Multi-carrier shipping for SAP ECC
Automate your delivery and shipping processes by connecting to more than 300 parcel services and forwarders. For shipping orders, label printing, tracking, and more – directly within your existing SAP ECC environment.
What does AEB Carrier Cloud for SAP ECC offer?
AEB Carrier Cloud for SAP is a multi-carrier solution for companies that want to manage their shipment processing directly from SAP ECC.
The solution connects deliveries and shipments in SAP with more than 300 parcel services and forwarders. Shipping staff can commission transport service providers, determine freight costs, generate carrier-specific shipping labels, track consignments, and import relevant information – such as tracking numbers – back into SAP ECC.
Integration is handled via a native ABAP add-on. It embeds the functions of AEB Carrier Cloud directly into the existing shipping processes of SAP ECC.
SAP remains the leading system for delivery and transport data. AEB handles the technical communication with the connected transport service providers.
Why do companies need a multi-carrier solution for SAP ECC?
The order, delivery, and packing data required for shipping is available in SAP ECC. However, different technical requirements apply when it comes to operational communication with parcel services and forwarders, depending on the specific transport service provider.
Among other things, carriers use different:
- Interfaces and communication formats
- Shipping products and services
- Mandatory fields and ID numbers
- Specifications for shipping labels
- Booking and cancellation processes
- Feedback and status information
Connecting individual transport service providers to SAP ECC requires developing, testing, and providing ongoing support for these requirements separately for each carrier.
AEB Carrier Cloud establishes a central connection between SAP ECC and more than 300 parcel services and forwarders. Carrier-specific formats and communication processes are automatically mapped in the AEB platform. This eliminates the need to develop and maintain a new direct interface in SAP for every new transport service provider.
Employees continue to work within their usual SAP processes. It is not necessary to manually re-enter shipping data in carrier portals or a separate shipping interface.
How does shipment processing work with SAP ECC and AEB Carrier Cloud?
1. Process delivery or transport in SAP ECC
The shipping process begins with a delivery or a shipment in SAP ECC. The existing data forms the basis for the shipping order. This may include, for example:
- Consignor and consignee
- Delivery and pickup addresses
- Goods and packages
- Weight and dimensions
- Shipping conditions
- Transport service provider
- Desired shipping service
2. Create shipping order in SAP
AEB Carrier Cloud automatically retrieves all necessary data from the relevant SAP document.
If any information is missing, an integrated wizard guides the user through the process and helps to add the missing shipping information. The exact process can be tailored to the requirements of the relevant company and the specific shipping location.
3. Select carrier and service
The appropriate parcel service or forwarder is selected for the consignment, along with the necessary service.
Depending on the process, the carrier and shipping service may already be specified in the SAP document, determined by Carrier Cloud based on rules, or selected manually when entering the shipping data.
4. Transfer shipping data to AEB Carrier Cloud
Using an add-on for SAP, the required shipment data is transmitted to AEB Carrier Cloud via web services.
The AEB solution verifies and processes the information before preparing it in the stipulated format of the selected transport service provider.
5. Electronically commission the transport service provider
AEB Carrier Cloud transmits the shipping order to the respective forwarder or parcel service and processes their response. AEB Carrier Cloud handles the carrier-specific communication.
Therefore, SAP ECC does not need to map all the different interfaces and formats used by the individual parcel services and forwarders.
6. Create and print shipping labels
AEB generates the shipping labels in the relevant carrier-specific format. Label printing is initiated directly from within the SAP process.
With suitable, standardized shipping processes, label generation and printing can also be largely automated.
7. Transfer tracking data to SAP ECC
Relevant feedback, such as tracking numbers, is sent back to SAP ECC and assigned to the corresponding shipping transaction.
The information is thus also available for downstream processes, internal inquiries, and communication with customers.
How is the multi-carrier solution integrated into SAP ECC?
AEB Carrier Cloud for SAP ECC connects to SAP ECC via a native ABAP add-on.
The add-on is installed in the existing ECC landscape and integrated into the relevant delivery and transport processes. No additional middleware or integration layer is required for the standard integration.
The add-on handles communication between SAP and AEB's cloud-based multi-carrier platform, transmits the relevant shipping data to AEB Carrier Cloud via web services, and transfers the necessary responses to SAP.
What functionality does AEB Carrier Cloud for SAP ECC offer?
Creation of shipping orders from SAP documents
Shipping orders can be created directly from deliveries and transports in SAP ECC. Existing data is adopted and used for the carrier process.
Guided entry of shipping data
A wizard helps employees enter and verify the necessary shipping information.
This is particularly helpful for processes requiring additional information that is not fully contained in the original SAP document.
Connection to more than 300 carriers
AEB Carrier Cloud provides technical connections to more than 300 parcel services and forwarders.
These include courier and express delivery services, general cargo forwarders, and other national and international transport service providers.
Electronic carrier commissioning
Carrier-specific shipping labels
The solution generates shipping labels according to the specifications of the commissioned parcel service or forwarder. The labels can be printed directly from the SAP process.
