Intellyse

Ocean Freight Audit Uncovers EUR 722K+ in Year-One Savings

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

709
Invoices Audited
EUR 3.85M
Spend Analysed
EUR 722K+
Savings Identified (Y1)
10.3x
Projected ROI

Company Profile

Industry
Industrial Materials
Headquarters
Germany
Annual Revenue
Approx. EUR 3.5 Billion / year
Annual Freight Spend
EUR 87.5 Million / year
Focus Area
Intercompany & Inbound Logistics
Parent Company
Major German Consumer Goods Group

What challenges existed before the audit?

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.

How did Intellyse audit 709 invoices across 4 carriers?

Intellyse conducted a 2-month ocean freight pilot, auditing 709 invoices across 4 carriers covering approximately EUR 3.85 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
709
Invoices Audited
2,536
Line Items Checked
4
Carriers Audited
EUR 3.85 Million
Spend Analysed
Ocean Freight (FCL)
Transport Mode
1
Month 1
Pilot Start
Carrier onboarding & data ingestion
2
Month 2
Data Analysed
709 invoices processed
3
Month 3
Results Delivered
Findings presented

How much did the ocean freight audit save?

Savings identified across 4 carriers in a 2 months analysis

EUR 93,753
Overpayments Identified
6
Saving Opportunities
EUR 242,708/yr
Recurring Annual Savings
EUR 601,787
Credit Note Recovery (Y1)
EUR 722,598+
Total Quantified (Y1)
EUR 3.97M
3-Year Projected Value

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

What billing errors did the audit uncover?

Deep-dive into the 3 key saving opportunities uncovered across 4 carriers

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: 39 containers stood 12+ days at a terminal only 30 km from the final destination — a pattern, not isolated incidents.

137
Cases in 2 months
EUR 93K
Cost in 2 months
EUR 562K/yr
Projected annual cost
39
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 175K+/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 8,304/yr
Recurring saving potential
Recommended Actions
  • →Add key spot lanes to carrier framework agreement
3

Credit Note Recovery

Direct overpayments across all carriers totaling EUR 100,298 in just 2 months. When annualized and projected across the full carrier portfolio, the first-year recovery potential reaches EUR 601,787 — transitioning from recovery to cost avoidance from Year 2 onward.

EUR 100,298
Overpayments in 2 months
EUR 601,787
Annualized Y1 value
Recommended Actions
  • →Verify and send credit note claims to all carriers

How did freight invoice control change?

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 does the logistics team say?

“

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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