Who's bought what - December 09

MWBrands keeps innovation while minimising costs with its spend management solution

Cost cutting without sacrificing innovation or hindering business growth is a key priority for most businesses in the aftermath of the current economic slowdown. Recognising this, MWBrands, one of the leading ambient seafood businesses in Europe, is leveraging services from Ariba, the leading spend management solutions provider, to fuel an aggressive cost reduction initiative designed to improve its cost structure and competitive advantage.

"Companies that are satisfied with traditional ways of working will struggle during the current recessionary period, whilst those who are able to anticipate evolving trends, be flexible, opportunistic, and more mobile will flourish," said M. Philippe de Saint Pern, Chief Procurement Officer, MWBrands. "In leveraging Ariba's Spend Management Services, we have access to innovative technology, expertise and best practice processes that enable us to enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of our operations while focusing on what we do best -- delivering the best range of innovative seafood products to our clients, while always insisting on the highest quality."

Ariba Spend Management Services help organisations of all sizes accelerate the ROI from their spend management initiatives by combining technology, expertise and market intelligence to deliver improved adoption, risk management, knowledge transfer, and savings. "The key to success in the post-recession world will be agility," said Charles Royon, Vice President, Continental Europe, Ariba. "By tapping Ariba's expertise, MWBrands can quickly enable this agility, advance its cost reduction efforts and accelerate the results that they deliver."

To speak with companies, such as AXA Insurance and AstraZeneca, which have derived success from Ariba’s solutions, register today for the ‘Attaining F&A Shared Services Process Excellence’ conference, taking place next March in London. Ariba are also running an in-depth Learning Lab at the event. Download the full brochure here.

Tesco switches to paperless invoicing with OB10

Tesco, the UK’s largest retailer, has announced its decision to implement electronic invoicing with OB10, the world's leading e-Invoicing network. Tesco selected OB10 following a review of various platforms and technologies as part of an ongoing process to improve end-to-end processes for its goods and services not for resale. OB10 was chosen as it offered a flexible solution that can be implemented quickly. Additionally it has the potential to accommodate all Tesco suppliers and all their countries of operation. The fact that OB10 manages supplier enrolment and its solution enables organisations of all sizes to send invoices electronically proved decisive in the selection process.

Ryan Harvey, Finance Manager at Tesco’s service centre in Bangalore said “We have come a long way in the past two years in our procurement processes and to complement this we were looking to make our invoice payment process more efficient and accurate. Our current process has too many points of failure, as all invoices are currently scanned from the UK and keyed in Bangalore and so the data integrity and control aspects that OB10 brings is crucial”. He added “A key factor for me was OB10’s supplier enrolment process and I felt we could deliver significant benefits in a short period of time. We are also a growing international business and a key requirement was for a solution that we could scale across our Group in the future without significant growth to the Accounts Payable team; OB10 meets this requirement.”

Tesco also sees benefits for its suppliers however, and Stuart Blackery, Commercial Manager added that, “This is another step in enhancing our procure to pay process for goods and services not for resale. Giving suppliers the ability to send invoices electronically to Tesco will improve our ability to ensure payment is accurate and on time.”

Jamie Gunn, CEO of OB10, said “We are very excited to add a global brand such as Tesco to our blue chip customer base. Of course, Tesco receive thousands of invoices per day, so we are looking forward to working together to streamline this process for them. We believe that the level of support we offer and our supplier enrolment capabilities are unrivalled in this industry, making us an ideal partner for an organisation such as Tesco”.

To find out how ready you are for e-invoicing and how to prepare you organisation for e-invoicing success, register for OB10’s Learning Lab “The 5 Ps to understanding your readiness for e-invoicing – How to accurately forecast your e-invoicing success”. This is part of the ‘Attaining F&A Shared Services Process Excellence’ conference, taking place 9th-12th March 2010 in London.

Electronic invoices are saving major US healthcare provider millions of dollars

While many US hospitals are working to digitise patient's paper medical records, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, which operates 14 facilities in Texas including a Level One trauma center in Houston, is saving millions of dollars annually by trading paper invoices for electronic ones. The healthcare provider, which has revenue of about $7 billion, deals with about 700 suppliers who provide everything from medical gear to utility services.

Before moving on the e-invoice platform nearly two years ago, Memorial Hermann evaluated its manual processes to remove or reconcile pitfalls in the paper-based procedures. "This forced us to standardise [processes] across departments," said Sands. In the past, those suppliers generated about 500,000 paper invoices annually, many which changed hands in multiple Memorial Hermann departments several times. Before, it could take 60 days to process an invoice, and if there was a problem with the bill -- such as incorrect pricing -- "it could take another 50 to 60 days" to address it, said Daron Whisman, Memorial Hermann director of supply chain finance services. "You can ignore a problem in a paper invoice, not address it right away" as papers get shuffled among people and departments, said Don Sands, Memorial Hermann director of system accounts payables..

