Comarch Document Management and Exchange Platform for Leroy Merlin
Leroy Merlin is a French company specializing in the sale of home improvement products and services. Since its creation, the company has been committed to putting people at the heart of its concerns, with the aim of meeting their needs as effectively as possible.
Leroy Merlin's strategy is based on three fundamental pillars:
To reinforce this approach, the company has implemented a relational strategy called "Supplier Partner", with the aim of building lasting, transparent relationships with its suppliers. This strategy includes facilitating exchanges through digitization (aiming for zero paper), guaranteeing optimum fluidity and reliability. A dedicated support team handles suppliers' day-to-day requests, in collaboration with experts, to guarantee a rapid, high-quality response. Leroy Merlin is also keen to keep a close eye on the satisfaction of its partners to ensure harmonious and productive relationships.
Faced with growing challenges, such as industrializing the deployment of existing messages (ORDERS, ORDCHG, INVOIC, DESADV) and the need for a new communication protocol (AS2), Leroy Merlin launched a call for tenders in 2016. The aim was to find a partner capable of managing a fleet of 2,500 suppliers, 10% of which are renewed every year. With the previous provider no longer meeting expectations, it was imperative to find a more robust and adaptable solution.
Comarch stood out thanks to a number of strengths that were crucial in meeting Leroy Merlin's requirements. First, its international support proved essential for Leroy Merlin, which works with mainly international suppliers. The robustness of Comarch's tools makes it possible to manage substantial volumes. What's more, the technical solutions proposed, such as AS2 and SFTP, offered greater flexibility than previous systems (X400 only).
Despite a few necessary adjustments during implementation, Comarch's flexibility on technical and business controls helped avoid negative impacts, such as carrier delays in the warehouse. Comarch was already well known within the Adéo Group, which facilitated the integration of its solutions.
Since the beginning of the collaboration, Comarch has ensured rigorous monitoring of project progress, with regular follow-up committees and real-time communication via the Jira platform.
The introduction of electronic invoicing (Chorus pro) and the implementation of service level agreements (SLAs) ensured maximum efficiency. Data exchange mapping, adapted to Leroy Merlin's specific constraints, optimized interactions with partners.
The results obtained with Comarch's EDI platform are impressive.
Flows have risen from 2 to 3 million a year in 2015 to a forecast 15 million in 2024, marking an increase of almost 10% a year."
Jonathan Dupriez
EDI Analyst, Leroy Merlin
Leroy Merlin has no intention of stopping there. Among the projects currently under discussion, the implementation of the Finance Act by 2026 is a priority. New message requirements, such as transport orders and inventories, are also on the cards. Support for new partners, particularly for the most complex messages such as DESADV, remains a major area of development for the future.
In short, Leroy Merlin continues to innovate and strengthen its relationships with its partners to offer the best possible service to its customers.
