Bulgari’s international distribution centre manages the shipping and fulfilment of high-value goods to buyers around the world. Each order required packing lists, certificates of authenticity, shipping documents and other paperwork to be manually bundled, a process which was both labour-intensive and prone to error.
Inpute created a workflow automation solution to digitise, validate and release all documentation for Bulgari’s luxury goods exports. For each shipping parcel, shipping documentation is automatically checked to ensure required documentation, including import documents for the shipment’s destination country.
.jpg)
“Inpute was able to understand our business needs and develop an elegant solution to modernise our shipping and fulfilment process. … The impact was almost immediate.”
Bulgari
Bulgari is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1884 and known for its jewellery, watches, fragrances, accessories, and leather goods. The fashion house became part of the LVMH Group, the world's leading luxury group, in 2011.
Bulgari’s distribution centre handles an average of 200 orders per day, delivering luxury goods to more than 94 countries around the world. This shipping volume requires the company to print and pack more than 600,000 pages of accompanying documents every year.
Each order required packing lists, certificates of authenticity, shipping documents and other paperwork to be packaged manually—a process which was both labour-intensive and prone to error.
Inpute developed a cloud-based workflow automation solution to manage Bulgari’s shipments. This tailored solution digitises and manages all documentation for Bulgari’s luxury goods exports.
For each shipping parcel, a workflow task is automatically run to confirm that all relevant documentation including the required import documents for the shipment’s destination country, is recorded and available. The solution highlights to the Client Relations Team the document types which are omitted allowing them to follow up with the relevant teams. Where a full pack is available, a streamlined approvals process is implemented to ensure documentation is reviewed and receives sign-off from the correct personnel based on the shipment’s contents and destination.
Once the documents for a shipment receive final sign-off, the digital bundle is shared with the appropriate transport vendor to be passed along the supply chain. Customers can also access the digitalised documents via a self-service portal.
Inpute’s automation solution has eliminated key paperwork constraints preventing Bulgari from achieving sustainable shipping and fulfilment operations.
“We initially thought we could digitalise the process in-house. In fact, our IT department designed a solution—but it was missing a few key capabilities we weren’t able to achieve by ourselves,” says Eric Cotteret, IT Senior Manager at Bulgari. “Inpute was able to understand our business needs and develop an elegant solution to modernise our shipping and fulfilment process.
“The impact was almost immediate.”
In the first months after its launch, Inpute’s digital documentation solution helped Bulgari reduce its paperwork volume by 43%. Four months after the project went live, 85% of the client’s shipping paperwork volume has now been digitised.
This automation solution has transformed the manual labour demands placed on Bulgari’s shipping and fulfilment workforce. Delivery processing for each shipment has been reduced from 3-5 minutes for manual processing to less than one minute for digitised documentation.
Inpute’s solution has also sparked wider adoption of digital documents among Bulgari’s transport vendors, delivering innovation and sustainable shipping practices across the entire supply chain.
“This was key for us. It’s useless to digitise our part of the shipping process if we don’t do the same with our business partners,” says Mr. Cotteret. “We worked with our carrier to accept digital documents instead of paper document bundles. Now, when the last digital document is approved, the package is sent directly to our carrier.”
Through accurate document capture and self-service access, Inpute has helped Bulgari reduce the occurrence rate of many causes of shipping delays. Fewer paperwork errors means fewer delays at customs. If documents go missing, digital copies can be quickly accessed and shared to keep the supply chain moving and deliver packages safely to their final destination.
“Manual processes can make it impossible for businesses to scale their operations—not to mention the increased errors and processing delays that can result from this approach. By automating key aspects of Bulgari’s shipping and fulfilment operations, we achieved new efficiencies that will reduce its distribution costs and embed more sustainable practices across their supply chain.”
CEO, Inpute
.gif){kind=logo}
