How Samsonite Built an Error-Proof Purchasing Process with Pipefy
Samsonite
Samsonite is the worldwide leader in superior travel bags, luggage and accessories that combine style and design, quality and durability.
Its products are sold in over 100 countries in Asia, North America, Europe, and Latin America through wholesale distribution channels, company-operated retail stores and e-commerce.
100% of purchase requests
managed through Pipefy
177% of ROI (Return on
Investment)
Challenges
Processing purchase
requests efficiently
and accurately
Integrating with
ERP system
Gaining visibility
into the process
Controlling spending
and reporting results easily
My director would want to know, ‘How many items did we purchase?’ and ‘How much did we spend?’ I couldn’t answer these simple questions without spending three or four hours searching through files and emails.”
When Mauricio Rizzi, Customer Service and Procurement Manager, Samsonite, was tapped to implement a workflow solution for the purchasing process at Samsonite Brazil, he was excited and apprehensive at the same time.
The current procurement operation was almost entirely manual, managed largely through email and files. Consequently, the procurement team had little control over the process, and procedures—even when standardized—weren’t always followed. It was a problem that gave its auditors headaches.
Rizzi also worried about the difficulties of developing and implementing a workflow system, especially in Brazil.
“Brazil’s legal, financial and tax rules are particularly complicated and, in some cases, difficult to understand,” says Rizzi. “Combine this with our own policies and requirements, and you have many layers of complexity.”
Despite his unique challenges, Rizzi felt the effort could be worth it, especially if it sped up the purchasing process and reduced the amount of manual work.
“Every time I received a new purchase request, I would have to search through old emails and files to find out which suppliers to ask for a quote,” says Rizzi. “It took forever.”
Samsonite’s inefficient, non-standardized process led some departments to make purchases outside of the official purchasing process. The procurement team would only find out about these purchases when the product or service provider requested payment.
“Some people would bypass the process because we had so little control,” says Rizzi. “It was a real problem for us and our auditors.”
The current setup made it extremely difficult for management to monitor processes and identify bottlenecks. Rizzi struggled to answer even simple questions from his director and CFO.
“My director would want to know, ‘How many items did we purchase?’ and ‘How much did we spend?’” says Rizzi. “I couldn’t answer these questions without spending three or four hours searching through files and emails.”
The team’s manual process couldn’t be integrated with the company’s ERP system, which meant Rizzi had to hire outside consultants to manually enter data into the ERP—which led to a high incidence of errors.
Solution
Standardize and
centralize the purchasing
process on Pipefy
Collect all information
through Pipefy forms
Integrate Pipefy with ERP system to eliminate manual data entry and errors
Ability to run reports
at every step of the process
Notify all stakeholders through automated emails and alerts
Pipefy gives us the control we need to ensure everyone abides by our rules and policies. It also creates an easily accessible trail for future audits.”
Once given the go-ahead, Rizzi looked at solutions on the market. He quickly found that most were either too large for the company’s needs or wouldn’t integrate with the company’s old ERP system.
“Our ERP system is an older version of J.D. Edwards that many workflow solutions simply can’t work with,” says Rizzi. “Pipefy is one of the few that’s flexible enough to do it.”
Rizzi was relieved to find that Pipefy had the flexibility to adapt to the J.D. Edwards ERP, and his concerns about software and customization were alleviated when he learned he and his team would be working closely with Pipefy's Customer Success Manager, Vitória Braiti.
Vitória and Pipefy's Customer Success team helped Rizzi’s team analyze the procurement process to standardize procedures and ensure they adhered to internal policies as well as external legal, finance and tax requirements.
Next, they started creating the process on Pipefy and building in necessary approvals at each stage.
“Pipefy gives us the control we need to ensure everyone abides by our rules and policies,” says Rizzi. “It also creates an easily accessible trail for future audits.”
The team customized forms to collect essential information for the purchasing process. After standardizing workflows, they built-in automated alerts, to reduce the need for manual notifications.
“We no longer have to follow up with people to get all the information we need,” says Rizzi. “And the automated alerts notify necessary parties when one stage in the process is complete and the next can begin.”
Results
100% of purchase requests managed through Pipefy
177% of Return on Investment (ROI)
I can run reports at any time in the process, from beginning to end. In just a few minutes, I can extract the information I need to answer almost any question from my director or CFO.”
Today, Samsonite Brazil has a purchasing process that’s standardized and controlled.
With the implementation of Pipefy, Rizzi estimates the company has saved over 2,370 paid employee hours in just five months—that’s an ROI of 177 percent!
By introducing automation, custom templates and ERP integration, Samsonite reduced the need for manual interventions. This means fewer costly errors and less time spent on manual and repetitive tasks.
“We no longer have to manually type information onto invoices, which allows us to deploy team members onto higher-value tasks,” says Rizzi.
Now Rizzi has visibility into procurement processes, without the need to dig through emails or files. He can answer questions from executives quickly and confidently.
“I can run reports at any time in the process, from beginning to end,” says Rizzi. “In just a few minutes, I can extract the information I need to answer almost any question from my director or CFO.”
Visibility into the process also means that purchases made outside of Pipefy are quickly identified and addressed. This gives Rizzi the power to set objectives for his procurement team and assess whether they’re meeting those goals.
“We can set a target to reduce spending by eight percent, for example, and monitor whether we’re hitting that target throughout the year,” says Rizzi. “Before Pipefy, that kind of thing was impossible.”
