ReadSoft boosts business efficiency at fast-growing K-rauta

REFERENCE The ReadSoft effect on: K-Rauta PROCESS: INVOICE PROCESSING Segment: Construction Material story Country: Sweden ReadSoft boosts business efficiency at fast-growing K-rauta At the Finnish construction material company K-rauta, an ambitious Swedish IT-project has made its mark on the bottom line. By centralizing and automating the handling of supplier invoices, K-rauta is able to save some €1 400 000 during a period of three years. IT-Manager Otto Beronius proudly explains the process at K-rautas Swedish head office outside Stockholm. “Let’s make one thing absolutely clear” explains Mr Beronius, “IT is only a tool to achieve what you want to accomplish. Implementing electronic invoice handling at K-rauta is one of the most successful projects I’ve ever experienced and it has had substantial effect on “By giving the staff good IT-tools to our bottom line.” Otto Beronius con- work with you are truly maximizing tinues: “This meant your efficiency.” So let’s take a look at what has happened. When K-rauta decided to centralize the handling of supplier that we will not have Otto Beronius to build a whole new invoices, the first step towards today’s successful project was taken. invoices handling department with some 15 staff. The process is How the centralization was to be carried out exactly was still to easily handled by three people.” be solved but the need was acute. Long, complicated and detailed invoices had made the manual handling very resource-demanding. K-rauta is now able to spot overcharging in a split second. By match- Thus, a decision was taken to centralize the handling and to make ing the agreed price of the order with the actual price on the invoice, reading, interpretation, and matching an automated, digital process. the company is able to save some € 3,5 per invoice, just through the fact that the system finds the error. Manual matching of hundreds of A wise decision line items is nowhere near as efficient as using computers. “When we started shopping around for this type of technology, we quickly found ReadSoft. Their experience of electronic invoice Providing good tools for staff handling and document flows made it an easy choice. As it turned ”Computers are tireless and do not take shortcuts as humans tend out, it was a very good choice as well.” to do” Otto Beronius says with a smile. “By using our new system, we can work professionally towards our suppliers and build a brand Integrating and customizing ReadSoft’s invoice processing software as a company having total control over what we do.” with K-Rauta’s business system was a real challenge. Not only was the software to scan, interpret and verify information on invoices. In the midst of our technical conversation, Otto points out that it is The system also had to deal with jam-packed invoices with as much important never to put too much faith in technical solutions. “The as 200 line items. But the challenge did not stop at that. staff is always the most important resource. By giving the staff good IT-tools to work with you are truly maximizing your efficiency. We “My vision was that the software should be able to match every have not encountered any problems when it comes to accepting piece of information on the invoice with the order data we have in the new ways of working. On the contrary, staff has been very our order system. That would get rid of an enormously resource- quick to accept the new technology – they are enchanted by how demanding manual process and overcharging would be easily easy it is to work with.” discovered”, says Otto Beronius. A profitable project Quick return on investment Regarding the cooperation with ReadSoft, the IT manager is crystal Faster than anyone had dared to expect, this vision became a clear: “This project is without a doubt one of the best-run and most reality. Exactly on time, the small invoices-processing department profitable I have ever experienced. ReadSoft has delivered top qual- started scanning invoices from more and more suppliers. Today, ity products and services and I can highly recommend others to ben- K-rauta has some 200 major suppliers whose invoices are read and efit from ReadSoft’s very smart solutions,” finishes Otto Beronius. matched automatically.