Rosenberger Hochfrequenztechnik - Software, · PDF fileRosenberger Hochfrequenztechnik Software, consultancy and services for global trade and supply chain management. ... Rosenberger

AEB Success StoryRosenberger Hochfrequenztechnik

Software, consultancy and services for global trade and supply chain management

Rosenberger, a leading global manufacturer of RF connectors, supplies big-name global players in the telecommunications, industrial measurement, auto-motive, medical technology, industrial electronics, and data systems industries. The AEB software suite monitors shipments and ensures smooth workflows.

“Connect the mouse and power cable

to the laptop, and you’re good to go.”

In our personal lives, the number of

connectors we need on a daily basis to

work and communicate is relatively

modest. But behind the scenes, connectors

touch many areas of our lives by allowing

energy to flow and news and information

to spread. Connectors and adapters

transmit signals through cellular base

stations and satellite receivers and

make it possible for our cars to have

on-board GPS and navigation systems.

They are a critical element in the power

transmission of electric and hybrid

vehicles, electric bicycles, and power

scooters. They play a role in mechanical

engineering, telecommunications,

medical technology, and the automotive

industry. Rosenberger manufactures

over 6,000 different types of plugs and

connectors. With over 730 patents, it is

among the top innovators in the world

of high-frequency technology.

Ninety percent of its European

production is manufactured at its

Fridolfing headquarters, nestled in

the Alpine foothills of Bavaria. Among

Rosenberger’s 19 manufacturing and

assembly plants worldwide, the plant

in Hungary plays a central role:

Jászárokszállás, 75 km east of Budapest,

is where the individual parts are

assembled and packaged for direct

supply of the eastern EU countries.

The rest of Europe and all non-EU

countries are supplied from Fridolfing.

Rosenberger has applied for certification

as a “Known Consignor” and meets the

criteria set by Germany’s Federal Aviation

Office. One such criterion was to secure

the perimeter of its entire 1,000 square

meter shipping area, which includes

three packing stations and goods issue


High-frequency technology from the Alpine foothills – easily dispatched with AEB software

zone. Once a package in this controlled

area is marked as air freight, it is “secure.”

In 2009, when the handwriting for

mandatory electronic export processing

in Germany was on the wall, Rosenberger

not only began searching for a local

electronic customs solution, it

specifically looked for software that

would automate logistics as well.

The global trade and logistics suite

ASSIST4 by Stuttgart-based software

developer AEB fit the bill, so Rosen-

berger began implementing the suite

one module at a time.

Precision from the factory floor to the loading dockRosenberger products are lightweights:

the individual parts that are milled,

punched, and coated from brass,

copper, and stainless steel in the

Fridolfing factory weigh only a few

grams before they are assembled into

connectors. But the total volume of

consignments tipped the scales at

3,400 metric tons in 2012 – with some

15 tons in anywhere from 100 to 300

consignments shipped from Fridolfing

each day. “About half of that stays

within the EU, while the other half is

exported to other countries,” explains

Martin Motz, head of Customs and

Export Controls.

In Germany, Rosenberger uses ASSIST4

at its Fridolfing headquarters. Some

40 percent of shipments go to other

Rosenberger sites around the world

such as the plants in India and Brazil,

while the other 60 percent goes directly

to customers – network operators and

telecommunications suppliers such

as Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent, all

the big-name auto companies in

Germany, and automotive suppliers

such as Bosch, Blaupunkt, Panasonic,

and Siemens. Rosenberger’s clientele

even extends to the aerospace industry.

Martin Motz explains: “In the old days

– before 2008 – we prepared an average

of 50 to 100 consignments a month for

export. Today, we average 500 export

declarations a month. We never could

have handled that workload with the

same level of personnel. We did end up

hiring more personnel and shifting

some of the workload to Hungary, but

the main benefit from the introduction

of ASSIST4 has been in the improved

quality of our shipping processes.”

Flawless deliveryThe entire process of packaging the goods

and generating the shipping papers

has been streamlined and accelerated.

“We used to need seven or eight minutes

for one export declaration. Now the data

is much better and we can complete

one declaration in one or two minutes,”

says Motz.

AEB software also manages the logistics

in Hungary. ASSIST4 was phased in

gradually here in 2011. Six employees

work in shifts at three packing stations

and in the shipping office using ASSIST4.

Fridolfing also has three packing

stations running ASSIST4. The six

employees working in import/export

management also rely on ASSIST4.

The warehouse team is especially fond


ASSIST4 streamlines and accelerates export processes while reducing errors. Export declarations are completed in just one or two minutes.

of the AEB software, because it lets

them perform all the various work

steps at once. The old process involved

tediously creating documents in

Microsoft Word and Excel and printing

the labels separately on different

systems. Now, one employee can print

all the necessary labels and paperwork

such as the packing list and waybill

right from the packing station and

immediately place them on or into

the packages.

For those in the logistics and IT

departments, the primary benefit

was to get rid of all the different

standalone solutions and migrate to

one central platform, with all the

relevant rulebases stored right in

the software. “That way, nothing is

overlooked,” notes Martin Motz,

saying that the AEB solution has

also greatly improved the quality of

the shipping processes: “Automation

not only accelerated our workflows,

it also eliminated errors. Today, our

error rate is measured in tenths of one

percent. The only case I can recall is

once when a label was affixed in the

wrong place.”

