Automated publishing for Ullrich Passion for Liquids - brix

Paul Ullrich AG – now known as Ullrich – Passion for Liquids – is one of Switzerland's most renowned suppliers of wines and spirits. Founded in 1925 as a local family business with a small wine shop, the company has developed over the decades into a nationwide specialist with more than 120 employees. The diverse range comprises around 9'000 items – including many exquisite treasures and specialities – and is aimed at end customers, specialist retailers, and the catering trade. With excellent advice, a high level of expertise, nine branches, a modern web shop, and around 150 events per year, Ullrich stands for enjoyment, quality, and passion for liquid specialties.

Industry

Beverage trade

Number of employees

120

Number of items

Approximately 9'000

Number of branches

9

Initial situation

The focus of marketing and sales activities is the bimonthly Liquid Magazine, which is published in both print and digital formats. It provides information about current products, background stories, and promotions in a total of six versions: German and French, each tailored to end customers, catering customers, and specialist retailers. In addition, specific special formats are published regularly, such as themed magazines focusing on specific regions or products.

The magazine's content and price offers are specifically tailored to the respective target group. The recipient group is correspondingly broad and comprises around 29'000 end customers, 5'500 catering customers, and 2'000 specialist retailers, who regularly receive an edition tailored to their needs. There is also a particular logistical challenge: while end customers receive their magazines closer to the sales campaign, the issues for restaurants and specialist retailers have to be published much earlier to ensure that delivery and preparation are guaranteed in time for the rush of customers.

Challenge

The challenge in producing the magazine was obvious, as the original process was almost entirely manual. Fragmented data management and a non-integrated system landscape with some outdated components meant that product information from various systems, such as ERP and PIM, had to be manually copied and pasted into InDesign and corrected multiple times – a time-consuming and error-prone process. Coordinating content at the right time, for the right target group, with limited human resources was therefore very time-consuming.

With great commitment and passion, the specialists at Ullrich nevertheless managed to complete each issue on time. However, the usual high quality of the publications came under increasing pressure. At the same time, there was a lack of flexibility to respond to short-term changes in prices, stock levels, or supply chains.

Automate publishing – with Xactuell

Are you familiar with these challenges? Manual transfer of data from different systems, error-prone processes, numerous correction loops, and a lack of flexibility for short-term adjustments. Publishing no longer has to be like this.

With Xactuell from Codeware GmbH, you can automatically transfer your product data from ERP, PIM, or other data sources directly into the layout – quickly, reliably, and error-free. Increase your efficiency, reduce errors, and free up time for creative and strategic tasks.

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Solution

Centralization of the database with SAP Business One

First, Ullrich replaced its outdated CRM solution with SAP Business One. This bundled previously fragmented data sources into one system and created a uniform «Single Source of Truth». Since then, this central data storage has formed the basis for all publications and deliveries to the e-shop.

Automated magazine production with Xactuell

At the same time, brix implemented an efficient publishing solution based on Xactuell. At the heart of the new solution is the Xactuell Center, which is directly connected to SAP. This allows the products selected by the category manager for each issue to be automatically inserted into the InDesign layout with images and product data using templates.

Targeted optimizations thanks to intelligent queries

Targeted queries are used to compile exactly matching data packages and insert them directly into the layout. This involves optimizations such as the automated merging of wines from different vintages, which previously had to be done manually. Queries and time-consuming cross-checks are now a thing of the past.

Maximum flexibility for prices and languages

The seamless SAP connection allows for last-minute updates – for example, to prices even immediately before the already designed magazine goes to print. Changing languages is just as easy, even if the issue has already been completely designed. This means that all content remains flexible and up to date until the very last minute.

Fewer manual steps, greater efficiency

With the elimination of previously time-consuming manual processes, content updates and price and language changes now run smoothly. The internal graphics teams have been comprehensively trained and now benefit from intuitive and efficient workflows.

I am very happy that we took this step. It was absolutely worth it to automate our processes and eliminate sources of error. Thanks to the excellent cooperation with brix, we were able to successfully introduce the new publication solution with Xactuell in just six weeks.

Nathalie Heuser

E-commerce & Process Manager - Ullrich

Success

The advantages of the new solution became apparent immediately after its introduction:

Significant time savings thanks to automated processes and ease of use
Targeted relief for specialists for creative and strategic tasks
Fewer feedback and correction loops
Increased quality and a greatly reduced error rate
More flexibility for short-term adjustments to prices and product range
Content can be updated at the click of a button until printing begins

Outlook

Based on the successfully implemented solution, further process optimizations are possible – and already in planning. Ullrich's goal is to continue to increase efficiency in the future and to further expand the degree of automation.

Ready for automated publishing like Ullrich?

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