Allinox significantly reduces manual effort with automated AI-driven Supplier Invoice Management

Highlights

• Allinox implements Supplier Invoice Management software solution to provide enhanced accuracy and end-to-end visibility of all supplier invoices.
• The business achieves 25% FTE savings by freeing up staff from manual data entry to focus on higher value activities like supplier relationship management, data analysis and strategic financial planning.
• TheValueChain’s SIM solution, built on SAP Business Technology Platform, integrates with Allinox’s SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud and includes AI-powered IDP (Intelligent Document Processing)

About Allinox

Allinox is a global Belgian cookware specialist founded in 1949 with a selection of brands and partner brands including Beka and Brabantia, available in-store and online through retailers such as Amazon. It also helps retailers build a full category management and provides own-label brands for large retailers.

The Challenge

As a global company with locations across the world including Hong Kong and USA, kitchen supplier Allinox needed better control over its supplier invoice management. Although its existing invoice approvals process was run in SAP, Allinox did not have the end-to-end visibility and automation it required to ensure financial accuracy and compliance.

Allinox works closely with its suppliers and places great importance on maintaining good relationships. However, despite the business not processing huge quantities of invoices, the invoice burden was impacting the accounts department, requiring a significant manual-based workload. Without automation, all incoming emails and invoices needed checking and re-checking, with the whole process prone to error.

The existing approvals system was limited, contributing to inconsistencies and delays. With approvals running less efficiently than required, invoice-related issues such as bottlenecks often led to misunderstandings that impacted supplier communications and timings.

Unable to achieve what it desired from its existing system, Allinox searched for a solution that would meet its growing needs. Having already worked with TheValueChain during the setup of SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud, Allinox reached out to its SAP integration partner for advice.

Marlies Vervisch, Principal Accountant, Allinox, says, “We knew TheValueChain from our SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud implementation and were aware they were developing a dedicated supplier invoice management solution. Early on, we became part of the iteration and testing process of a smart tool that would simplify the way we managed our invoices.”

The Solution

Allinox implemented TheValueChain’s simplified SIM extension to streamline and enhance its supplier invoice management. The solution provides the accounts department with end-to-end visibility of all supplier invoices, whether they come in via email, as e-invoices or manual invoices, into an interactive, centralised list.

Pre-defined templates enable automatic posting of invoices directly into Allinox’s SAP S/4HANA system, which includes a digital archive for historic information, ensuring nothing is lost. Leveraging AI-powered Intelligent Document Processing (IDP), the SIM auto-fills invoice data, reducing manual entry by posting details according to Allinox’s criteria such as name, tax codes, VAT number or PO number. Using OCR, any email attachments are also linked to invoices and kept in the records.

Marlies highlights, “The SIM creates a uniformity around our supplier invoices, so everything is standardised. It minimises the amount of manual input across the end-to-end invoicing process.”

Benefits

• End-to-end visibility
  The entire invoice processing and approvals workflow is in one place creating full visibility and transparency from a financial management perspective.
• Time saving
  As invoices and approvals are processed automatically in Allinox’s SAP system, the accounts department are free to spend time on more strategic activities and less time manually processing invoices.
• Invoice accuracy
  Allinox has much more accuracy in how its supplier invoices are recorded and processed through to approvals and payment. There is reduced workload for duplicates or lost invoices, as well as for regular or repeat invoices.
• Confidence in the data
  Allinox has more confidence in the consistency and accuracy of its invoicing data. Using the SIM tool, supplier invoices are instantly captured, validated and processed using pre-defined templates and AI-powered tools, significantly reducing the risk of human error or missing information.