iApprove simplifica y optimiza los pedidos de compra de SAP para Compass

Keytree crea una interfaz web intuitiva para SAP ECC y SAP SRM que reduce los costes y gestiona los riesgos.

Compass Group es la mayor empresa de servicios de restauración del mundo. La empresa, que cotiza en el FTSE100, recibe ingresos por valor de 14.000 millones de GBP, y beneficios que ascienden a 1.000 millones de GBP. La empresa está transformándose paulatinamente en un proveedor multiservicios que ofrece la gestión de instalaciones y otros servicios.

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Necesidades empresariales

Compass Group, la mayor empresa de servicios de restauración del mundo, también ofrece a sus clientes diversos servicios de gestión de instalaciones.

Por ejemplo, en un importante hospital de Londres, Compass presta muchos de los servicios no clínicos, como lavandería, limpieza, seguridad, servicios administrativos y porteo.

Aunque el negocio de los servicios de restauración siempre ha contado con una sólida cultura de gestión de compras basada en costes y calidad mediante procesos de compra optimizados, el rápido crecimiento del negocio de la gestión de instalaciones requería la implantación de controles de costes y calidad más estrictos.

“Las unidades operativas adquirían elementos no alimentarios importantes para la gestión de instalaciones, como equipo y servicios, sin la correspondiente autorización previa”, comenta Steve Leader, Responsable de desarrollo de TI de Compass Group.

Esto generaba diversos problemas potenciales. En primer lugar, el negocio perdía oportunidades de consolidar las adquisiciones y obtener mejores precios con distribuidores autorizados. En segundo lugar, no recibían los informes y el grado de visibilidad en materia de gastos necesarios para operar con eficacia el negocio. Por último, el negocio corría ciertos riesgos en materia de salud y seguridad, así como problemas de cumplimiento normativo con otros distribuidores.

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Finding the right solution

To meet these challenges, Compass Group decided to implement an SAP-based workflow and procurement solution. However, the default user interface was ‘clunky and highly specialised’, according to Steve Leader. “We wanted an easier user interface that was also suitable for people working outside the firewall – an interface that was available through the web”

Compass Group partnered with Keytree to create a web-based front end, called iApprove, for people to log in securely, create, review and approve purchase requests for approved suppliers and for the finance department to match purchase orders with invoices and deliveries. Keytree used prototyping and visualisation to design a system that worked well for end users. Keytree installed and configured the SAP Supplier Relationship Management functionality,

configured SAP ECC 6.0 for purchase orders, goods receipting and invoice entry and built an approval workflow in SRM 7.0. The web interface used Adobe Flex technology to create a user-friendly front end for the whole system. “Keytree delivered the project on budget, on schedule and on spec and I know that they burned the midnight oil to make sure this happened”, says Steve Leader. Today over 300 Compass staff use the system and there are plans to deploy it more widely.

“The system has proved itself. It has run smoothly for a couple of years and we’re putting around 1,000 transactions a month through it. It has met all the project goals and has helped Compass cut costs and reduce risk. We’re very pleased with the results”

Steve Leader – Head of IT Development, Compass Group

Results and benefits

  • Improved profitability. Consolidating purchasing and better reporting means that Compass Group can direct spending to the most cost-effective suppliers, reducing overall costs.
  • Lower support and training costs. The system is user-friendly and intuitive, which means fewer mistakes, lower training costs and fewer tech support calls, especially compared to the out-of-the-box SAP interface.
  • Fully integrated into SAP. The finance department continues to do their work using familiar tools and processes. Once a purchase has been approved, it can be checked against invoices and reconciled in the normal way.
  • Support for mobile working. ‘Mobile access and web access are very important for us’, says Steve Leader, especially when staff spend a lot of time on client sites and away from the office.
  • Visibility and transparency. The system only allows orders from authorised suppliers and each request goes through an approval process. This reduces the risk of abuse.
  • Reduced compliance risk. It’s not possible to raise POs for suppliers who have not been vetted for health and safety, environmental and other concerns.
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Compass Group is already looking at using iApprove in other areas of their business. For example, they’re implementing the system to control purchasing of equipment and services within the IT department. There is also a project to roll-out iApprove to Keith Prowse, Compass’s hospitality business, where it will control the purchasing of hospitality equipment and even the buying of event tickets for inclusion in their hospitality packages.

«The system has proved itself. It has run smoothly for a couple of years and we’re putting around 1,000 transactions a month through it», says Steve Leader. «It has met all the project goals and helped Compass cut costs and reduce risk. We’re very pleased with the results – Keytree are a strategic partner for Compass Group».