Intellyse

Ocean Freight Audit Uncovers EUR 413K+ in Year-One Savings

How a leading German manufacturer gained full freight visibility and identified recurring savings through AI-powered invoice auditing.

405
Invoices Audited
~EUR 2.2M
Spend Analysed
EUR 413K+
Savings Identified (Y1)
~10.3x
Projected ROI

Company Profile

Industry
Industrial Materials
Headquarters
Germany
Annual Revenue
Approx. EUR 2 Billion / year
Annual Freight Spend
~EUR 50 Million / year
Focus Area
Intercompany & Inbound Logistics
Parent Company
Major German Consumer Goods Group

The Challenge

The company managed ocean freight invoicing locally across regions without a consistent standard. Invoice validation was manual, with no global visibility into spend per lane, weight, or container cost. Duplicate detection was nonexistent, and cost-to-serve analysis was impossible without accurate, granular shipment data. Demurrage and detention charges could not be systematically verified, and there was no mechanism to compare forecasted versus actual shipment billing.

Our Approach

Intellyse conducted a 2-month ocean freight pilot, auditing 405 invoices across 2 carriers covering approximately EUR 2.2 million in freight spend. The pilot focused on intercompany and inbound shipments, analyzing every line item against contracted rates to identify overpayments, uncontracted charges, and optimization opportunities.

2 months
Pilot Duration
405
Invoices Audited
1,449
Line Items Checked
2
Carriers Audited
~EUR 2.2 Million
Spend Analysed
Ocean Freight (FCL)
Transport Mode
1
Month 1
Pilot Start
Carrier onboarding & data ingestion
2
Month 2
Data Analysed
405 invoices processed
3
Month 3
Results Delivered
Findings presented

Key Results

Savings identified across 2 carriers in a 2 months pilot

EUR 53,573
Overpayments Identified
6
Saving Opportunities
~EUR 138,690/yr
Recurring Annual Savings
EUR 343,878
Credit Note Recovery (Y1)
~EUR 413,199+
Total Quantified (Y1)
~EUR 2.27M
3-Year Projected Value

Savings realization update pending — actions are being implemented. Results will be published as they materialize.

What We Found

Deep-dive into the key saving opportunities uncovered during the audit

1

Uncontracted Terminal Storage

Terminal storage charges were 100% uncontrolled — not included in any rate card. Daily rates varied inconsistently between EUR 56 and EUR 58 with no fixed tariff, and handling fees were not contracted. A systemic dwell time problem was uncovered: 22 containers stood 12+ days at a terminal only 30 km from the final destination — a pattern, not isolated incidents.

78
Cases in 2 months
EUR 53K
Cost in 2 months
~EUR 321K/yr
Projected annual cost
22
Containers with 12+ day dwell
Recommended Actions
  • →Negotiate fixed daily rate and extend free days from 2 to 5
  • →Investigate root cause of 12+ day dwell times — est. EUR 100K+/year savings potential
2

Uncontracted Freight Lanes

Key shipping lanes were operating on spot rates without contracted pricing. By adding these lanes to the carrier agreement, the company could lock in lower rates and reduce exposure to market volatility.

~EUR 4,745/yr
Recurring saving potential
Recommended Actions
  • →Add key spot lanes to carrier framework agreement
3

Credit Note Recovery

Direct overpayments across both carriers totaling EUR 57,313 in just 2 months. When annualized and projected across the full carrier portfolio, the first-year recovery potential reaches EUR 343,878 — transitioning from recovery to cost avoidance from Year 2 onward.

EUR 57,313
Overpayments in 2 months
EUR 343,878
Annualized Y1 value
Recommended Actions
  • →Verify and send credit note claims to both carriers

Before & After

6 gaps identified. Intellyse closes every one.

Before
With Intellyse
Before
✕No global way to control invoices across all regions
With Intellyse
✓Global invoice controlling — one platform, all carriers, all regions, all modes
Before
✕No spend per lane & weight on line item level
With Intellyse
✓Lane-level spend & weight data — enables CO₂ calculation and carrier benchmarking
Before
✕No duplicate detection
With Intellyse
✓Automatic duplicate & merge detection — AI flags duplicates and split invoice pairs
Before
✕Cannot merge invoices — no total container cost
With Intellyse
✓Total container cost — automatically merge split invoices per container, lane & carrier
Before
✕No real cost per shipment — no accurate cost-to-serve analysis
With Intellyse
✓Real cost per shipment — accurate, granular data for cost-to-serve and procurement
Before
✕Demurrage & detention charges cannot be verified
With Intellyse
✓Automated verification of D&D charges against contracted terms

What the Team Says

“

Check invoices quicker and faster, in a simple way, to claim more. This gets more money back, resulting in paying less to forwarders.

Global Logistics Efficiency Manager
“

Visibility and transparency — now we have real and accurate freight cost reporting.

Global Logistics Manager
“

Very handy tool to generate reporting — this will work a lot better. I like the platform, easy to navigate and create reports.

Logistics Specialist, North America

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