But since moving to an e-invoicing network from OB10 almost 2 years ago, bills are processed much faster -- often within 24 to 48 hours, and errors are addressed right away. "If you recognise a problem, you resolve them right away - and that can prevent a dozen other mistakes from happening" in future invoices from a supplier, says Sands. On the backend of the transaction, Memorial Herman's payment intermediary American Express provides e-payment to those suppliers. Memorial Hermann pays American Express monthly, which lets the healthcare provider benefit from the float between American Express' e-payment to Memorial Hermann suppliers, and the healthcare provider's payment to American Express.

As a result of faster invoice processing, payments to suppliers and a reduction in inefficiencies, Memorial Hermann estimates it saved between $3 million and $4 million since rolling out the e-invoicing. That includes savings through negotiating better terms with suppliers "because now we can pay them quicker," said Sands. The e-invoicing and e-payment also allows Memorial Hermann to better manage and anticipate cash flow. Staff, including those in clinical departments that in the past were involved with shuffling paper invoices, "has more time to focus on healthcare," said Sands. Right now, about 200 of Memorial Hermann's approximately 700 suppliers are using the e-invoicing platform, and the goal of the healthcare provider's incremental approach is to get most of its vendors using the system - which would translate to added savings, said Whisman.

Australian government agency invests US$800,000 in invoice processing

ReadSoft's SAP-certified invoice processing solution has been chosen to automate document handling at an Australian shared services government agency. The agreement is valued at over US$800,000. The contract initially covers the processing of more than 300,000 invoices annually. Due to a non-disclosure agreement with the client, ReadSoft is not at liberty to disclose the name of the Australian government agency who has signed the deal. But ReadSoft can confirm the client is a state government agency, who offers a wide range of corporate services including HR, payroll, procurement and accounts payable, to other government agencies.

According to ReadSoft, the shared services provider was in need of a ‘flexible and technologically advanced solution’, and was looking for ways to improve their invoice processing efficiencies, and ultimately to offer lasting values to their clients. After an evaluation of several vendors, ReadSoft said their solution was selected as it best matched and supported the current and future plans of the organisation to automate their document-driven processes. The agency stated that ReadSoft, ‘with its tight SAP integration, solid reference sites, and well proven solution’, came out on top in terms of meeting their requirements.

The ReadSoft solution will streamline efficiencies by automating the processing of invoices from arrival to payment - including invoice capture, matching and automated workflow routing and approval processes. The new solution also incorporates advanced reporting functions, giving immediate visibility into the accounts payable processes. “Many organisations run 'Shared Services Centres' to optimise their organisational functions such as invoice processing and other document driven processes,” says Jan Andersson, CEO at ReadSoft. “Our solutions are of paramount importance in such an organisation, and we are very pleased that a growing number of public sector organisations are now recognising the values of streamlining their document management through shared services.”

Readsoft recently sponsored the ‘Maximising SAP to Enable Finance Shared Services Process Excellence’ conference. If you missed out on this incredible learning opportunity, you can buy the event’s CD-ROM here. The next learning and networking opportunity for the shared services world is the ‘Attaining F&A Shared Services Process Excellence’ conference, taking place next March in London. To download the brochure, click here.

ReadSoft signs Fortune 500 energy services company as latest SAP vendor invoice automation customer valued over US$600,000

A North American Fortune 500 energy services company has selected ReadSoft's SAP-certified invoice processing solution to automate its procure to pay process. The order includes the processing of more than 175,000 invoices annually and is worth approximately US$600,000. Due to a confidentiality agreement, ReadSoft is not at liberty to disclose the name of this Fortune 500 company. With more than US$10 billion of revenue in 2008, the company develops energy infrastructure and provides related products and services to millions of consumers worldwide.

The company sought a technology solution that would allow it to operate an efficient and cost-effective procure to pay process. After thorough evaluation of several solutions, ReadSoft was announced as the selected vendor based on a number of criteria. ReadSoft's knowledge and experience in the accounts payable automation market and its tight integration into SAP were stated as meeting the company's requirements best. With ReadSoft's SAP-certified solution, the company will leverage its investments already made in the SAP system, while achieving significant cost savings through reduced handling time and enhanced control over the complete procure to pay process. Incoming invoices will be automatically processed in the existing SAP system, eliminating inefficient paper handling and manual processes such as data entry, data verification, and manual distribution of invoices or other related documents.

"Large multinational companies are one of our focus areas, and our solutions are well suited for handling the extensive requirements of such organisations” says Jan Andersson, CEO at ReadSoft. "We are also very pleased that our customers have chosen to give priority to such a major investment in our technology despite the current market conditions."

Leading global logistics provider DHL Global Forwarding joins major e-invoice initiative

INTTRA, the leading e-commerce platform for the ocean freight industry, today announced that DHL Global Forwarding has joined the INTTRA eInvoice initiative. DHL Global Forwarding will work with INTTRA in completing a project analysis for the implementation of INTTRA eInvoice solution with a view to becoming both a pilot and eInvoice customer.

INTTRA eInvoice, is an electronic invoicing, dispute resolution and payment processing solution that will enable freight forwarders with the potential to more efficiently receive, process and pay carrier invoices, as well as cut average transaction processing costs by more than half.

