Sonepar achieved 100% control over freight costs and gave customers control over their carbon footprint

Sonepar is a global distributor of electrical products and solutions and operate in over 40 countries.

Freight cost management system

Profitability through digitized solutions

When Sonepar switched to IMI as their invoice checking system supplier, they gained total control over their shipping costs. The system gathers all invoices together digitally which, beyond making sure they are paying the right price for the right product, makes it easy to analyze and follow trends.

Our sole aim at IMI is to simplify everyday life for transport buyers and carriers. Our solutions are fully digitized, cloud-based and automated which provides users with the highest level of control over the goods-related aspects of their work. Automation coupled with machine learning and advanced algorithms means that users can detect issues and change unprofitable processes.

“We think the thing that sets IMI apart from other platforms is that it is so user-friendly. But the most important thing for us is having a strong partner, and I can’t think of any other service that even comes close to being able to offer this.” Says David Hjälmarlycka.

It’s incredibly advantageous to have all our carriers on IMI and to have all of our shipping invoices sent through it; it means that we have total control and pay the right price for the right product. On our journey, they’ve also helped us by getting in contact with the carriers one by one and correctly guiding them through the different tools and processes,” says David.

There is an accessibility and openness that makes it feel as if we are developing the system together with IMI, which makes them outstanding.

David Hjälmarlycka

Transport Manager, Sonepar

Fully automated checks and accounting

Sonepar previously had an invoice checking system supplier who they were dissatisfied with since they were not interested in continuing to develop their system. They began discussions and ended up switching to IMI’s invoice checking system. With this change, Sonepar went from having a mix of invoices in both digital and paper form and time-consuming manual handling of all their shipping invoices from their carriers to a fully automated system with IMI. The change has provided them with total control over all their shipping costs and made it possible to follow trends and make analyses of transport processes in order to push change. For Sonepar, this has meant finding new opportunities in tougher geographical regions.

IMI immediately understood our needs

“The team at IMI immediately understood our needs and have been easy to communicate with right from the get go. From my point of view, this collaboration has provided us with endless possibilities, and the easy dialogue we have along with the fact that they are so involved with decisions are factors you won’t find with other system providers. There is an accessibility and openness that makes it feel as if we are developing the system together with IMI, which makes them outstanding,” says David.

“Our customers range from sole traders right up to global concerns. We provide an essential service for businesses and work with the world’s leading suppliers to make sure that our customers get their product in the right place at the right time. From our logistics hub in Örebro, we deal with 600 tonnes of electrical equipment every day and our employees bring together 2,500 suppliers with 13,000 customers. I am responsible for all our freight in Sweden, as well as for the budget and following up on shipping costs. With IMI, I have an amazing tool at my disposal that enables me to follow up and make analyses,” says David.

Control over the carbon footprint

Sonepar provides a wide range of products for electrical installations, lighting, automation, and energy management to professional users, such as electricians and industries. The company operates in over 40 countries and aims to be a leading player in sustainable and innovative solutions for the electrical industry.

In the spring of 2022, IMI launched its new module – carbon footprint reporting. The module has become popular among customers as it saves time and provides greater accuracy in climate reporting. Sonepar is one of the customers using this module and enables its customers to gain control over their carbon footprint.

GLEC Framework

The carbon footprint reporting is based on the GLEC Framework (Global Logistics Emissions Council Framework). This means that you can calculate the climate footprint on the transport link without collecting data from your transporters, even on multimodal transport. You can continuously monitor and follow trends to see if the measures have the desired effect. In this way, we have a complete picture of the period’s emission figures.

With this solution, we can now report our climate footprint down to order level, which means that we can compile the climate footprint for our customers.

Harald Hansen

Logistics Director, Sonepar

As a supplier, there are many demands in this area and it feels reassuring to be able to offer this to our customers. We are now working on presenting simulated emissions in advance in our online portal, so that the customer can influence their footprint when ordering.

Harald Hansen

Logistics Director, Sonepar

With increased focus and demands from customers and the customer’s customer, this is a module that has become very popular with our customers and we hope to be able to help more people visualize the climate footprint of shipping in the future.

Jon Arild Ludvigsen

Senior Business Relationship Manager, IMI

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