The food company Zertus relies on the software solution IDL.Konsis from Corporate ­Performance Management (CPM) specialist IDL. It enables standardized processes for legal consolidation as well as consolidated financial statement activities within national and ­international legal requirements.

The Hamburg-based Zertus Group, which employs over 2,000 people, has modernized its reporting with the IDL.Konsis software solution from Corporate Performance Management (CPM) expert IDL. With the support of IDL, the food company, whose portfolio includes brands such as Dextro Energy, Pulmoll, Kalfany Süße Werbung, Kinnerton Confectionery, and Lir Chocolates, introduced the consolidation solution within six months and adapted it to its individual reporting structures.

The project also included a realignment and extensive automation of data management. The 2017 annual financial statements were the first consolidated financial statements to be prepared with the system and certified by the auditor.

Founded in 1826, Zertus is one of the oldest family businesses in Germany. Today, the holding company Zertus GmbH operates internationally with eight shareholdings that produce and market high-quality food and beverages with a focus on confectionery and market niches. With its indepen-dent food companies and more than ten production sites, the medium-sized group is successfully positioned in the international market as a “company of entrepreneurs.”

However, this results in complex framework conditions for group consolidation. For example, it is necessary to take into account various accounting standards (HGB, IFRS, French GAAP, FRS 101, AUS GAAP, HK GAAP) and exchange rates as well as various upstream systems (SAP, QAD, Datev) and the accounting systems of the subsidiaries. A total of three consolidated financial statements with 24 companies to be consolidated and three investments ac-counted for using the equity method must be prepared, taking into account various intercompany topics.

The previous consolidation based on Microsoft Excel was no longer up to date for the dynamic group. After extensive market research, IDL.Konsis emerged as the solution of choice. From the point of view of the specialist department, the software as an innovative, user-friendly standard application offered the best overall package for legal consolidation and consolidated financial statement activities.

In the evaluation, the consolidators also placed importance on a good price/performance ratio, on standard software with short project duration and simple customizing, as well as on a professional consulting and training offer from the manufacturer. Another decisive factor was that Zertus was able to efficiently implement its individual data management scenario with IDL.

Today, the SAP companies are directly connected to IDL.Konsis via an interface, and the relevant data from QAD and Datev are delivered via IDL.XLSLink. “The SAP interface is working smoothly, the currency conversion is outstanding, and our IDL consultant is very competent and has pointed us in the right direction,” confirms Alexander Sudkamp, Head of Group Accounting at Zertus.

Another important aspect for Zertus are the expansion prospects in the direction of integrated, digitized financial and reporting processes that result with IDL.Konsis as part of the integrated IDL CPM Suite. The next step with the IDL.Publisher module is to simplify the preparation of annual reports.