Case Study: ZF Friedrichshafen AG achieves a 6.5M‑document SAP‑integrated archive and faster invoice processing with DocuWare

Million-Document Archive with SAP Connection

ZF Friedrichshafen AG’s Electronic Systems business unit (formerly Cherry Corporation) needed a scalable, low-cost way to consolidate and modernize its document management on top of an SAP backbone. Faced with a legacy Arcis archive, millions of existing files, scattered paper records, and a requirement for SAP-certified integration plus workflow capabilities, the team sought a solution that would migrate legacy data, digitize incoming documents, and streamline end-to-end business processes.

They implemented DocuWare with the CONNECT to SAP module and outsourced bulk migration and scanning, using barcodes and document parking to link files into SAP. Automated workflows (for example, accounts payable) cut processing times from three–five days to often one day, improved inquiry response and early-payment handling, and eliminated most paper. Today about 6.5 million documents are stored audit-compliantly, roughly 250 DocuWare users benefit from faster, transparent processes, and the platform continues to be extended to additional workflows like contract and investment approvals.

ZF Friedrichshafen AG

Dieter Gebhardt

Head of IT