Press & News
November 28, 2007
Bosch-Group Opts for
Signature Specialists AuthentiDate
Electronic credit memo portal replaces paper-based invoicing process
Duesseldorf – The Bosch-Group, a leading international manufacturer of automotive and industrial technology, is employing electronic signatures in the credit memo process with its vendors with immediate effect. Cost-intensive paper processes can thus be replaced by electronic data processable in line with the law.
The process was realized at the global automotive vendor with the eBilling Signature solution from AuthentiDate, a provider already specialized in this field for many years.
By adding functions to the credit memo procedure already practiced with suppliers to the Bosch-Group, the use of electronic invoices as the recipient could be implemented via a credit memo portal.
The credit memo portal was extended by the AuthentiDate eBilling Signature Server. As required by the German VAT Act and the EU Invoicing Directive, this takes over the qualified personal signature of the credit memo data, which is required both for invoices and for credit memos. The party issuing the credit memo (Bosch-Group) and the supplier both have legitimate documents at their disposal without additional paperwork. A further benefit for the credit memo recipient is provision of documents in different file formats. Depending on the requirement, the credit memo data can be provided as a PDF file or as processable data, e.g. XML or IDOC.
To make the handling of credit memos as lean and simple as possible for both sender and recipient, a number of other closely linked working steps are processed via the portal. To do so, an AuthentiDate signature verification solution was integrated. At the same time, an archiving system is linked to the portal. All signed credit memos are archived there, including the results of the signature verifications. So all relevant data is available at a central point at any time, not only for the Bosch-Group but also for their suppliers.
As Horst Bawidamann, Service Division for Information Technology eBusiness Applications eCommerce, Bosch-Group, said: “Our decision was for the signature specialist, AuthentiDate, as we wanted to buy all signature products needed to realize our solution from one source, but we also want to rely on signature solutions that are already proven in practice and can be flexibly integrated in existing IT infrastructures, especially the credit memo portal. We found both at AuthentiDate, ideally complemented by extensive signature expertise.”
Simple integration of the AuthentiDate eBilling Signature Server in the existing portal environment is of major significance to the Bosch-Group. With it, the company can also guarantee automatic e-mailing of electronic credit memos to the suppliers. Two other decisive requirements for the signature solution relate to its compliance with the law and international applicability. Software certification by a leading international audit firm is evidence that the AuthentiDate signature solution complies with all the accounting requirements (VAT Act, Principles of Orderly Accounting (GoB), German Commercial Code, Fiscal Code). A key quality attribute for the Bosch-Group and its suppliers.
“With the software certification, we have realized significant added value for one of our core products. We can give our customers, in this specific case the Bosch-Group, an unequivocal and reliable statement of an independent third party about the quality of our software and its compliance with the legal requirements,” said Jan. C. Wendenburg, Chief Executive Officer of AuthentiDate International AG.
Many reputable customers in Germany and elsewhere have already been using the AuthentiDate solution for years to provide electronic invoices with the signatures required by law. The Bosch-Group has now joined them – even though it has chosen the reverse direction. It uses the AuthentiDate signature solution as the invoice recipient.
The solution will be presented at the Enterprise-Signature-Day
Feb. 21, 2008 - Duesseldorf, Germany
For registration: www.enterprise-signature-day.com
About the Bosch-Group
The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology, some 260,000 associates generated sales of 43.7 billion euros in fiscal 2006. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 300 subsidiary and regional companies in over 50 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. Bosch spends more than three billion euros each year for research and development, and in 2006 applied for over 3,000 patents worldwide. The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as "Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering."
The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH.
About Authentidate International AG
Authentidate International AG in Düsseldorf, Germany, develops and provides independent business-process solutions enabling customers to simply and quickly integrate digital signatures and time stamps into existing corporate processes. The unique set of solutions can be used for almost any business process (i.e. billing, workflow, archiving, scanning and e-mail communication) to significantly reduce costs and optimize processing immediately.
Many high-profile companies in various industries and governmental organizations have used Authentidate’s digital signature solutions for years in Germany, Europe and other countries to substitute paper processing with legally binding, electronic business processes in accordance with international and local legal environments.
For the first time, professional signature solutions are available either as boxed products, web services or individual solutions, based on a common, flexible and modular architecture. The elements of the unique offering, available from Authentidate may be used independently or in combination with other solutions. Today, many software vendors have already integrated Authentidate’s signature products into their standard offerings. Therefore any organization now may easily benefit from automatic digital signatures processing.
In addition, Authentidate offers governmentally certified trust center services in accordance with the German Signature Act and the EU Signature Directive. Authentidate International AG was accredited by the German Federal Network Agency in November of 2001 and operates a trust center especially for time stamp services.
About Authentidate Holding Corp.
Authentidate Holding Corp. is a worldwide provider of secure enterprise workflow management applications that incorporate its proprietary and patent pending content authentication technology in the form of the United States Postal Service® Electronic Postmark® and electronic signing solutions.
The company operates its business in the United States and Germany, which includes Authentidate, Inc., Trac Medical Solutions, Inc. and Authentidate International AG. For more information, visit the company's website at http://www.authentidate.com.
Authentidate Holding Corp.
Investor Contacts:
Todd Fromer / Garth Russell
KCSA Worldwide
212-896-1215 / 212-896-1250
tfromer(at)kcsa.com / grussell(at)kcsa.com
Media Contact:
Shelley Pfaendler
KCSA Worldwide KCSA Worldwide
212-896-1248
spfaendler(at)kcsa.com
