Client Background

The client is a leading blue-chip manufacturing firm with a sizeable procurement department. They recognised that they were falling behind in digital transformation and intelligent automation capabilities, aiming to unlock efficiencies across procurement by optimising processes and employing emerging technology.

Challenge

The primary challenge faced by the client was identifying and prioritising areas of improvement within their procurement processes, discovering opportunities to implement emerging technology to maximise efficiency and value.

Hudson&Hayes' Approach

1. Evaluating Automation Maturity: Hudson&Hayes initiated the process by assessing the client's current intelligent automation maturity level. While some automation processes existed, there were substantial opportunities to centralise delivery and globalise existing solutions.
2. Educating the Business: Hudson&Hayes conducted a series of bite-sized education sessions for leadership and operational staff, providing a thorough understanding of intelligent automation technology. Through demonstrations and explanations, the client gained deep insight into potential applications and benefits.
3. Developing the Opportunity Pipeline: A feasibility study was performed to create a pipeline of opportunities, which included suggestions from both Hudson&Hayes and the client's employees. Each opportunity was categorised based on the likely solution (standardisation, simplification, RPA, Intelligent Automation, or Data Analytics) and assessed for potential benefits and ease of implementation.
4. Co-creating the Automation Roadmap: Hudson&Hayes facilitated roadmapping sessions with the client's Centre of Excellence (COE) to sequence opportunities over a 1-2 year period, prioritising benefits and stakeholder impact. The roadmap identified over 20,000 hours of saved time through the implementation of RPA, ChatBot, Low-Code, Process Optimisation, and Predictive Analytics.

Outcome

1. A comprehensive 2-year automation roadmap significantly enhanced the client's automation capabilities within their procurement department.
2. Identification of over 20,000 hours of saved time through process optimisation and the implementation of various technologies.
3. Training of 34 members of the procurement team on intelligent automation, increasing their understanding of emerging technologies and their applications, leading to better decision-making and long-term efficiency improvements.