1. Celtrino
Eliminate the pain
of accounts payable processing
secure online platform: purchase
orders, invoices, shipping notes,
goods inwards received notes,
Take lean into the back
statements and everything
office with online transaction else. And on a platform—unlike
processing automation, urges mere EDI—where business
Celtrino’s John Behan. rules can be applied, checking
transaction documents for
such things as order quantity
compliance, pricing, volume
AS most manufacturers
recognize all too well,
their accounts payable and
The problem? Traditional
approaches to accounts
automation are expensive, and
discounts and completeness.
What’s more, the savings can
be substantial, adds Behan,
accounts receivable processes require a significant investment pointing to achieved reductions
are significantly labour-intensive, in scanning and optical character in invoice-processing costs of
incurring them significant levels of recognition technology and 50-80%. More importantly, he
cost, delays and errors. associated software. In short, emphasises, by moving online,
The good news? Eliminating unless volumes are high, it’s manufacturers are improving their
those costs, delays and errors difficult to make such investments entire supply chain effectiveness.
has never been easier. And better pay for themselves. “They’re speeding-up the flow
still, it can be done in a way that But there’s a better way, of transaction documentation
many of them will recognize all too points out John Behan, sales and associated physical goods—
well from their lean manufacturing director of Dublin-based Celtrino, while simultaneously reducing
endeavours namely, by tackling which numbers companies such costs, eliminating errors and
them one pain point at a time. as Unilever, Coca-Cola HBC, discrepancies, and making
The proposition isn’t a difficult Imperial Tobacco, Mars and better use of expensive human
one to understand, especially Heineken among its 600 or resources. In short, it’s a win-win-
for manufacturers in the small- so customers. win proposition.”
to medium-sized range. From And key to that better way, he All of which, of course, maps
error-prone and time-consuming says, is understanding that paper- very readily onto the tenets of lean
data entry to invoice matching, handling must be eliminated, not manufacturing. And, what’s more,
and from responding to supplier just automated or digitised. takes lean from the factory floor
queries to chasing outstanding “E-mailing an invoice for into the office environment.
payments, the inescapable fact is someone to then type into an But the link to lean is even
that expensive human involvement accounts screen isn’t the point,” stronger, stresses Behan. And
is necessary at every step of he says. “Nor is printing it out and that’s because the move online
the way. then scanning it electronically. need not be a ‘big bang’, all-or-
Automation, of course, is the These are ‘half way’ solutions that nothing solution, he says. And
answer. Look at many of Britain’s still require human interaction, and indeed, for a significant number of
largest businesses, and it’s not still result in errors and delays. It’s Celtrino customers, it isn’t.
difficult to spot instances where better by far to move completely “Identify the invoice-processing
complex manual and paper away from paper.” pain point, resolve it, bank the
processes have been swept away In other words, to move to benefits and move on to the next
wholesale, leaving slick paperless exchanging transaction-related pain point. What could be leaner
processes in their wake. documents electronically, via a than that?” he asks.
For more information please visit: www.celtrino.ie 67