40,000 per annum.

• Full EDI integration in A/P department = $ 80,000 per annum.

• Total = $120,000 + additional efficiencies in item maintenance and purchasing from 832 and 850.

The Road Forward

EFR Roadmap

• Currently under development by E-Commerce Committee.

• Will include:– EDI implementation recommendations & timelines,

incorporating pilot learnings.– Solutions providers directory and implementation

options for small companies.– An assessment of future technologies (EDI over the

Internet, XML, etc.)

Proprietary Systems

• Single greatest threat to total supply chain efficiency.

• Dramatic increase in availability of proprietary B to B E-commerce systems.

• Seen as quick-fix solutions.• Potential to add significant cost to

supply chain. • Alternatives?

What Is ECCnet

ECCnet is a multi industry Electronic Catalogue, accessible via the Internet.

It will ensure the integrity of data needed for electronic commerce transactions by providing a single, standardized record of product data, Trading Partner (location), and other information.

A Service for Standardized, A Service for Standardized, Synchronized Information ExchangeSynchronized Information Exchange

ECCnet

A Service for Standardized, Synchronized A Service for Standardized, Synchronized Information ExchangeInformation Exchange

Product Listing& Pricing

Information

MarketingInformationNutritional

VICS “832”

Data Synchronization

Marketing Info

Data Synchronization

Prologue

Food ServiceECCnet Catalogue Scope

SuppliersSuppliersDistributorsDistributors

Functionality

WEB

Product Listing& Pricing

Information

MarketingInformationNutritional

ECCnet

Prologue

1. Must do the 832 2. No savings without

integration 3. Critical mass