Comarch helps SSP optimize communication with business partners

SSP – The Food Travel Experts, operator of some the most trusted and recognized food brands from across the globe, including Starbucks, Caviar House & Prunier, Marks & Spencer Simply Food, Costa Coffee, Burger King, Palm Bar and Grille, Tian Xia Dumplings, Ajisen Ramen, Ben & Jerry's and Pizza Hut, which operates in over 80 locations in Germany, has decided to optimize and centralize its business partner communication. SSP decided to partner with IT service provider Comarch to fulfil its goal. Comarch has developed an electronic data interchange system to support communication with SSP suppliers, and then established Comarch ECM to manage incoming business records i.e. invoices.

SSP decided to cooperate with Comarch because, apart from EDI and ECM solutions, it offered professional implementation from one source. The pilot version of the project was launched in August 2011. The system became fully operational in 2012.

According to the website ECMguide.de, SSP currently uses a significantly smaller volume of paper documents thanks to Comarch ECM which is in charge of the management and archiving of all business records.

- Our locations used to communicate with their business partners by way of paper documents and in a decentralized manner. With the introduction of Comarch EDI and Comarch ECM, our partners now receive electronic orders while all paper and electronic invoices and other business records are processed in a centralized location in Eschborn - explains Andreas Kühne, Divisional IT-Manager, SSP Group -We are very satisfied with the project and the dedication of Comarch. We particularly appreciate the fact that we have to only contact one consultant for both, EDI and ECM.

Within the framework of EDI, the first step was to implement an electronic system to deal with standard business documentation, including orders, confirmations, delivery notes, invoices and price lists. Orders made in electronic format can now be sent to suppliers via Comarch-EDI, whereas suppliers can submit their electronic invoices to SSP. The management and archiving of all SSP business records is now handled by Comarch-ECM.

SSP - The Food Travel Experts is the leading operator of food and beverage brands at: restaurants, bars, cafés, food courts, lounges and retail facilities in travel locations; in airports, railway stations and motorway service stations worldwide. It has over 60 years of unrivalled operational experience, employs over 30,000 people worldwide, and serves millions of consumers every day. It operates in 30 countries, 2,100 locations, including 140 airports and 250 railway stations.