Within Supply Chain, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is on the rise. In fact, it is a perfect fit! They have a common primary goal: making processes more efficient and effective.
RPA as one of the digitization themes within the Supply Chain
Digitization is a change that no organization can deny. As an advocate of change - "Let's Embrace Change" - we think this is a great development. Within the Supply Chain, we see many themes around digital transformation, such as:
The Internet of Things;
Big Data; E-commerce;
Omnichannel Supply Chains;
Artificial Intelligence;
Machine Learning.
With the rise of Lean concepts and their application to the Supply Chain, we are also seeing the demand for RPA emerge. The technology fits perfectly into the Lean Toolkit.
Link systems with RPA
A Supply Chain transcends multiple departments. This approach often brings an IT challenge. All the different systems and standards per department, come together. These are often difficult to integrate. Or are they? RPA offers the key to success here. It works over the User Interface and can therefore link with any system. Can you perform the process via a screen, mouse and keyboard? Then an RPA solution can do it too. Especially when it comes to routine, high-volume operations, an RPA solution is perfect. Let these be exactly the processes you see a lot within the Supply Chain. Go RPA!
Where does RPA fit within the Supply Chain?
The use of RPA is common within Purchasing, Transportation, Master Data, Planning and Customer Service departments.The beauty of an RPA solution is that it can enter and process almost any document in applications. You can think of purchase orders, receipts, packing lists, customs documentation. In addition, RPA has proven itself as a tool for data management. The perfect tool for keeping data up-to-date, automatically exporting data or performing data manipulations. This is ideal for planning or master data departments. Of course there are many more applications and new applications are continuously being developed through innovations and improvements of the RPA software.
Starting with RPA in a simple way
RPA lends itself perfectly to a "Think Big, Start Small" approach. RPA is very scalable. Therefore, it is no problem to start small and expand further. This way, you first build a business case internally and support is created. For this approach it is important to start with the right process. Incentro has developed the Process Automation Scan for this purpose. In this scan an RPA roadmap is developed together with the client. Several business cases are elaborated and a clear starting point is determined. At the same time, attention is paid to enthusing people internally to create more support.
It is not a question of whether RPA belongs in the Supply Chain, but when organizations recognize that it is a necessary tool for success.
RPA can play a crucial and strategic role in the Supply Chain environment. It is an effective tool to accelerate, connect systems and remove human error from processes.
Let's meet!
Curious about the possibilities for RPA within your organization? Book a demo! Please contact Sacha van Essen at [email protected]. Or read how you can automate business processes with RPA.
