Compliance Without a Fundamental System Overhaul: TEXA Relies on Centralized E-Invoicing

TEXA S.p.A., based in northern Italy, is a manufacturer and supplier of technical capital goods and services for various sectors of the automotive industry. Its German subsidiary, TEXA Deutschland GmbH, serves the markets in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and issues approximately 17,000 invoices annually in the B2B and B2G sectors.

To meet regulatory requirements for electronic invoice exchange, TEXA needed a solution that would convert existing invoice data into the required structured formats. At the same time, the group’s central system architecture and established processes were to remain as unchanged as possible. That is why TEXA relies on Retarus Global E-Invoicing as a central conversion and compliance layer between the existing source system and the required e-invoice formats.

Before the solution was implemented, invoices at TEXA Germany were sent manually. Depending on the recipient, they were either emailed to central invoice inboxes or manually uploaded to customer portals. Even invoices that had already been converted from the central system into the required EDIFACT format still had to be sent manually afterward.

As regulatory requirements increased, so did the need to provide invoice data in standardized, structured formats and to fully automate the sending process. However, developing a proprietary solution would have entailed significant development effort and high costs for TEXA.

The challenge, therefore, was to integrate the German requirements for electronic invoicing into the TEXA Group’s central system architecture without having to establish a fundamentally new process or a separate technical solution for the subsidiary.

The goal of the project was to develop a reliable and future-proof solution for the creation and automated transmission of compliant electronic invoices. The initial focus was on implementing XRechnung. At the same time, the chosen architecture was also intended to enable the processing of other formats, such as ZUGFeRD.

Existing data sources and interfaces should continue to be used, regulatory and format-specific checks should be handled centrally, and adjustments to local systems should be kept to a minimum. In addition, the solution should ensure the timely and secure transmission of invoices and provide transparency regarding the transmission process.

As little as possible should change for users as well: Invoices should still be able to be created using the usual processes, while conversion, verification, and dispatch take place automatically in the background.

The invoice data is transferred from the central TEXA system to Retarus in the established EDIFACT format. Retarus, acting as the central conversion and compliance layer, maps the existing data into the required electronic invoice formats.

As part of the processing with Retarus Global E-Invoicing, invoice data is validated against the technical and content specifications of the respective target format, as well as against the requirements of EN 16931. This means that TEXA does not have to implement and maintain the corresponding rules in its local systems. Retarus then handles the automated transmission of the invoices. Using the logging function, TEXA can track and document the transmission. For hybrid ZUGFeRD scenarios, existing invoice PDFs can also be combined with the structured XML invoice data.

The technical coordination and implementation were carried out primarily in collaboration with the central IT department at TEXA headquarters and proceeded without any particular difficulties in cooperation with Retarus. The need for coordination arose primarily within the TEXA Group.

TEXA was able to largely retain its established invoicing process and central system infrastructure. Existing invoice data and interfaces can continue to be used, while Retarus handles the format-specific processing.

Mapping, formatting, and validation rules are implemented centrally. This means that TEXA does not have to implement, maintain, or adapt these requirements to future changes separately in the local systems of the German GmbH.

Invoices processed through Retarus eliminate the need for manual mailing steps. Thanks to automated transmission, invoices are sent promptly and securely. Using the logging function, TEXA can also track and document the transmission.

The users involved can largely continue working according to their usual processes. Since conversion, verification, and dispatch take place in the background, no special training was required.

The centralized architecture makes it possible to use existing mappings for other requirements or to adapt them accordingly. For example, the ZUGFeRD mapping implemented for Germany could potentially serve as the basis for Factur-X in France, since the two formats are technically closely related.

• About 17,000 B2B and B2G invoices per year at TEXA Germany
• Continued Use of the Established EDIFACT Interface
• Centralized Conversion and Validation of Electronic Invoice Formats
• Processes remain largely unchanged; no special training is required
• A scalable foundation for additional formats and national subsidiaries

With Retarus Global E-Invoicing, TEXA has automated the previously manual invoice dispatch process at its German subsidiary and, at the same time, laid the groundwork for compliant electronic invoice exchange. In doing so, the company was able to largely retain its existing system infrastructure and avoid the effort involved in developing its own solution.

The solution has proven to be stable in live operation. Looking ahead, the centralized architecture also provides a suitable foundation for integrating additional invoice formats, country-specific requirements, or subsidiaries.