Bombardier Transportation extends its partnership with Proactis to help standardize its processes

Executive overview

Profile

Vertical Sector
Construction

Users
9,444

Catalog orders
21,804

Operates in
22 countries
(3 more planned)

Customer since
2011

Located
Berlin, Germany

Objectives

  • Efficiency increase, resource optimization through process automation, and standardization of indirect purchasing.
  • Simplify user experience for buyers and suppliers.
  • Unification of procurement systems in the various units.

How Proactis helped

  • Digital transformation of purchasing processes through the implementation of a cloud solution for content approval.
  • Provision of a mini tender tool for spontaneous purchases (spot-buying).
  • Creation of a digital network for the exchange of order documents (PO, POR, etc.).
  • Support for the development of a global and centralized purchasing organization to digitally transform, standardize and automate approval processes through workflows.

Benefits

  • System interactions become faster and more interactive, routine tasks are automated and the user experience for buyers and suppliers is improved.
  • Information, activities and workflows are automatically documented, stored and monitored, greatly improving compliance.
  • Unnecessary purchases are prevented, the risk of non-performance or non-compliance by the supplier is minimized and Maverick Spend is reduced.
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Profile

Bombardier Transportation is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of railway technology. It is a subsidiary of the Canadian Bombardier Inc. Group, which operates in more than 60 countries and employs more than 60,000 people.

Since 2011, Bombardier Transportation has been using The Business Network and eCatalog function from Proactis, as well as SAP SRM for supplier management. Since the beginning of the partnership, the Proactis solution has been implemented in all countries where SAP software is used. The company then decided to use additional Proactis modules and, as a result, the Proactis solution can be implemented in countries without the SAP software to support key processes such as the administration of approvals.

Objectives

Bombardier Transportation’s primary goal in working together was to automate and accelerate its processes. The general goal was to increase efficiency and optimize resources, with the aim of making the user experience simpler and more intuitive for buyers and suppliers.

In addition, the solution was to help standardize procurement throughout the group. The digital transformation of workflows and automation of approval processes became the central point in the collaboration.

How Proactis helped

The Proactis solution created a central cloud-based communications portal for Bombardier Transportation and its suppliers, where suppliers can upload their catalogs. Once approved, these catalogs and other punchout catalogs can be viewed and searched by buyers via the built-in eShop. For spontaneous purchases (spot-buys), it is also possible to create a mini tender via the platform. This is sent to a certain number of suppliers and the selected offer can then be added to the shopping cart.

After approval, the Proactis system converts the shopping cart into a digital order and makes it available to the suppliers via The Business Network. Order confirmations, shipping notifications or any changes to the order are sent back to the buyer electronically via Proactis.

Benefits

Through the portal, Bombardier Transportation can make information and document exchange with its suppliers faster and more interactive. Routine tasks are largely automated, for example through the automatic transfer of supplier data. This not only significantly improves the user experience for buyers and suppliers, but also increases acceptance. By using a digital ‘Single Source of Truth’ the administration of transactions is much easier and more transparent.

By automatically storing and monitoring all information, activities and workflows on the portal, Bombardier Transportation can significantly increase compliance and ensure data integrity (e.g. PO Matching).

The company now has much more transparent purchasing processes. Unnecessary purchases and the risk of non-performance or non-compliance by the supplier have been reduced while the intuitive spot-buy solution helps reduce Maverick Spend. Bombardier Transportation has significantly improved its enterprise-wide purchasing performance with Proactis.