Prepress

ALLWEILER automates its procurement process with ReadSoft solution

Tuesday 27. October 2009 - ReadSoft is to deliver its SAP-certified Purchase to Pay solution to ALLWEILER AG, Germany's oldest manufacturer of pumps and complete pump systems, to optimize and automate its procurement process. The solution will initially cover the processing of 1,000 purchase requisitions monthly, and will be integrated into its existing SAP system.

The new ReadSoft web-based solution, PROCESS DIRECTOR, accelerates the procurement processes by enabling any authorized employees to create, circulate, and approve purchase requests via a secured web connection. The requisitions are then automatically registered as orders into the company’s existing SAP system. As the company is already using ReadSoft for the automation of its invoice processing, requisition handling and invoice approval are now integrated in the same interface.

“With ReadSoft, we have more time to complete other valuable tasks,” says Boris Mueller, Chief Procurement Officer of the purchasing department at ALLWEILER. “Most importantly, we have gained significant control and visibility into our procurement process. This both strengthens supplier relationships and creates a better basis for negotiations over prices and conditions.”

When a buyer enters its requisition into PROCESS DIRECTOR, the data is automatically routed to the relevant approver in the organization via an electronic workflow. If the purchase amount exceeds the set limit, a controller will decide whether to approve or reject the request. On approval, a purchase order is automatically created in the SAP system and sent to the supplier. During this process, multiple orders sent to a certain supplier are merged, reducing transaction costs such as freight charges.

“Since requisitions are registered electronically, we are able to keep track of all purchases in the organization,” says Mueller. “One of the biggest advantages of using PROCESS DIRECTOR is the improved optimization of our invoice processing, as the number of invoices with purchase orders increases. Even trivial purchases like taxi trips are entered into the SAP system. In the future, we plan to extend the implementation to cover project requisitions, which requires a far more extensive approval workflow.”