Organize documents

The winweb-food software helps manage the complex flood of paperwork. Initial experiences at Timm Fleisch- und Wurstmanufaktur have been positive.

Invoices, delivery notes, product passports, analysis results, terms and conditions agreements – the volume of documents generated in day-to-day business is enormous. Winweb Informationstechnologie GmbH from Aldenhoven near Aachen provides a solution with an extension to its industry-specific ERP software: In the integrated document management system (DMS) all documents can be organized quickly, easily and clearly – while ensuring that they are stored in their original form in compliance with the legal requirements for digital retention.

First, certain types of documents with defined attributes are stored as master data in winweb-food and used in downstream applications for evaluation or further processing, among other purposes. „This allows documents marked as product data sheets, for example, to be evaluated selectively, made mandatory for suppliers or assigned validity dates“, explains Martin Schummers, Head of Quality Management at Winweb. In addition, custom document types can be added or mandatory documents can be flagged.

Bundled data records

Documents received electronically are read from the email inbox, imported and attached to the corresponding records. Supplier invoices received by email are read from the email client via the electronic invoice receipt system and, depending on the settings, assigned directly. At Timm Fleisch- und Wurstmanufaktur GmbH in Oberhausen, Managing Director Christian Timm has already introduced this component: „We were among the first to test the new system and it works: It does what it is supposed to do and is easy to use.“

The company in the Ruhr region, founded in 1956 as a traditional butcher’s shop, has evolved over the decades into a business that, despite all the modernization and automation of its production, relies on time-honored artisanal recipes. Following its move to modern facilities in 2012, Timm focused on production processes and their development, as well as new convenience products.
The product range has continued to evolve and is constantly adapting to market requirements. In recent years, demand for portioned, calibrated, or pre-prepared products has grown steadily, both for meat and sausage products. In keeping with the company motto, “Traditional craftsmanship and expertise combined with modern technology,” digitalization is also far from unfamiliar territory at Timm.

Barcode recognition handles assignment

Back to the software solution: Scanned documents are also quickly matched with the correct records using barcode recognition. Anyone wishing to sign and digitize delivery notes created in winweb-food can print a barcode on them. When scanned, this barcode is recognized and can be matched in the DMS with the corresponding documents at the click of a button. „This means that each delivery note does not have to be scanned separately, as winweb-food can also recognize documents in a scanned batch and separate them accordingly“, says Martin Schummers. This allows documents to be linked to any relevant record in winweb-food, such as quality reports to batches. For documents that do not originate from the software, the barcode can be printed on a label and affixed to the document. Even documents such as telephone or electricity bills can be recorded in the DMS.

Document-proof storage

Text recognition and search are also supported: OCR text recognition runs software over the documents, so that incoming invoices are automatically attached to the correct records and the invoice review is pre-populated. The DMS viewer also offers a wide range of filtering options for searching documents: selection by customers and suppliers, by date or document type etc. Missing mandatory documents can also be found in this way. All in all, the DMS is a ray of hope when it comes to the complex task of organizing the flood of documents and ensures that documents are stored in their original form in accordance with legal requirements. And Christian Timm is looking forward to what is yet to come: “We have not tested the invoice review tool yet, but I want to be the first to have that too, to see what it is like – I am excited,” he says with a laugh.

www.timm-frische.de
www.winweb.de