Wittenstein's successful formula for efficient multi-carrier shipping

The name Wittenstein stands for precision and excellence in the world of cyberelectronic drive technology. The demands on the company's logistics processes are similarly high when it comes to convincing customers with fast and reliable delivery performance.

The prerequisite for this is an efficient and smooth shipping process for the approximately 400 packages and 100 pallets that are dispatched every day. With an export quota of over 60 percent, the subject of customs clearance plays a key role.

While processes were previously supported with shipping software, this was not integrated into the Wittenstein SAP ERP system. As a result, repeated problems were encountered with the interface and data exchange between the two solutions.

In the search for new software, the choice quickly fell on Carrier Cloud for SAP^® from AEB. "The key benefit of the AEB shipping solution was the seamless, deep integration into our SAP ECC system," explains Florian Walter, packaging/delivery sub-process owner at Wittenstein. "In addition, we already made use of AEB software to automatically check sanction lists, and our experience with this has been very positive."

Today, Carrier Cloud for SAP supports Wittenstein in two different shipping processes. In the case of the ship-to-truck process for shipments within Germany and the EU, the shipment data is automatically transmitted to the AEB solution upon completion of the packing process. The shipping labels are then generated fully automatically at seven packing stations and applied by the employees.

Deliveries to countries outside the EU are processed after packaging in the shipping office. There, the necessary customs declaration is made with the AEB Export Filing software. Only then is the corresponding order, including the necessary export-relevant documents such as EAD and commercial invoice, transferred from the SAP system to Carrier Cloud for SAP.

The AEB software generates the label and sends the data and documents to the respective carrier or parcel service. This allows Wittenstein to utilize the paperless trade services of its logistics partners such as DHL, FedEx, UPS, and Rüdinger. This makes the shipping process faster and safer and helps to stem the flood of paper documents.

Another benefit is that Carrier Cloud for SAP enables seamless tracking of the shipment status along the process chain. "We can see directly in the SAP document flow what the current status of a shipment is and whether the label has been printed and the order handed over to our transport partner," explains Florian Walter.

Thanks to an additional module within Carrier Cloud for SAP, Wittenstein employees can use the carrier's tracking data to monitor the status of a shipment even after the goods have been dispatched - right up to delivery. At the same time, this data serves as evidence of the VAT exemption for shipments within the EU ("entry certificate") and, to this end, is archived in accordance with the law.

In this regard, the new solution offers a big advantage over the previous shipping software: "In the AEB solution, the evidence is assigned directly to the delivery. This greatly reduces our workload," says Florian Walter.

Wittenstein has been using the AEB solution since 2023, and Florian Walter has nothing but praise for the software: "With Carrier Cloud for SAP, our shipping processes are largely automated and, thanks to the seamless integration into our SAP system, are significantly smoother and more efficient. In addition, we now have complete transparency and can track the status of a shipment right up to delivery directly in our ERP software."

As a result, Wittenstein's logistics processes are ready to support the company's continuous growth and deliver precision and excellence in the future. The next stages of development are also beginning to take shape, with the solution set to be rolled out to other locations.