Arcelor Mittal and Certipost start e-invoicing in Europe
Aalst, 12 March 2007
Arcelor Mittal, the world’s largest steel company, has started electronic invoicing in various countries in Europe. Luxemburg-based entity Arcelor Commercial FCSE (Flat Carbon Steel Europe) that sells flat steel products and acts as the central sales organisation of the Flat Sector within the Arcelor Mittal group in Europe, has been receiving its invoices electronically since the start of this month. Later this year, Arcelor Commercial FCSE will also issue electronic invoices.
For both sections the company is turning to Certipost, the joint venture of Belgacom and De Post that is specialised in the secured exchange of electronic documents. According to Certipost, it is the most consequential electronic invoicing project that was started until now.
Fiscal legislation that differs per country is an inevitable obstacle in an international electronic invoicing project. Arcelor Mittal chose Certipost because the company is internationally-oriented and can present a conformity certificate for the countries in which Arcelor Mittal is active.
CertiONE, Certipost’s platform for the electronic exchange of invoices, meets all regulations of European guidelines of Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006. The platform is in accordance with national legislation in the various European countries.
2.6 million invoices
Arcelor Commercial FCSE receives 1.4 million invoices annually from twenty-three Arcelor Mittal factories in eight European countries. The company issues 1.2 million invoices to its customers, which comes down to 18 billion euros annually.
The worldwide market leader in flat steel wants to structure and unify a large part of its incoming invoices via Certipost.
Since 1 March, Arcelor Mittal factories that are part of the Flat Sector and are situated in eight countries, send their sales invoices to Arcelor Commercial FCSE via CertiONE. This invoicing is done with various VAT numbers, spread across sixteen countries.
In a second phase, Arcelor Commercial FCSE wants to issue electronic invoices to its customers via CertiONE from the end of this year. This way, the company meets the growing demand of its customers.
Saving money and time
"Electronic invoicing offers major advantages to sender and receiver ", says Daniel Lamoureux, Vice-President of accounting and invoicing at Arcelor Commercial FCSE. "We save money and time because we no longer have to deal with and file paper invoices. Invoices will still be sent and paid on time. Arcelor Commercial FCSE counts on CertiONE to prove its reliability for large amounts of invoices. It is essential for us that the conformity of our incoming and outgoing invoices is guarded with regard to complex and continually changing fiscal legislation in the countries where we are active."
According to Certipost, electronic invoicing can result in saving six euros per invoice. Various studies indicate that a paper invoice costs a company on average ten euros. The company also emphasises that electronic invoicing is also good for the environment and decreases the amount of CO2 emission. A study carried out for Certipost indicates that replacement by electronic versions of the nine-hundred million paper invoices that are sent in Belgium annually, would lead to a contribution of 0.7% to the Kyoto norm our country has to achieve.
"What makes the project with Arcelor Commercial FCSE so special is the international aspect", says Stijn Vander Plaetse, CEO of Certipost. "All legal requirements that apply in a certain country for paper invoices must also be respected for electronic invoices. Senders as well as receivers of electronic invoices must be able to indicate that the authenticity and the integrity of their invoices can be guaranteed at all times. With the solution we offer via our CertiONE platform, they can rest assured."
About Certipost - "We facilitate and certify e-communications"
Certipost enables, automates and secures electronic billing and electronic document exchange via the Internet.
Certipost provides solutions for the delivery of invoices and electronic documents to the right person, company or organisation. These solutions allow companies to limit their costs, improve their customer service, as well as the environment and increase their efficiency. Certipost’s CertiONE platform is an open platform that allows large numbers of users and companies to be connected very quickly and electronically exchange business documents. It can be integrated in any accounting software package or ERP system.
Certipost also provides electronic identification services for a secure usage of online applications. In Belgium, Certipost issues the electronic identity card (eID), comprising two certificates, to all citizens. This identity card gives access to various secured access management applications such as registered mail.
Certipost was established in 2002 in Belgium as a joint venture between De Post and Belgacom. It hosts more than 23,000 companies and 300,000 private individuals on its platform in Europe. The company is based in Aalst and has offices in the Netherlands and France. Stijn Vander Plaetse is Certipost’s CEO.
For more information go to www.certipost.be.
Also see http://www.quadrantcommunications.be/downloads/certipost
Certipost
Katrien Busschaert, Head of Marketing
Ninovesteenweg 196, B-9320 Erembodegem (Aalst)
Tel.: +32 (0)53 601 134
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