Online consignment trackingThe Rosenberger employees using

ASSIST4 can also check the status of

a consignment at any time through the

“Monitoring & Alerting” overview. The

sales team can run a proactive check on

the status of a particular consignment

or to see whether the goods have been

packed or shipped yet. As soon as the

goods reach the status of “documents

complete,” the data is fed from ASSIST4

back to the ERP system proAlpha, and

the invoice is printed.

“Monitoring & Alerting” also reports

the tracking number back to proAlpha.

Two colleagues in the shipping office

receive proactive e-mail notifications

if the carrier or parcel service reports

a problem and the delivery is delayed.

Rosenberger has also granted its

branch offices in Brazil and the United

States access to the online platform.

The sales department of Rosenberger’s

customer Huawei, a Chinese commu-

nications company based in Hungary,

can also track its own consignments

directly through the platform and see

whether an order it placed is already

on the way.

There are plans to give all Rosenberger

branch offices access to M&A. The

import department in Brazil already

benefits from early access to the

delivery note data, because good

import management depends on

knowing that only those goods listed

on the import permit are actually

shipped. Employees in Caçapava,

São Paulo, can use M&A to make sure

in advance that everything matches,

then complete their own paperwork.

Delivery scan: an alternative proof of exitThe Visibility & Collaboration Platform

provides an extra benefit for Rosen-

berger: The delivery scan archived

in Monitoring & Alerting is also

considered a valid alternative proof

of exit in case the endorsement of exit

for a particular export consignment

is not yet available.

“Implementing M&A quickly paid for

itself for this option alone,” confirms

Martin Motz. “It would be frustrating

to have to pay the tax retroactively if

the endorsement of exit were missing.”

It’s also helpful for situations in which

a customer claims it did not receive a

shipment. Motz can actually recall

one such incident. The customer was

in South Africa and the goods were

valued at €16,000. Rosenberger was able

to prove that the goods had actually

been confirmed as received.

The advantage of the AEB software

over the systems of the parcel services

is that the delivery confirmation is

permanently archived. Many parcel

services only make such data available

for three to six months, says Motz.

“We grant some of our customers a

relatively long payment window, so

it helps that even after twelve months,

we can still demonstrate that the

customer received the goods.”

Restricted party screening: playing it safeIn addition to Customs Management

and Transport & Freight Management,

Rosenberger also uses the Risk Manage-

ment solution. The Compliance Engine

has been installed to run restricted party

screening, so ASSIST4 automatically

checks all the addresses in real time

against the official embargoes and the

annexes of EU regulations 881/2002,

2580/2001, and 753/2011. Any matches

trigger a transaction block. The complete

ERP system data – some 30,000

addresses – is also sent each night to

the Engine for screening. Rosenberger

OSI GmbH in Augsburg, which

manufactures fiber-optic products,

is also linked to the AEB compliance

solution. Plans now call for connecting

the US production sites as soon as a

single ERP system is in place.


Better workflow thanks to centralized controlASSIST4 also lends a hand in the

shipping office operations. The customs

director and his colleagues set up

pending tasks on the ToDos sheet,

which the employees then take care

of on their own. Rosenberger feels it

is important to accommodate the

specific wishes of its customers, so it

appreciates the convenient option in

ASSIST4 for saving customer-specific

requirements. “We used to list such

requirements on the delivery note,

which was less than optimal. Today

I can define a rulebase and note the

customers’ special requests, which

are then automatically applied when

the shipment is processed.”

Martin Motz sums it up this way:

“Never before had I used software

so intensely before we began using

ASSIST4. Information technology has

helped us streamline our processes

and take our quality to an entirely new

level. We are constantly evaluating

which other functionalities we might

use in the future. Currently, we are

studying mobile control of the loading

processes. Preparations are also

underway to automate our freight

cost calculations. The underlying

basis – integrating our quotes into

the system – is already in place.”


Some 100 to 300 consignments are shipped each day from the headquarters in the Upper Bavarian town of Fridolfing. “Monitoring & Alerting” makes it possible to track their status anytime, anywhere.

www.aeb-solutions.com

� Name: Rosenberger Hochfrequenz-technik GmbH & Co. KG

� Industry: High-frequency technology � Employees: 5,000 � Revenues in 2012: €480 million

� Documents and labels printed in various systems

� Increased export volume � Solution needed for electronic customs clearance

� Automation of entire logistical processes sought

� Introduce ASSIST4 Customs Management and Transport & Freight Management at German headquarters and in Hungary

� Introduce Visibility & Collaboration Platform

� Install Compliance Engine for automated restricted party screening

� Various standalone solutions phased out, single logistics platform introduced

� Quality of shipping processes increased

� Shipping processes streamlined � All tasks managed centrally through AEB software

� Consignment status accessible at any time

� Delivery scan in Visibility & Collaboration Platform valid as proof of exit

Customer

Challenges

Solution

Results


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