Poiesz has error-free and transparent messaging with all its suppliers thanks to EDI

Poiesz is a Dutch supermarket chain active in the north of the Netherlands. The family business, which started 100 years ago as a greengrocer in Sneek, has now grown into a retailer with 78 full-service supermarkets in the provinces of Friesland, Groningen, Drenthe, Overijssel and Flevoland. Focus on fresh, regional products and personal attention are important features of the supermarket chain, which was voted the best supermarket in the Netherlands by customers in 2023.

The application management department consists of 3 FTEs and is responsible for all systems surrounding the logistics processes. An important part of the department’s tasks is managing communication with various internal and external systems.

“We have not had a single technical glitch since the implementation of the new solution.”

Pieter Datema, Application Manager

Poiesz has been using EDI to manage messaging with suppliers since the early 1990s. At the beginning of 2023, Poiesz entered into an agreement with Descartes to use their EDI services. Pieter Datema, application manager at Poiesz explains why: “The main reason for this was that Poiesz's requirements and wishes have changed considerably in recent years. And Descartes was able to align well with this, with the EDI solution they offered.

One of the goals was to take the traceability of EDI messages to a higher level. But also integrating with a modern API and sending and receiving at least 125,000 messages every month without errors. In addition, we need functionality to archive supplier invoices for up to several years.”

Poiesz chose the EDI integration solution from Descartes Systems Group. Partly because several members of Superunie, a purchasing organization that represents 11 independent retail organizations, use this. Datema: “Other members of Superunie pointed us in the direction of Descartes because they were satisfied with the EDI solution and the contact with Descartes as a supplier. The choice for Descartes was then quickly made.”

Poiesz experienced good and fast support during the entire implementation process, partly thanks to the easy accessibility of a regular contact person.

The solution, which went live on October 1, 2023, supports the same processes as before, but with more modern technology. For example, Poiesz took the step from file- based integrations to API integrations with Descartes' EDI solution.

Datema says: “97% of all our messages are sent via EDI. In just three months since go-live, almost all our suppliers have successfully linked to the new EDI solution to establish messaging. Since implementing the new solution, we have not had a single technical glitch. The solution's portal is also intuitive and easy to use. For example, if we want to find an order to determine whether it has gone through properly to one of our suppliers, it takes no effort at all.”

Increased stability - Poiesz has not experienced any technical disruptions since implementing Descartes' EDI solution, partly because it supports API integrations.

Better traceability - The EDI solution portal has a clear interface that allows Poiesz to easily trace message history.

Cost savings - The new EDI solution offers Poiesz the same desired functionality as before, but at a lower rate than it was used to.