Summary
Key results
Freeing finance teams from repetitive tasks
Automating key processes and establishing a CoE as the next stage of development
The need to better utilize resources and streamline automation
Before the pandemic, Bridgestone’s finance and accounting teams were facing a growing volume of manual, repetitive tasks such as posting invoices and purchase orders. Operational workloads increased along with the company’s growth, affecting process accuracy, work pace and the ability to focus on further development. The organization was looking for a way to use its resources more effectively by relieving employees from routine activities and enabling them to focus on more complex, value-adding tasks.
Bridgestone already had some initial experience with automation. However, as operations expanded, the company needed to define a clear direction for this area and extend automation to additional processes. To properly assess the potential of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and select the right technology, the company was looking for a consulting partner who would support it in evaluating available solutions and recommend the most effective approach to scaling automation.
Leveraging its strong consulting capabilities and the ability to run end-to-end projects, Sii guided Bridgestone through the key stages of building automation – from tool analysis and technology recommendations to preparing a Proof of Concept that confirmed the effectiveness of the chosen solution and supported further decision-making.
Comprehensive consulting and automation development leading to a Center of Excellence
To support Bridgestone in building a mature automation capability, the Sii team provided comprehensive assistance – from advisory services to setting up the technical environment and developing the client’s in-house skills.
The scope of work included:
- Analyzing business needs and advising on the selection of an RPA technology (including comparison of available tools)
- Delivering a Proof of Concept to confirm the effectiveness of the recommended solution
- Forming a dedicated team of process automation experts
- Designing the technical solution and overseeing the setup of a stable environment for software robots (including additional support during configuration)
- Conducting training sessions and workshops for the client’s team, combined with knowledge transfer and capability building
- Developing automations – more than 10 production use cases
- Providing ongoing operational support, robot maintenance and handling change requests
- Supporting the client’s team development in a hybrid cooperation model
- Defining standards, best practices and automation development guidelines for the organization
- Strengthening the team’s development capabilities through operational cooperation and mentoring by Sii specialists
These activities laid strong technological and organizational foundations that enabled further scaling of automation. Ultimately, they led Bridgestone to establish a Process Automation Center of Excellence (CoE).
Lower operational costs and a platform for further automation growth
Thanks to the implemented automations, Bridgestone significantly reduced the workload of finance and accounting teams related to repetitive, manual activities. This improved the pace of work, reduced the number of errors and allowed employees to focus on more complex tasks requiring expert knowledge. A stable RPA environment, standardized practices and the growing skills of the internal team created a solid base for scaling automation to additional areas of the organization. Importantly, the training and mentoring provided by Sii enabled Bridgestone’s team not only to build new automations on their own, but also to share knowledge internally.
These changes helped Bridgestone significantly advance its automation capability and bring more structure to how software robots are managed, which directly contributed to the decision to establish a Process Automation Center of Excellence (CoE). The new center consolidated standards, knowledge and processes related to automation, ensuring a consistent development model and higher predictability and quality. With the CoE in place, the company can systematically expand automation, increase operational efficiency and continue strengthening its teams’ competencies.
Key results
- Finance teams freed from repetitive, manual tasks
- More than 10 implemented automations accelerating key processes
- Higher team competencies and improved work quality thanks to standardized RPA development practices
- Faster delivery of new automations enabled by greater capacity and experience within the team
- Enabling and accelerating the creation of a Process Automation Center of Excellence (CoE) as the next step in automation development