Duttenhofer Group: Smooth EDI system changeover during ongoing operations
When the Duttenhofer Group's previous EDI service provider withdrew from the business, a new solution had to be implemented at short notice – without interrupting ongoing operations. The challenge: a complete system migration of the existing EDI operation, including all data flows and interfaces, without partners or customers noticing the change.
The Duttenhofer Group is an owner-managed, medium-sized trading group with over 300 employees and annual sales of around 250 million euros. Originally active in brick-and-mortar retail, the long-established company has developed into a Europe-wide B2B distance seller since 1938. Today, Duttenhofer acts as a link between manufacturers and commercial customers, retailers, and system houses, offering a wide range of branded products.
Implementation
menten GmbH took over EDI transit with its in-house EDI solution i‑effect®® during ongoing operations—i.e., on the “live system.” All communication between suppliers, partners, and systems was replicated 1:1. Since there was no detailed documentation of the existing systems and processes beforehand, implementation was a particularly challenging task that required a high degree of experience. The menten project team was in close contact with Duttenhofer's IT department throughout the entire process and reacted immediately to any deviations.
It was clear that they were familiar with projects like this. There was no long training period—they knew exactly what needed to be done.” – Attila Fekete, software developer at the Duttenhofer Group
Result
Thanks to meticulous preparation and close coordination, the migration of the live system went according to plan and without any major complications. For customers and partners, too, the transition was seamless and without any noticeable disruptions. In addition to the actual task, the menten project team also proactively optimized the processes for future use of the EDI software. Thanks to the integration of i‑effect®®, Duttenhofer now has a central error handling system with a graphical user interface. Errors can be detected, analyzed, and corrected independently — a clear advantage over the old system.
In addition, the connection to the DocuWare document management system implemented by i‑effect®® enables significantly more efficient archiving and supports compliance with legal requirements.
“The new error handling saves us a lot of time. We can see problems immediately and fix them ourselves.” – Attila Fekete, software developer at the Duttenhofer Group
Collaboration & Outlook
The collaboration with menten was characterized by professionalism, competence, and a genuine spirit of partnership. The team impressed with their friendly manner, quick response times, and consistently solution-oriented approach. For the future, Duttenhofer plans to evaluate additional i‑effect®® functions and gradually increase the level of automation.
“Competent, fast, and always helpful—we would recommend menten anytime”—Attila Fekete, software developer at the Duttenhofer Group