Since they launched their online shop in 1999, bol.com has worked with EDI to make sure that its products are shipped to customers quickly and to create more transparency throughout the supply chain. In 2013, bol.com decided to start working with EDI by Transus to communicate with its suppliers. Since 2016, Jordy van Leeuwen, EDI & Supply Chain Product Owner, has been the linchpin between suppliers, Transus and bol.com. We interviewed Jordy about his experiences with Transus.

Why is EDI so important to bol.com?

“Apart from the fact that bol.com is a platform for sellers, we also buy much of our stock ourselves. In order to keep our purchasing process scalable, we have to automate as much of our communication related to purchasing as possible, and EDI is a perfect solution”, Jordy tells us. “Our EDI communications with suppliers via Transus mesh seamlessly with our IT landscape. We can send orders to suppliers straight from our ERP and all return communications, such as order confirmations and packing slips, are also sent right back to our ERP and warehouse. Invoices are even automatically forwarded to our financial department, which makes the entire process very scalable.”

Can you tell me why you opted for EDI by Transus?

“Transus is a major player and has a network to match, which makes it easier to quickly connect new parties to the network. Besides, Transus is very flexible and skilled at setting up more complex connections”, Jordy explains. “Transus also effortlessly picks up projects beyond the scope of EDI documents, such as converting trading units to transport units. The self-service portal is a great way to monitor the process and they answer all your questions very quickly.”

How have you experienced the collaboration with trading partners via EDI?

Transus supports our trading partners in setting up the connection with bol.com, and after some initial tests, the connection goes live and we can start exchanging documents. When trading partners have technical questions or experience issues, they can communicate this with Transus right away. There’s virtually nothing that bol.com has to do.

How has Transus EDI benefited bol.com?

“After the connection has been made, EDI is virtually effortless for both suppliers and for bol.com. Document transmission rates and uptime are both 99.9%. Another big advantage is the infrequent maintenance, because Transus EDI is cloud-based.

Would you recommend Transus to other trading partners?

“Absolutely! Transus is highly professional and they know what they’re doing. They’ll take as much work off your hands as you want, and in our case, we don’t have to do much to keep our EDI communications manageable.”