Integrated and audit-compliant: Process and document handling

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Integrated and audit-compliant: Process and document handling

Integrated and audit-compliant: Process and document handling

GAZi is one of many well-known individual brands established by dairy product producer garmo. However, the company was keen to avoid stand-alone solutions in IT. Instead, it was looking for networked systems that digitise standard procedures such as the sales process. Konica Minolta therefore integrated an ECM system that simplifies cross-application document processing.


Audit-compliant document archiving

Particularly in the food sector, proof of origin and audit compliant archiving of documents are obligatory. For those responsible at garmo, facilitating smooth flow in document processing operations to allow business processes to be digitised was the icing on the cake, so to speak. “But since our old enterprise content management (ECM) system did not offer the flexibility or functionality we were looking for, we launched a new project with Konica Minolta at the start of 2013,” reports Stefan Greiner, Head of IT at garmo. 


“Our objective was to integrate document processing deep into enterprise resource planning (ERP) as a way of accelerating processes, as well as eliminating media discontinuities and thereby also potential sources of errors.” An ECM solution that could be embedded effectively in garmo's IT strategy was needed. From a strategic perspective, the food producer focuses on fully exploiting IT resources and all synergy effects. “We largely try and avoid new interfaces whenever possible,” adds Greiner. 


Migration instead of further development

With the ECM system offered, Konica Minolta was able to provide garmo with a corresponding solution that integrates seamlessly into Microsoft systems and offers the requisite future security. Stefan Greiner and his colleagues trusted this recommendation, not least because they had already completed successful IT projects with Konica Minolta in the past. As such, they chose migration to the new ECM system over the alternative, which was to further develop the existing system. 


A project team, comprising representatives from garmo and experts from Konica Minolta, then implemented a solution that supplemented the existing Microsoft SharePoint platform to include document management functions such as audit compliant archiving. In addition to this, information required by the Microsoft Dynamics NAV ERP tool is automatically extracted. This means that garmo employees can now simply drag documents arriving via email into a drop zone, where they are automatically assigned to customer files and orders within NAV. The basis for this is a record plan, which was created by the project team.


Automatic archiving in the background

All commercial procedures benefit from the solution implemented. Whether it be purchase orders, delivery notes or invoices – all documents created within Microsoft Dynamics NAV are archived. The solution is particularly helpful for sales, as Greiner emphasises: “Our sales staff simply scan orders and signed delivery notes, which are then automatically assigned to the corresponding order records.” 


Manual entry of data in Microsoft Dynamics NAV is now a thing of the past.Another benefit is that documents are now archived in a clear structure, which also makes them much easier to locate than before. “Weak areas and obstacles such as these, which we had simply accepted in the past, have now been eliminated,” explains Greiner with a smile. In this context, he also mentions the new authorisation and roles concept, which now provides the requisite flexibility when assigning authorisations. Indeed, garmo can today assign various read-only and other access rights depending on the document type, even down to attribute level.


Fast response times ensured great satisfaction

“We are absolutely satisfied, both with the solution and with the support provided by Konica Minolta,” comments Greiner, emphasising the good “chemistry” among the project participants. Queries and problems were resolved within fast response times. This also enabled Konica Minolta to win favour with the approximately 45 end users, who were quick to accept the solution. The project itself was also a quick endeavour and actually completed ahead of time in around six months. Further follow-up projects are already in planning for contract and quality management, as well as incoming invoice processing.


Challenge

Facilitating audit-compliant archiving of documents and fast document processing


Solution

Integration of an ECM system that creates an end-to-end process platform within the Microsoft environment


Advantages

Faster access to documents, deep integration into ERP application