Case studies
Robotic Process Automation for CIECH group
Basic info
- Company: CIECH S.A.
- Industry: Manufacturing
- Country: Poland
Technologies used
- Microsoft Power Automate
- Microsoft Dataverse
Benefits
“As a result of close cooperation and openness of the CIECH team to our recommendations, a supporting robot in data transformation and mapping was created in a short time. It is worth emphasizing that the technology used and the approach adopted allowed during the project to make changes in the established processing process very flexibly and in a short time. This is particularly important in the adaptation of new solutions in the organization and in the standardization of business processes“
Purpose of the project
The aim of the project was to create a file ready for posting, containing mapped data from the German and Romanian branches, which have different ERP systems and, consequently, a different chart of accounts. The mapping concerned G / L accounts, partner companies and segments.
Until now, the process was handled manually, which posed the risk of making a mistake, and additionally took the time of employees.
Solution
The analysis of Netwise consultants showed that the best solution would be to use the Robotic Process Automation class technology based on the Microsoft Power Automate platform. As a result of the implementation, an application was created – a robot that collects input data in the form of Excel files and configuration data from Sharepoint lists. The robot processes and maps the input data from business units and then saves the data transformation result in one unified file, which is ready for posting and requires no additional actions.
Thanks to the use of Microsoft Power Automate, the robot application is flexible and ready for changes that can be introduced in a short time. Thanks to the configurator available in Microsoft Power Automate, the robot can be modified and extended directly by trained and technology-familiar CIECH employees.
Collaboration and record duration
About CIECH Group
CIECH is an international, developing chemical group with a strong position on global markets. It is the second producer of soda ash and baking soda in the European Union, the largest producer of evaporated salt in Poland, the largest supplier of sodium silicates in Europe, the largest Polish producer of plant protection chemicals and a leading producer of polyurethane foams in Poland. It has factories in Poland, Germany and Romania and employs over 3,000 people throughout the EU.
Since 2005, the company CIECH S.A. is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, and since 2016, simultaneously, on one of the largest stock exchanges in Europe – Börse Frankfurt. The development of the Group is supported by the strategic investor – Kulczyk Investments.
As one of the largest Polish exporters, CIECH sends its goods to almost all continents. They are used to produce articles necessary in the everyday life of millions of people around the world, which is why the Group is an important element of many sectors of the economy – construction, automotive, agriculture, chemical, food and pharmaceutical industries.
CIECH combines a modern approach to business with care for sustainable development. Since 2020, he has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact – the world’s largest initiative that brings together socially, environmentally and economically responsible enterprises.
More information about the CIECH Group can be found at www.ciechgroup.com and www.ciechdlagospodarki.pl
Recommendations
The project carried out together with Netwise allowed us to automate the process of mapping and aggregation of accounting data in Ciech S.A. Robotization not only eliminated the risk of human error, but also accelerated the entire process. In cooperation with Netwise experts, we highly appreciate their knowledge and experience, but also a flexible approach and putting our business needs first “
Katarzyna Rybacka, Chief Accountant in CIECH S.A.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) implementation for CIECH Group
Netwise S.A., together with CIECH S.A. very quickly implemented a process automation solution that allows to map and aggregate financial data from systems other than SAP. The solution is based on Microsoft technologies and will speed up the transfer, processing and analysis of financial data from foreign companies of the CIECH Group.
Project goal
The goal of the project was to automate the creation of one, structured, ready-to-be-published file containing mapped financial data from the German and Romanian branches, which have different ERP systems and, consequently, a different account structure. The mapping concerned G / L accounts, partner companies and segments.
Until now, the process was handled manually, which posed the risk of making a mistake, and additionally took the time of employees.
“The project carried out together with Netwise allowed us to automate the process of mapping and aggregation of accounting data in Ciech S.A. Robotization not only eliminated the risk of human error, but also accelerated the entire process. In cooperation with Netwise experts, we highly appreciate their knowledge and experience, but also a flexible approach and putting our business needs first”
– says Katarzyna Rybacka, Chief Accountant at CIECH S.A.
The solution
Business analysis executed by Netwise consultants indicated that the best solution would be to use a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology based on Microsoft Power Automate. As a result of the project, the team implemented an application / a robot that collects input data from multiple Excel files and configuration data stored in Sharepoint. The robot processes and maps the input data from differente business units and saves the data transformation result in one unified file, which is ready for publishing and requires no additional actions.
Thanks to the use of Microsoft Power Automate, the application is flexible and ready for changes that can be introduced in a short time. By utilizing the configuration options available in Microsoft Power Automate, the robot can be modified and extended directly by trained and technology-familiar CIECH employees.
“As a result of close cooperation and openness of the CIECH team to our recommendations, a robot supporting the transformation and data mapping was created in a very short time. It is worth emphasizing that the technology used and the adopted approach allowed for making changes in the agreed processing process very flexibly and in a short time during the project. It is particularly important in the adaptation of new solutions in the organization and in the standardization of business processes.”
– adds Krystian Hatała, Member of the Management Board, Netwise S.A.
Co-operation and duration
During the project implementation, it was necessary to apply a flexible approach to taking into account changes in the application. The CIECH team was able to test and modify both the scope and flow implemented in Microsoft Power Automate on an ongoing basis. The fully operational robot was ready 2 months after the start of cooperation between CIECH and Netwise.
About CIECH Group:
CIECH is an international developing chemical group with a strong position on global markets. It is the second largest manufacturer of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate in the European Union, the largest manufacturer of evaporated salt in Poland, the largest supplier of sodium silicates in Europe, the largest Polish manufacturer of plant protection products, and a leading producer of polyurethane foams in Poland. Its factories are located in Poland, Germany and Romania, and it employs over 3,000 people throughout the EU.
Since 2005, CIECH S.A. has been listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, and since 2016, simultaneously, on one of the largest stock exchanges in Europe – Börse Frankfurt. The development of the Group is supported by its strategic investor – Kulczyk Investments.
As one of the largest Polish exporters, CIECH ships its goods to almost each continent. They are used to manufacture products necessary in the everyday life of millions of people around the world. That is why the Group is a crucial element of numerous sectors of the economy – construction, automotive, agriculture, chemical, food and pharmaceutical industries.