Automated shipping processes
Recurring and standardized shipping processes can be largely automated. This allows manual processing to focus on exceptions and special cases.
Central shipping status monitor
A central status monitor provides transparency regarding current shipping orders. Employees can check status information and specifically address incorrect or incomplete transactions.
Shipment tracking and entry certificate
Carrier events and status information can be processed via a supplementary service and made available for further processes. The tracking number of the transport service provider is returned to SAP and assigned to the corresponding shipping transaction.
Freight cost determination
You can determine freight costs automatically for each consignment, and transfer the results directly to SAP. Depending on the carrier, the solution uses current real-time rates or your individually negotiated freight rates, which AEB maintains and updates centrally.
What are the benefits of the multi-carrier solution for SAP ECC?
One integration for numerous transport service providers
SAP ECC is connected to AEB Carrier Cloud once. This central connection enables the use of various parcel services and forwarders. Companies do not need to develop a completely new, direct SAP interface for every carrier.
Shipment processing directly within the SAP process
Shipping staff continue to work in their familiar SAP environment. Delivery and transport data does not need to be re-entered into carrier portals or separate shipping software.
Less manual data entry
The information required for shipping is retrieved from the existing SAP documents. This reduces duplicate data entry, data entry errors, and additional work at the shipping workstations.
Less carrier-specific logic in SAP
AEB centrally maps various data formats, communication channels, and labeling requirements within the multi-carrier platform. This eliminates the need to develop and maintain extensive custom logic in SAP ECC for each carrier.
Less effort required for carrier changes
Transport service providers regularly change interfaces, services, mandatory fields, or labeling requirements. AEB manages the carrier-specific connections within the central platform. This reduces the workload of the company's SAP and IT teams.
Uniform processes for different carriers
Even though parcel services and forwarders have different technical requirements, their operational processes in SAP can be largely standardized.
Transparency regarding errors and exceptions
The shipping status monitor assists in identifying failed or incomplete transactions and processing these in a targeted manner.
Scalable carrier landscape
Additional transport service providers and shipping services can be added via the central platform without having to rebuild the entire SAP architecture.
Who is the multi-carrier solution for SAP ECC suitable for?
AEB Carrier Cloud for SAP ECC is designed for industrial and commercial companies that manage their shipment processing from within SAP ECC and want to connect multiple parcel services and forwarders.
The native ABAP add-on is designed for companies that use SAP ECC on-premises and require deep integration into existing delivery and transport processes.
The solution is particularly suitable for companies that:
- Use SAP ECC on-premises in a production environment
- Work with deliveries or transports in SAP
- Commission multiple parcel services and forwarders
- Want to avoid manual entry of shipping data into carrier portals
- Want to integrate label printing directly into the SAP process
- Want to automate standardized shipping processes
- Want to unify different carrier processes
- Want to connect additional carriers or shipping locations
- Intend to continue using SAP ECC for an extended period of time
- Simultaneously plan a future migration to SAP S/4HANA
This solution is particularly relevant for larger industrial companies with multiple shipping locations, high shipment volumes, or a heterogeneous carrier landscape.
However, company size alone is not the decisive factor. The number of transport service providers, process complexity, the need for automation, and the strategic SAP roadmap also influence suitability.
AEB offers various integration options for different SAP systems, operating models, and shipping processes.
What is the technical structure of the solution?
| Target system | SAP ECC (on-premises) |
|---|---|
| Integration type | Native ABAP add-on |
| Supported SAP processes | Delivery and transport |
| SAP-side operation | Integration into existing SAP dialogs, guided entry of shipping data, and central shipping status monitor |
| Connection to AEB Cloud | Web services |
| Carrier communication | Vie AEB Carrier Cloud |
| Label printing | Directly or automatically from the SAP shipping process |
| Feedback to SAP | For example, tracking numbers and other relevant shipping information |
| Middleware | Not required in the standard scenario |
| Implementation effort | Depends on the SAP system landscape, shipping processes, customizing, locations, and desired level of automation |
What happens during the migration from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA?
Many companies want to modernize their shipping processes today, even though the migration from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA is still ahead of them.
AEB Carrier Cloud supports this approach because carrier connections are provided centrally within the AEB platform. Communication with parcel services and forwarders is therefore not exclusively tied to the current ECC add-on.
During a future migration, it is assessed which AEB integration option best suits the new SAP target architecture. Depending on the future system and operating model, this could be, for example:
- An add-on for SAP S/4HANA
- A Clean-Core-compliant extension
- An integration via SAP BTP
- A connection for SAP EWM
- An integration for SAP Logistics Management
The SAP-side connection is adapted to the new landscape. The carrier connections available in AEB Carrier Cloud do not need to be developed from scratch for every transport service provider.
This allows companies to optimize their shipment processing in SAP ECC today while also taking their future SAP roadmap into account.
Talk with our experts to learn more about multi-carrier shipping directly in SAP®
Andrej Grohar, expert for multi-carrier shipping directly from SAP®