Case Studies > Leggett & Platt Springs Ahead With Automated Import Compliance and Unified Procurement

Leggett & Platt Springs Ahead With Automated Import Compliance and Unified Procurement

Customer Company Size

Large Corporate

Region

America

Country

United States

Product

E2open Import Management Solution

Tech Stack

ERP Integration
Supplier Portal
Automated Broker Interface (ABI)

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Cost Savings
Productivity Improvements
Customer Satisfaction

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
Functional Applications - Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
Functional Applications - Transportation Management Systems (TMS)

Applicable Industries

Consumer Goods
Retail
Automotive

Applicable Functions

Procurement
Logistics & Transportation
Warehouse & Inventory Management

Use Cases

Supply Chain Visibility
Predictive Replenishment
Regulatory Compliance Monitoring

Services

System Integration
Software Design & Engineering Services
Training

About The Customer

Leggett & Platt (L&P) is a diversified Fortune 500 manufacturer that designs and produces a broad variety of engineered components and products for customers worldwide. Its products can be found in virtually every home, office, retail store, and automobile. Many products that touch the lives of consumers every day are made with L&P components, including box springs, innersprings, and fiber comfort layers for beds; motion mechanisms for recliners; and retail shelving for stores around the globe. The 125-year-old firm is composed of 19 business units and 19,000 employee-partners and has more than 160 manufacturing facilities located in 19 countries.

The Challenge

The 160 branches of Leggett & Platt (L&P) operated autonomously with disparate systems and a decentralized IT infrastructure. Data sharing was minimal among purchasing centers, accounting processors, and inventory management. Importing and purchasing were highly manual, error-prone, and time-consuming processes. Much of the process was handled outside L&P and could not be effectively monitored by the global compliance team. A comprehensive review revealed that the existing import compliance system was outdated and not coordinated, oriented more towards domestic purchasing. Upgrading the legacy ERP systems to minimal compliance standards was difficult and costly, making it clear that the company needed to consolidate its import management systems and automate its import processes.

The Solution

Following a thorough vendor evaluation, L&P selected E2open’s import management solution to eliminate silos and establish a strict purchase order process and manage regulatory compliance across the entire supply chain from PO issuance to import and final receipt. The import solution is integrated with L&P’s systems that govern procurement, transportation management, and warehouse management. A global product master maintains compliance details for all L&P product lines. As purchase orders (POs) are issued, all compliance information is validated against the product master and orders are posted to a supplier portal. Suppliers can use the system to access the POs and coordinate shipment details with buyers. Suppliers can also generate all required shipping documents without re-keying information. The E2open application then validates the details and generates a pre-customs entry packet, which it then transmits. While in transit, L&P receives shipment status messages from its carriers. Upon arrival, L&P can also monitor automated broker interface (ABI) entry status and access a full audit trail of each transaction.

Operational Impact

L&P has improved visibility over origin operations, reduced overall cycle time, and streamlined the process with brokers to improve efficiency and reduce fees.
The number of broker errors detected in post-entry audit reviews has significantly decreased.
The company now manages more than 7,500 worldwide shipments into the United States every year.
L&P has implemented a unified and cohesive procurement process, minimizing data entry with one centralized business process.
The company has supported regulations like Importer Security Filing with configurable processes.

Quantitative Benefit