The manual verification of freight invoices ties up valuable resources and is error-prone – a challenge that the sporting goods manufacturer Puma wanted to address specifically at its headquarters in Herzogenaurach. Its global logistics network reportedly extends over 120 countries. The goods distribution requires a correspondingly complex system with high demands on efficiency and transparency. In order to automate, in particular, the verification of freight invoices, Puma Central Europe and Puma Retail chose the Transport Management System (TMS) WinSped from LIS Logistische Informationssysteme GmbH. The IT provider announced this recently in a press release.
In operation since February 2025, the system-assisted verification of invoices enables the automatic recording of freight rates and the quick identification of discrepancies. The result: Already in the first expansion stage, increased transparency and a noticeable saving of time provide relief in day-to-day business, according to LIS.
At the global headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Marco Amling works in wholesale sales for Central Europe:
“Through our trading partners we service the market comprehensively — with correspondingly high volumes and a high cadence.”
A smooth, transparent
and scalable logistics operation is crucial to reliably supply major customers as well as numerous sports clubs with the full product portfolio.
The aim of switching to WinSped was to be able to check incoming invoices for freight flows of this scale faster, more accurately and in a scalable manner.
“We are not only relying on transparency and automated processes in the physical flow of goods through our distribution centers, but also in the commercial handling,” explains Amling.
Puma Central Europe and Puma Retail receive at the beginning of the year the freight rates of the forwarders, broken down by destination countries and postal codes. That amounts to about eight to ten incoming invoices per week, in which transport costs for around 600 shipments are billed in a consolidated manner. In doing so it must be checked, for example, whether the charged costs for a certain number of pallets to a particular region were correct. With the introduction of WinSped, this process runs largely automatically, according to the provider.
Automatic reconciliation with stored data
The freight rates
provided, as well as various additional costs – for example for notification, storage or a second delivery – are stored in the system by default. Upon receipt of a forwarding invoice, an automatic reconciliation with the previously stored conditions takes place. The software checks whether the invoice is correct and shows any deviations. In case of discrepancies, clarification is sought with the responsible forwarder.
For the decision in favor of the LIS solution, besides functionality, the flexible adaptability to Puma’s requirements was decisive. "WinSped works very reliably in practice, therefore we would like to integrate the system even more broadly into our processes in the future," says Amling, who as project manager on behalf of Puma Central Europe is responsible for the implementation of the TMS.
Anwendung im Wholesale-Bereich
So far, the system is primarily used to verify the freight invoices of a central forwarder in the wholesale sector, i.e., where the largest shipment volume occurs. But another forwarder in the Retail segment, which is responsible for supplying Puma stores across Europe, is already connected to the
system.
“In the medium term, we plan to integrate additional forwarders into the automated invoice verification and to use many more modules, for example shipment tracking,” says Amling.
The goal is to use WinSped progressively as a comprehensive platform for transport processing and control, deployed cross-departmentally. As LIS reports, a lot has changed in freight invoice verification at Puma Central Europe and Puma Retail since the introduction of the solution: verifications are increasingly automated, processes are standardized, and error sources minimized. The automated reconciliation with the stored freight rates provides more transparency, faster throughput times and better traceability today. Inquiries to forwarders can be clarified more targeted and efficiently on the basis of clearly structured data.
“With WinSped, we have found a powerful solution that reliably meets our requirements and at the same time offers room for future extensions,” summarizes Amling. “The operational coordination with LIS has been, from day one, collaborative, solution-oriented and characterized by a high level of professionalism. We see great potential in the system to further optimize our transport processes beyond freight invoice
