WebConnect for SupplierEagleBurgmann Manages Class C Providers with Retarus WebConnect for Suppliers

Custom-Built WebEDI Solution

EagleBurgmann is a global leader in the provision of sealing technology and solutions. The mechanical seals and seal supply systems offered by the company are in use at industrial production facilities in a wide range of use cases. EagleBurgmann provides its products and services to around 45,000 customers in roughly 80 countries around the world. The company has 48 subsidiaries and more than 5,500 employees at over 250 service and sales centers.

EagleBurgmann was already using Retarus’ EDI Integration solution for its class B suppliers. For its smaller suppliers, it was using custom-built WebEDI software programmed by another provider, which fed into Retarus’ existing interface. This meant that whenever modifications were required, several providers needed to be involved in the change management process.

Fewer IT Service Providers and Less Complexity

In the course of an internal project to reduce complexity (Complexity Management Project, CMP), EagleBurgmann was aiming to reduce the number of IT providers it was using. This included consolidating its EDI and WebEDI solutions to a single provider. At the end of 2021, the company decided to go with Retarus, whose EDI process was already in place for EagleBurgmann’s class B suppliers.

The previous WebEDI solution thus had to be replaced. Its successor needed to be capable of sending orders and receiving order confirmations, while also allowing new suppliers to be linked up quickly, ideally by the respective specialist department – with minimal effort for the IT team and without additional costs. The project was launched in November 2022 and concluded in June 2023.

IDOC Extension and Customized Onboarding

As part of the new solution design, EagleBurgmann needed to extend the SAP document type Idoc ORDERS05 by adding new fields that had previously been defined. This modified design was subsequently initially subjected to internal testing with Retarus, after which it was put to the test with five pilot suppliers. Once the test phase had successfully been completed, the solution was rolled out in the production environment and went live, with an initial hypercare phase lasting six to eight weeks and including individual onboarding for the remaining 13 suppliers.

In the course of managing the change, the suppliers were provided with manual, tailored training on using the Retarus solution. In addition to Retarus’ self-enablement presentation, EagleBurgmann created their own step-by-steps instructions as well as guidelines outlining topics such as mandatory fields and permitted modifications. The new solution and adapted processes predominantly met with high rates of acceptance. Retarus was able to impress EagleBurgmann with a dedicated contact person for the project, quick communication and implementation, and fast response times when it came to issues like missing fields or text.

Significantly More Order Confirmations Received Much Faster

Following the transition to WebConnect for Suppliers, EagleBurgmann reports an extremely high amount of order confirmations (97.85%), which are moreover received much more quickly. The Retarus solution is currently in use in the sales departments of 18 of the company’s providers, while around 10 procurement operations employees are working with it at EagleBurgmann. The company’s objectives were met. An overview of the open orders has already been implemented and filtering for specific customers has been requested.

Successful Start Followed by Rollout to Other Countries

EagleBurgmann also uses Retarus WebConnect for Suppliers in other parts of the globe, and the system and processes have proven reliable and stable. The customer is planning to connect two to three additional suppliers via EDI / WebConnect every year. What’s more, EagleBurgmann intends to use the WebConnect process to hook up more country organizations to the S/4HANA system.