Siemens GBS Optimizes China Business Operations with Robotic Process Automation System

Digital transformation has become a major driving force in most industries, including those involved in the manufacturing sector.

Siemens GBS (Global Business Services) China is a major proponent of the technology. They provide innovative digital solutions and customer-oriented business services for Siemens’ manufacturing subsidiaries across different platforms, spanning the areas of finance, human resources, and procurement.

As part of its ongoing innovation for these clients in China, Siemens GBS decided to utilize UiPath robotic process automation (RPA) to achieve better business optimization for back-end systems.

Tackling business challenges with automation solutions

Each year, Siemens GBS sets business objectives and cost optimization plans for the healthy development of its subsidiary manufacturing plants. However, back-end systems often suffered from long development cycles, high costs, and inflexibility, and were only really suited to large-scale projects.

Siemens GBS opted to source a more flexible, cost-effective, and customized solution that better catered to the needs of its customers. UiPath RPA was chosen for its ability to release staff resources from complex routine tasks, greatly reducing labor costs and increasing overall accuracy.

“Human errors are common after long hours of repetitive work. This is why we adopted an RPA solution for business optimization. Once we have set up the commands and instructions, the robots automatically and effectively complete all the demanding tasks. This is very important for our clients in the manufacturing sector,” said a tech leader at Process Automation Service, Siemens GBS China.

Smooth deployment with outstanding results

The RPA deployment went very smoothly at Siemens’ subsidiaries. After a year, the UiPath Platform was integrated into every area of the supply chain, from procurement to sales. RPA greatly streamlines business processes such as financial management, supplier management, data maintenance, and customer support. This simplified and effective business model greatly reduces operational costs.

Significant achievements include:

Managing complicated financial tasks in an easy way

Every day the Siemens team receives thousands of invoices from suppliers. The process needed to record and process the invoices is highly repetitive in nature, requiring a high level of accuracy, and operates under constant time pressures. Following the RPA deployment, the robotic system can automatically download all invoices according to suppliers’ instructions, process them, and then notify the suppliers on their progress by way of email.

“The tasks are demanding, which involve receiving invoices and sending different payment amounts to suppliers using different bank accounts. However, the RPA robot can implement the same task in a more cost-effective way, and the results are more accurate than the manual method,” the tech leader continued.

Fully compatible with third-party tools, boosts efficiency

Some business process automation solutions are neither scalable nor compatible with existing systems or third-party tools. In the past, the Siemens team had to spend several hours a day processing invoices, which often interacted with the financial management system. After the deployment, UiPath RPA seamlessly connects with Siemens’ enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and other third-party tools, saving 50% in time and resources compared with the manual approach.

Make amendments to the purchase and order system in just a few steps

Working with its clients, Siemens manages a great number of subsidiary factories in China and processes a huge number of orders each day. It’s not uncommon to have requests to amend orders from time to time. With UiPath in place, the robotic process can automatically update and modify the related parameters in the Purchase Order (PO) system. By timely responding to the latest demands, the system can be constantly updated and increase productivity.

Previously, when an external supplier asked to amend an order, such as a new delivery date or purchase volume, the Siemens procurement managers had to verify the information with the suppliers manually with phone calls or emails. With RPA, the robot can automatically reflect the amendments on the Siemens’ system and alert the procurement managers to take appropriate action.

“The RPA robot connects Siemens PO system, external supplier systems, our back-end database, and other PO systems. This is a significant digital transformation project in our company,” the tech leader added.

Sustained digital updates to increase productivity

The UiPath team worked closely with Siemens GBS throughout the development and deployment process, addressing special requirements and providing constructive recommendations.

UiPath is an easy-to-use and capable platform for business automation. Siemens GBS China has deployed UiPath RPA in several subsidiaries and departments, and will continue to adopt UiPath products to optimize business process in other areas.

After the successful deployment of the UiPath Platform, labor and operation costs have been greatly reduced, whilst operational accuracy and efficiency is also enhanced. With the accumulated knowledge and expertise in the RPA area, the UiPath solutions are highly compatible with shorter development cycle, helping us to serve our customers in a more flexible and effective way.

Tech Lead of Process Automation Service, Siemens GBS China