As part of an effort to image, store and retrieve all documents related to its invoices, one company turned to a web-based software that fuses business process management (BPM) with project management and business intelligence.
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Vince Biddlecombe |
Transplace is a non-asset based third-party logistics (3PL) provider offering manufacturers and retailers the optimal blend of logistics technology and transportation management services.
From complete logistics management outsourcing and intelligent transportation management systems (TMS) to supply chain network planning and design, and high-quality brokerage services, Transplace delivers both rapid return on investment and consistent value to customers. The company is recognized among the elite 3PLs in North America by a customer base that includes many of the largest shippers in the world.
In 2009, Transplace was awarded with the SupplyChainBrain Magazine’s“100 Great Supply Chain Partners” distinction for the sixth consecutive year. The company was also recognized as a “Top 100” provider in supply chain transformation for the fourth consecutive year by Supply & Demand Chain Executive in addition to receiving a Top 10 3PL honor by Inbound Logistics for the seventh consecutive year.
Creating A More Automated And Efficient System
Vince Biddlecombe is Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Transplace. His staff manages four Operations Centers that support 7,000 users. As a Lean Six Sigma service company, Transplace emphasizes eliminating waste, simplifying processes and demonstrating continuous improvement. To achieve the efficiency for which the organization is known, Transplace’s internal systems are detail-oriented, requiring approvals and authorization from many levels throughout the organization. In order for vendors to be paid, for example, all invoices have to be indexed, cross-referenced and approved by Transplace management before the information is made available to Accounts Payable within the ERP system.
Critical to Transplace’s success is its ability to successfully manage the documents that form the core of its business processes. These include: 1) Planned customer truckloads, 2) Carriers assigned to move the freight and 3) Validations that the move was completed – whether those moves involved pet foods Transplace ships for Del Monte, lumber for The Home Depot or software for Microsoft. Previously this validation was accomplished via the invoices that Transplace received from carriers. Accounting then had to file the invoices and, to be in compliance, retain those documents for several years. As a result, Transplace had numerous rooms filled with paper files.
Beyond the work it performs with contracted carriers, Transplace also works with un-contracted carriers to handle what it calls ‘spot rate’ shipments. In conducting that business, Transplace historically faxed documents to carriers, the carriers faxed them back, and then Operations reviewed the documents, checking a box in the system that acknowledged all the information was accurate. Operations then requested that Accounting fax the documents to customers. “This manual process took a lot of time -- and it came down to relying on users to let us know that Transplace had received the legal documents we required. In the old system there was room for manual errors that we wanted to eliminate. And when there was an issue discovered, someone had to look through thousands of files to validate that the documents had truly been received,” Biddlecombe recalled.
Selecting The Best Technology Solution
Initially Transplace management wanted to image, store and retrieve all documents related to its invoices. At Biddlecombe’s direction, the IT Director looked into having the documents scanned, however, there were tens of thousands of documents, and doing so was prohibitive. The Director started to explore alternatives while, at the same time, using an Excel spreadsheet to find files. “That process was very time consuming, exasperating and inefficient, while still having to fax the documents to eliminate further delays,” Biddlecombe remarked.
Over the course of the next 30 days, with shipments growing daily, the IT team evaluated a number of companies and products, short listing two. The software Transplace selected was Process Director from BP Logix. Designed as an out-of-the-box solution that is easy to install and administer, BP Logix Process Director is web-based software that fuses business process management (BPM) with project management and business intelligence. Process Director defines, automates, manages and reports on business processes, while also moving those processes under direct control of business users. (No coding required.) With its one-of-a-kind Predictive BPM and Timeline technology, business users can make faster and more accurate business decisions.
“The IT team determined that BP Logix Process Director had the advanced technology we needed, was cost-effective and unparalleled in functionality. Their technology was so advanced that we decided to buy Process Director and put it to use,” observed Biddlecombe. The Transplace team used Process Director to scan, store and classify documents into one system - then implemented an electronic approval processes for the documents. “When we received a spot rate order, for example, we needed to be able to review specific documents before they became available within our system,” Biddlecombe commented. “It was important that Process Director also be able to integrate easily into the proprietary software systems that manage our transportation management and financials,” he observed.
Easy Integration With Proprietary Systems
Soon after purchasing Process Director, the Transplace team started imaging all carrier contracts, customer contacts and pricing documents. Storing them in Process Director significantly reduced the number of paper files it needed to retain. The team found the product easy to use, the API intuitive to work with, and implementation took less than two months from the beginning to the end. The IT team observed that: 1) They were saving a huge amount of time processing invoice-related documents, 2) Their ability to retrieve documents was significantly faster and 3) Transplace was also able to give customers the ability to access the documents themselves. Instead of filing documents, then having to locate them each time it was necessary to check an item off the list, the IT team could take a coversheet with the required documents, scan that into Process Director and have a system that was fully automated.
Transplace did not import existing data or images to the system – as the company still had to first scan all the documents. The company did, however, find it easy to add users to the system. The IT team developed a short training manual with user IDs and explanations and was pleased when users found the system so easy to use that they did not require further training.
“As a result of integrating Process Director with our transportation management and financial systems, we have protected ourselves and ensured that we have all the documents we need prior to paying the carriers. Now we never approve an invoice that doesn’t have the appropriate documentation associated with it. If necessary, we can quickly identify which additional documents are required in order to approve a specific invoice, then track down those documents accordingly,” recalled Biddlecombe.
Saving Time, Money And Improving Responsiveness
For a company with a track record for optimizing and managing complex supply chains, saving time and being able to access documents electronically from anywhere is important to Transplace. With all document approvals now occurring through Process Director, and with thousands of documents concurrently running in the approval process, keeping track of the workflows and business processes themselves is straightforward. And being able to work more closely with customers has also been an important benefit. The IT team has found that it can provide customers with access to documents based on the individual business users and their roles, ensuring security for both Transplace and its customers.
IT has also discovered how easy it is to add new customers, both internal and external, and to comfortably handle ad hoc requests. “In the past if Del Monte, for example, required proof of delivery for a government load, we would have to print out everything and send it to Del Monte for its audit. The cost of time, printing, postage and often over-nighting documents to the customer was very expensive. With Process Director we have immediate access to all documents on the system, making it very useful for any customer audits. And, it is obvious that we are much more efficient,” Biddlecombe declared.
In addition, with Transplace’s spot rate process, freight cannot move without specific documents. If those documents sat on someone’s desk, were not entered into the system or were not readable, the truckload could not be moved. Locating those documents previously could take hours or days – yet freight could not be moved without them because Transplace would be at risk legally. “With Process Director that process now takes minutes. A document is faxed from our system, the user accesses it in Process Director, he or she approves it, and then BP Logix sends a message to our system to let us know the document is approved. Instead of leaving paper on a fax machine, the document is received electronically by BP Logix,” Biddlecombe remarked.
The IT team has found that Process Director saves them time, money and, most importantly, makes their process more legally compliant. The quick time-to-market, flexibility of the application, single sign-on and integration with other company applications has gained Process Director a following at Transplace. Biddlecombe also believes that his team will be using more of that functionality going forward.
For more information, please visit https://www.bplogix.com/