The sporting goods company Puma SE has digitized the review of its freight invoices. According to company statements, Puma Central Europe together with Puma Retail has been relying on the transport management system WinSped from LIS Logistische Informationssysteme GmbH since February 2025. The aim of the introduction was to automate manual invoice verification, thereby increasing efficiency and transparency in the billing process.
Puma employs around 22,000 people worldwide and achieved a revenue of 8.8 billion euros in 2024. The company's logistics network spans over 120 countries. Given the size and dynamism of these goods flows, the commercial processing should, in particular, be relieved by automated processes.
Automated workflows in the invoicing process
According to Puma, the Central Europe and Retail business units receive the freight rates from their
forwarders at the beginning of the year, broken down by destination regions and postal codes. On average, eight to ten invoices arrive per week, covering the transport costs for around 600 shipments.
The system in use stores the freight rates as well as additional cost types, such as for notifications, storage, or second deliveries, by default in the system. Upon receipt of an invoice, an automatic reconciliation with the stored conditions takes place. Any deviations are displayed and subsequently clarified with the respective forwarders. According to the company, this automated process already in the first expansion phase enables a significant time savings and reduces sources of errors in invoice verification.
Gradual integration of additional freight forwarders
Currently, Puma uses WinSped mainly in the wholesale sector for the invoicing
verification of a central forwarder. In addition, a forwarder from the retail segment that handles the supplying of Puma stores in Europe is connected to the system. According to Puma, it is planned to gradually expand the solution to include more forwarders and to integrate additional modules, such as for shipment tracking. In the long term, WinSped is to serve across departments as a platform for the entire transport processing and control.
Implementation and day-to-day application
According to company statements, the implementation of the system was accompanied by two dedicated points of contact from LIS. Puma highlights the technical support, close coordination, and the rapid response time during the rollout. The application is currently centralized in invoice verification; additional staff are to follow after internal training.
“With WinSped,
we have found a powerful solution that reliably meets our requirements and also offers room for future extensions,” summarizes Amling. “The operational coordination with LIS was cooperative, solution-oriented from day one and characterized by a high level of professionalism. We see great potential in the system to further optimize our transport processes beyond freight invoice verification.”
Results and prospects
According to Puma, the way of working in freight invoice auditing has changed significantly since the system was introduced. Audit processes are increasingly automated, lead times shorten, and the traceability of the invoices has improved. The automated data reconciliation provides greater transparency and facilitates communication with the forwarders. Puma sees in the digital solution a foundation to further standardize the management and control of transport processes in the future.
