Digital Process Control at ASAP: From Purchase Request to Invoice Approval

• ensures an investment and order size dependent approval hierarchy
• provides an overview and control over budgets and costs by cost center, even for decentralized purchasing
• reduces throughput times and administrative effort
• allows utilization of early payment discounts due to automatic order/invoice matching
• displays order history on the screen with one click
• reduces the need for paper
• simplifies inventory and inventory-taking lists
• facilitates future budget planning

The dimensions and details of the picture become clearer when seen from a bird's eye view.  Headquarters of ASAP Holding and the subsidiaries ASAP Electronics and ASAP Engineering are located in the city of Gaimersheim, Germany while nine additional engineering sites and plants are located in  other cities across Germany.

The ASAP Engineering business segment is focused on development services aimed at the automotive future: lightweight car bodies, E-mobility, chassis control systems, electrics and electronics. The ASAP Technical Service business segment offers technical services in the areas of production and assembly. The company’s General Services provides manufacturers and system suppliers with support in cross-departmental functions, for example in project and quality management. The independent test center measures and validates a multitude of electronic and mechatronic components and systems.

For the engine of a business to run smoothly, "the operative business can’t be burdened unnecessarily by administrative processes," says Neisen, who has a degree in automotive engineering. His to-do list is informed by his close contact with the managers and heads of all sectors.

When the invoice approval process was being implemented with JobRouter® in 2014, the largest challenge were the interfaces to the project controlling the individual locations and DATEV, according to Neisen. Every location has its own accounts receivable and payable process and a defined approval path. Above a specific limit, invoices and orders have to be approved by the CFO or CEO, as well. The data flows to the central accounting department of the holding company, which in turn executes further processes. Once the invoice approval process was running smoothly with JobRouter®, the ordering process was implemented. As a new functionality, apart from the standardized process flow, central entry is also now possible.

In general, an ordering process is a simple matter. One knows what is needed, looks for the right thing, compares offers, decides and orders. If the order value is above a certain budget, the supervisor has to sign off. Or the supervisor of the supervisor. The holding company's management decides on investments such as; infrastructure projects, extensive furniture procurements, test facilities, CAD equipment, IT goods and vehicles. According to Neisen, not only are checked boxes important for the approval process, but the speed of execution of central tasks, traceability and stringent implementation are also very important.

What the ASAP team is going to appreciate even more towards the end of the current business year: The electronic ordering process using JobRouter® is not only faster and better to control than a conventional paper-based one. It also helps the organization to stay on budget and provides reliable intelligence for future budgeting.

Michael Neisen has more ideas to keep the growth of ASAP Holding on track. The automatic onboarding and separation process for employees is just one of them. The aim is to integrate  the individual components of the system environment in one seamless entity. This applies to the job application management, for which a custom program was written, as well as for the project controlling software that banished the old Excel spreadsheets. The intranet had to be integrated, as well as the DATEV connection and the CAD system. The first steps toward harmonizing the components have been made. Now it is time to set our eyes on the next obstacles.