Success Stories

URENCO: Global SAP-based Purchasing System Improves Efficiency

Client:

URENCO

Challenge:

URENCO needed a standardised global SAP process that would both meet the requirements of the Financial Shared Services Centre and define the harmonised processes in preparation for the upgrade to ERP 6.0.

Solution:

CSC delivered a global SAP solution that harmonised purchasing processes while ensuring local requirements were met across four countries.

Results:

The new global purchasing processes have enabled the successful transfer of accounts payable functionality to URENCO’s new European FSSC. The company is already experiencing efficiency improvements in handling the approximately 22,000 invoices generated annually by its European operations.

URENCO has five operating units, each of which had implemented its own purchasing processes. To ensure a consistent group approach, URENCO made the strategic decision to centralise its European operating units’ financial activities, including accounts payable, within a Financial Shared Services Centre (FSSC) in Almelo, Netherlands.

URENCO needed a standardized global SAP process that would both meet the requirements of the FSSC and define the harmonised processes in preparation for the upgrade to ERP 6.0.

Identify problems, recommend improvements

CSC had already reviewed URENCO’s purchasing and finance processes to identify the problems and recommend improvements as part of the preparation for the upgrade to ERP 6.0. CSC was also URENCO’s first choice to deliver the global purchasing process that would underpin the creation of the FSSC and keep the ERP 6.0 rollout.

CSC’s approach to harmonising URENCO’s global purchasing processes was based on AcceleratedSAP (ASAP), the SAP roadmap for the design and implementation methodology for its solutions. This proven and comprehensive methodology streamlines projects and helps to ensure a lower total cost of implementation.

Business results

The new global purchasing processes have enabled the successful transfer of accounts payable functionality to URENCO’s new European FSSC. The company is already experiencing efficiency improvements in handling the approximately 22,000 invoices generated annually by its European operations.

With the new system and processes that CSC has put in place for URENCO, and following a successful training programme, over 200 individuals can now order goods and services electronically. These include users in the United States who follow the same standard processes as their colleagues at the European FSSC.

The processes for raising requisitions, and approving requisitions and invoices, are now completely electronic — saving paper, removing delays and manual interventions, and avoiding potential additional administrative costs. Invoices are automatically three-way matched against a goods received note or service entry sheet in SAP, so the FSSC can easily make the required payment or track and follow up those responsible for process hold-ups.

For more information

Download the complete URENCO case study (PDF, 809 KB).