Efficient freight cost processing via credit note procedure in the building materials industry

Automation and Transparency through the Credit Note Procedure

The processing of freight costs via the credit note procedure offers an innovative alternative to traditional invoicing: Instead of waiting for the freight forwarder’s invoice and manually verifying it, the company issues a credit note itself, which the freight forwarder then cross-checks. For this automated billing service, the company receives an additional processing fee.

The Challenge: Freight Cost Management in the Building Materials Industry

A typical process in the building materials industry illustrates the advantage of this procedure: For example, a building materials company orders a large quantity of gravel, delivered in multiple truckloads. The supplier organizes the transport—often based on a framework agreement—through a freight forwarder who subsequently issues an invoice. This traditional process is labor-intensive for the building materials company: For each truck delivery, material orders and goods receipts must be created, and invoices thoroughly checked and posted.

The Solution: Simplified Freight Cost Processing with amotIQ solutions

With the new freight cost processing developed by amotIQ solutions, a simplified workflow has been created for building materials companies. Multiple deliveries for a single material order can now be recorded in a newly programmed collective entry mask within the SAP system. This feature allows all relevant details—such as the freight forwarder and additional delivery vehicle information—to be entered directly without the need to access multiple transactions. Incoming trucks are promptly registered on-site, and the goods receipt is automatically posted thereafter. This makes the entire freight cost processing efficient and user-friendly.

The Process: Automation in the Background and Transparent Credit Notes

Parallel to the material recording, the SAP system generates transport and freight cost documents in the background, automatically calculating costs based on specific criteria—such as material group or transport route. A vendor invoice is created from this, serving as the basis for a credit note to the freight forwarder, which is then approved by the responsible clerk. Credit notes for various freight costs are usually consolidated in a payment process and announced to the freight forwarder in the form of an electronic payment advice, providing a precise breakdown of the settled freight costs. Alternatively, this data transmission can be done via IDOC, allowing system-based reconciliation to be automated as well.

Outcome: Efficiency and Transparency through the Credit Note Procedure

The credit note procedure for freight cost processing gains particular importance where transport costs constitute a significant portion of the total value of goods—as is common in the building materials industry. The company maintains control over the process while minimizing manual effort for all parties involved.

Conclusion: Forward-Looking Freight Cost Processing with amotIQ solutions

Freight cost processing via the credit note procedure is a smart solution that has been made more efficient and user-friendly, especially through the collective entry mask developed by amotIQ solutions. Thanks to this tool, which is closely aligned with the SAP standard, freight cost processing is optimized, and process effort is reduced to a minimum—a benefit increasingly appreciated by companies in the building materials industry.