BUSINESS INTEGRaTION

Text Cees Steijger ~ Photography TWZ

Further growth for EdI in austria

In modern business, the automated exchange of messages Electronic data Interchange (EdI) has become an indispensable link. Only flexible software solutions that are stable and reliable are good enough for this.

o says Florian Winkler, the managing director of TWZ Vertriebsgesellschaft m.b.H, the fast-growing EDI specialist based in Seekirchen in Austria. EDI has now been TWZs core business for more than twenty years. At TWZ, a small team of five specialists serves no less than 300 customers throughout the entire country, including familiar names such as Unilever Austria, Sony DADC Austria, Boehringer Ingelheim, Porsche Infromatik and many others. TWZ works out of a futuristic, inspiring office - an architectural landmark that looks out over the valley of the beautiful Salzburger Seenland and is only fifteen minutes by car from Salzburg, the city of Mozart. The contrast between this natural decor of tranquillity and space and TWZs high-tech business could not be greater. ahEad of his TimE We spoke to Florian Winkler and his father

Christian, who founded TWZ in 1987. From the very valued by our customstart, TWZ focused on EDI, and later on e-commerce. ers, says Florian. The At that time, electronic data interchange was already TIE Messaging Portal is pretty well established but it really took flight with used mostly by TWZs the advent of the Internet in the nineteen-nineties. larger customers. The That Christian Winkler was ahead of his time shows Messaging Portal is a in the rapid growth of the company, which also now very stable EDI product does business with customers in Germany as well as with a programmable with small and large customers in Austria itself. Our browser interface and strength lies in specialisation, says Christian fully enables you to use Winkler. We offer the entire range of electronic data the EDI application as a interchange, including the implementation of server application. conversion and communication software, developing interfaces between existing Enterprise Resource PlanExTra rEquirEning (ERP) systems and, of course, mENTs TWZ sees cooperating with the ERP supplier. the EDI market in Because of our 100% specialisation in Austria continuing to EDI, we have built up considerable grow. In order to knowledge and experience over the maintain its leading years and were now generally seen as position in this growth the EDI leader in Austria. market, TWZ has TWZs specialisation in EDI has focused mainly on also resulted in an excellent reputation innovation. And this is as a partner with suppliers of ERP also a necessary move systems. We invest a lot in the because the market is relationship with ERP software developing rapidly. The suppliers that now want to carry out way of doing business and the method of operating are changing, large-scale projects in collaboration mostly due to the influence of the Internet. with us, says Florian Winkler. We For example, take electronic invoicing, can do that because we are able to which is also making rapid advances in implement state-of-the-art EDI Austria. The Austrian Tax Department is software thats tailored exactly to imposing extra requirements for this specific ERP projects. This flexibility method of invoicing. For example, a closed is also the basis of our cooperation network must be used for EDI and the with TIE Kinetix, which dates back invoice must have an advanced electronic to 1994. signature or other way of guaranteeing Originally TWZ exclusively used that the invoice is authentic. The EDI the TIE Quickstart solution for all provider must supply this. We have to small and medium-sized customers. continue to innovate, says Florian. And Since the beginning of 2010, all TWZs were happy that our partner TIE actively customers have received TIEs new anticipates changes and enables us to be SmartStart solution. This EDI always ready to satisfy the requirements software is very advanced and provides set for modern EDI. a fantastic user interface that is highly

Flexibility is the basis of our cooperation with TIE

P14 ~ 2011 ~ TIE