Spanish subsidiary of Bel Group has selected Esker (News - Alert), the world leading provider of document process automation solutions for a strategic partnership.

The world famous cheese manufacturer Bel Group has to handle some 25,000 customer orders annually. Under the contract, Esker is required to provide a solution to automate the processing and archiving of 5,000 yearly customer orders. The solution will also help the cheese company to send and archive customer invoices in electronic format.

In a press release Esker claimed that its document process automation has enabled Bel Spain to improve its sales cycle by combining various order receiving channels, including fax and email. In addition, the solution also enables the company reduce its carbon footprint.

Of the 25,000 customer orders, Bel Spain receives annually, 33 percent are received in electronic data interchange (EDI) format, while the rest are handled by fax, email, telephone or directly by its distributors. Previously Bel Spain employees used an SAP (News - Alert) application to process customer orders manually.

Bel Spain sought to replace this time consuming process, laden with risk of errors with an integrated solution to automate customer orders received by fax or email. The automated solution can not only increase efficiency, it is also capable of reducing the number of processing errors. Elimination of physical archiving also helped Bel Spain gain space, which was previously occupied by 115 binders each year. In addition, the solution enables the company to generate iInvoices with electronic signatures automatically through SAP. At the same time, the company can send signed PDF invoices automatically by email via Lotus Notes.

According to Esker, after reviewing numerous solutions, Bel Spain selected Esker for its capacity to handle inbound and outbound documents. The fact that Esker platform is SAP-compatible also favored its selection.

 “We have achieved significant time savings as a result of sales order processing automation. We are also putting electronic invoicing into place. Thanks to the automation of these two strategic processes, we are moving towards efficient and ecological paper-free handling,” a Bel Spain manager revealed in a press release.

In an earlier media release, Esker announced its inclusion in a leading electronic invoicing market report and its accreditation by the Spanish government for vendor invoice automation. This recognition, said the company, demonstrates the strength of the Esker platform to automate a full range of processes, including specific invoicing requirements for companies across the globe.