In this customer testimonial video, Edwin Tolsma, Trade Compliance, Global Domains and IT Lead at Signify explains how growing regulatory complexity and fragmented processes were impacting daily operations. By enabling global trade compliance with e2open, Signify moved from a scattered, less digital setup to a centralized system with greater visibility, control, and standardization. The result is a more aligned organization, clearer decision‑making, and measurable financial benefits driven by improved compliance and duty optimization. This story shows how e2open supports global trade compliance at enterprise scale.
“We now have full visibility and control—from classification and RPS screening to qualifying for free trade agreements. We can even see in advance where we avoid import duties, giving us a direct financial benefit that we can reinvest in other areas.”Edwin Tolsma
Trade Compliance, Global Domains and IT Lead
Signify
What is Signify?
Signify is the number‑one company in the lighting industry, developing, manufacturing, and marketing lighting products and solutions for customers around the world. Operating in a highly regulated global environment, Signify must navigate constant changes in trade compliance—from tariffs and free trade agreements to partner screening and regulatory program requirements.
The global trade compliance challenge: navigating constant regulatory change
Trade compliance is not static. For Signify, ongoing changes related to tariffs, free trade agreements, restricted party screening (RPS), and partner screening directly affect where and how the company can do business.
Before working with e2open, Signify managed global trade operations through a mix of Excel spreadsheets and disconnected tools. There was no single system providing end‑to‑end visibility or control across the full compliance process. As a result, processes were scattered across the organization and executed by different functions, making collaboration difficult and limiting transparency.
This fragmented approach made it harder to respond quickly to regulatory changes, align teams, and ensure consistent execution across regions—creating both operational and financial challenges.
How Signify enabled global trade compliance with standardized workflows using e2open
Signify partnered with e2open to enable global trade compliance in a more structured, collaborative way. Moving to a centralized platform allowed the organization to reshape both its process setup and how its teams work together.
By standardizing workflows, Signify organized global trade processes into a consistent framework that teams could follow across the business. This enabled employees not only to work in the same way, but also to speak the same language when it comes to compliance, classification, and trade decisions.
With e2open, Signify now has full visibility into product classification, full control over restricted party screening, and clear insight into qualification for free trade agreements based on accurate content. This centralized visibility supports better collaboration and more confident decision‑making across functions.
Business results: improved visibility, duty savings, and stronger control
Centralizing global trade compliance with e2open has delivered meaningful operational and financial benefits for Signify:
Full visibility into product classification status
Greater control over restricted party screening (RPS)
Clear insight into free trade agreement qualification
Advance visibility into where import duties can be avoided
Financial savings from reduced duty payments that can be reinvested elsewhere
By identifying duty savings before import entry, Signify avoids unnecessary costs rather than reclaiming them later. This proactive approach turns compliance into a value‑generating function, not just a regulatory requirement.
How Signify is preparing for the future of global trade compliance
Looking ahead, Signify sees ongoing uncertainty around global trade and trade wars, alongside emerging opportunities tied to artificial intelligence. The organization is particularly focused on the classification process, where AI may help increase efficiency over time.
As Tolsma notes, the key question is how these technologies will perform in real‑world practice and what they can truly enable. With e2open providing a strong digital foundation today, Signify is well positioned to evaluate and adopt new capabilities as global trade compliance continues to evolve.
E2open subscription center
Subscribe to receive e2open updates
Interested in Learning More? Stay current with the latest e2open news – from company updates to thought-leadership pieces, and so much more!