Rewe Digital has expanded the use of Camunda’s software platform to include business-critical processes in the retail group’s merchandise management and logistics operations in Germany. This solution enables the Rewe Group to coordinate orders, invoices and logistics processes with suppliers and partners across various IT systems. In future, Rewe Group’s IT subsidiary also intends to use the platform to integrate artificial intelligence applications into these processes.
The technology subsidiary of Rewe Group chose Camunda because of its open, modular architecture, which can be adapted flexibly while the system is running and integrated into existing microservices. The technology connects various systems and applications, coordinates their processes and also documents them.
First experiences with Camunda as early as April 2024. At that time, this was part of a project to develop a system for evaluating warehouse locations.
Camunda creates a common language
A key factor in choosing Camunda for supplier-related processes, from ordering to invoicing, was the solution’s uniform, compliance-enabled and auditable orchestration layer, which enables Rewe Group to meet its strict legal obligations. The standardised Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) framework implemented by the solution offers the advantage of transparency: a business department can read the same process that IT is running in production.
“Camunda gives us the ability to model complex, dynamic processes so that they are understandable and traceable for everyone involved, from IT to the business side,” said Frank Rothmann, Senior Product Owner Workload Automation at Rewe Digital.
AI to become part of the processes
Rewe Digital plans to extend the orchestration to other areas of the business. In future, the platform will also enable the use of AI in business processes in a way that complies with regulatory requirements. With regard to the planned use of AI at Rewe Digital, Camunda highlights support for various language models, as well as audit trail and governance functions.
Camunda’s software coordinates traditional IT systems, automates process steps, people and AI agents within an overarching business process. For companies, it is important that AI agents do not control the entire process independently, but rather that their actions remain part of a defined and traceable workflow.
Camunda is also used by Zalando
Zalando is one of the Berlin-based technology provider’s clients. The online fashion retailer has been working with Camunda on order processing since 2014. The solution coordinates various processes, including voucher verification, communication with payment service providers, goods reservation in logistics centres and data exchange with the merchandise management system.
