Working with a client in the vehicle manufacturing industry, we used RPA to automate the processing of incoming invoices, thereby reducing the manual workload and the potential for errors.
Sector
Service & Technology
The Challenge
Our client is a Germany-based multinational company that manufactures brake systems and other components for rail and commercial vehicles.
The company receives up to several hundred invoices from its suppliers every day. These invoices typically arrive via email, mostly as PDF attachments. Invoice processing was handled by a single employee, who spent six hours a day filing invoices and uploading them to the ERP system. In addition to this significant time investment, the process also carried the risk of human error (e.g., typos) – which is why the need arose to automate invoice processing,
The Solution
To complete the task, DSS Consulting used Microsoft Power Automate and Automation Anywhere RPA tools. The finished, automated solution performs the following tasks:
- extracts relevant information (e.g., supplier name, address, other identifiers, invoice number, date, subject, amount, VAT amount, etc.) from invoices received via email
- uploads this information to the ERP system in a structured format
- sends an automatic notification to the operator after every 50 invoices processed
- in addition, its automatic error-correction feature allows for the correction of minor errors (e.g., typos in the company name, address, or ID)
Technology
Microsoft Power Automate, Automation Anywhere
The Result
Thanks to the automated process, processing incoming invoices now takes just 30 minutes instead of 6 hours a day (representing a time saving of more than 90%), and the possibility of human error has been virtually eliminated.
The client subsequently entrusted us with additional business automation tasks:
- automation of IT systems supporting manufacturing
- technological renewal of already automated processes (migration to UIPath, further development)