“We welcome this initiative from INTTRA. There is a need for a more streamlined, cost effective and environmentally conscious invoicing process for the ocean shipping industry,” said Andreas Krueger, vice president, head of global ocean freight operations - quality & compliance, DHL Global Forwarding DHL Management (Switzerland) Ltd.

John DeBenedette, INTTRA’s SVP commercial said, “We are delighted DHL Global Forwarding is participating in this program. There are an estimated 50 million invoice transactions processed a year for ocean shipping. Electronic invoicing not only saves time and money but digitisation of invoices within the ocean freight industry could preserve 75,000 trees per year, contributing to climate protection and reducing carbon footprint.”

To hear from and meet with organisations such as Bristol Myers Squibb who have derived success from e-invoicing in both the US and across Europe, and discuss your concerns with various e-invoicing solutions providers, register today for the ‘Attaining F&A Shared Services Process Excellence conference, taking place next March in London. Download the brochure here.

EASY enables Pregis Protective Packaging Europe to consolidate its local finance units into 1 Financial SSC

EASY SOFTWARE UK, Europe’s foremost supplier of integrated document management, workflow and archive solutions, announced that Pregis Protective Packaging Europe (PPE) has rolled out EASY’s document management platform to automate accounts scanning, management and approval across its business. The solution which started with the UK finance function and now deployed across Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, Czech Republic and Poland has enabled Pregis PPE to consolidate its finance units into one Financial Shared Services Centre.

Manufacturers worldwide were one of the first to suffer from the effects of the global recession and Pregis PPE was no exception. Looking closely at costs and efficiency within the business, the Pregis PPE leadership team, supported by IT Director Gary Kempster, embarked on an ambitious project to centralise its financial service processes from its many Finance Units across Europe into one new financial shared service centre in Poland. Not only was this a sensitive project requiring delicate people management skills, it also needed to be done at speed so choice of technology partner was key.

Gary and the Pregis PPE team set to work with EASY to create a seamless accounts scanning, management and approval solution designed initially to handle invoices and travel expenses. At its core is a document repository that ensures tamper-proof controls on all document attachments and this will securely store around 24,000 invoices annually. Whereas previously approving invoices or travel expenses had to wait for managers to be in the office, the new system is Web-based and includes a workflow that automates the routing of invoices enabling them to be authorised by approvers wherever they are. Each entity scans documents locally and then uploads to the shared service centre in Poland where they are then routed by EASY ENTERPRISE™ to the appropriate inbox for approval. Documents are now seamlessly captured electronically, stored and archived, fully searchable and routable via workflow. Furthermore in keeping with EASY’s product philosophy the solution is completely scalable and the architecture deployed will support all future scanning and capture growing to an estimated volume of 250,000 to 500,000 invoices a year.

Gary explains, “We are now around 90% through the project. Having started with the UK and progressed through our entities in Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, Czech Republic and Poland. As we have completed each local entity, we can see that the project objective to take costs out of the business, improve control and deliver more consistent, visible business processes are certainly being met. The next stage is to use reporting metrics to demonstrate to the business precisely how efficient the new service is.” Gary continues, “Finding information is easier and faster, approvals are simpler and traceable. The whole process is so much more visible. It really is second nature to work this way.”

For more information about consolidating your local business units and setting up a shared service centre, or to find out how to move from regional to global shared services, register today for the ‘Attaining F&A Shared Services Process Excellence’ conference, taking place next March in London. You will also be able to better assess the best solution providers in document management, workflow and archive solutions at the event. To download the brochure, click here.

DWP implements Zanzibar integration for enhanced shared services

New functionality in Zanzibar enables it to connect to the Government Secure Internet (GSi), increasing security and allowing faster data flow between Zanzibar's eMarketplace and its users’ back office ERP systems. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), an Oracle E-Business Suite user, is the first organisation in the public sector to use it. It was the first to adopt the ProcServe Zanzibar marketplace and is leading the way in the collaborative buying of goods and services by public sector bodies. David Thorpe, Director of DWP's Shared Services Centre, said this is a significant leap towards the organisation sustaining efficiencies that the Department has been trying to deliver and drive out to other public sector bodies.

Thorpe said: "This makes using collaborative contracts more seamless to our thousands of users. Effectively Zanzibar fully replicates their personal internet shopping experiences but with all of the protections you would expect to find in an organisation spending billions of pounds of public money a year on goods and services. Not only is it easy for our users but it means that we get control on our goods and services spend in our drive to deliver ever greater value for the taxpayer's pound. Collaboration is at the heart of what we do. This development will help DWP and others to meet the Operational Efficiency Review objectives for collaborative procurement."

Zanzibar is a core element of DWP's shared service that is now available to other central government organisations. The Department for Children Schools and Families, the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission and Cabinet Office are its earliest customers. Nick Morris, Head of Procurement, said being able to offer Zanzibar to their shared services customers is key to spreading the benefits to a much wider community. He added: "Zanzibar and its enhanced interaction with our ERP will be vital to the success of shared services. Now it is more straightforward to connect our customers to Zanzibar and the flow of information between Zanzibar at the purchasing front end and our Oracle back office promises a dynamic delivery of transactions and management information."