Driving AP Excellence: How Basware Transformed KION’s Accounts Payable Processes

KION, a global leader in forklift trucks and warehouse equipment, operates across six continents with over 42,000 employees and €11.4 billion in revenue. In this new case study, discover how KION partnered with Basware to optimize its Accounts Payable (AP) processes and leverage advanced AP technology.

KION appointed Basware as its AP Automation solution as part of a pilot project to consolidate its Accounts Payable functions across European entities into a single Center of Excellence in Poland. KION determined that alongside the consolidation of its people and processes, it needed to upgrade its invoice processing technology to enhance efficiency and global compliance.

KION faced significant challenges with fragmented entities and a reliance on manual, paper-based invoicing, which hindered operational efficiency. 

“We required a sophisticated and automated solution to enhance our AP processes, as it was clear our legacy systems weren’t going to provide the support needed to achieve our objectives.”

Thomas Müller, Senior Director, GPO Finance Supply Chain, KION Finance Solutions

Efficiency Achievements

Since implementing Basware solutions, KION has enjoyed more process harmonization and better efficiency by streamlining invoice submission and ensuring timely payments. Comprehensive analytics empower KION’s AP optimization efforts, enabling informed decision-making through insightful KPI monitoring. This results in significant improvement in KION's KPIs:

• Touchless Invoice Processing increased to 42%
• E-invoicing rate reached 58%
• Invoice cycle times decreased by 50%, now averaging 7.6 days.
• KION  now maintains over 90% spend under control
  

Future Prospects and Continuous Improvement

Basware continues to play a pivotal role in KION’s ongoing digital transformation. With Basware as their default AP processing solution, KION’s upcoming SAP S/4HANA implementation aligns seamlessly with their strategic objectives. Basware’s innovative solutions, coupled with KION’s commitment to excellence, position them for sustained growth and operational optimization.

If you have your own success story with Basware, we're keen to work with you on developing this into something you can shout about within your own organization and externally. All you need to do is join our Ambassadors Club and we'll make contact to discuss how we can help.