In today’s technology-driven world, companies need to prioritize digital transformation to stay relevant and competitive in the market. Norco Industries, a US-based manufacturer, had a similar objective when it appointed Chris Richner as its Chief Information Officer (CIO) to guide them through the transformation journey. Chris Richner hit the ground running with a plan to use Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to free the company’s staff from time-consuming, repetitive tasks and give them the bandwidth to embrace broader changes.
Norco’s CIO, Chris Richner, plans to use Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
Chris Richner knew that RPA could be the catalyst for Norco’s digital transformation. His team worked with the finance department to identify workflows that could benefit the most from automation. Together with RPA vendor Kognitos, they created automation plans for the identified workflows. This collaborative effort ensured that the automation was customized to fit Norco’s unique needs.
Identifying workflows and collaborating with RPA vendor Kognitos
The collaborative effort between Norco and Kognitos was crucial to the success of automation. After identifying workflows that could benefit most from it, Chris Richner’s team worked closely with Kognitos to create bespoke automation plans.
The Results of Automation in Norco
The automation implemented by Chris Richner’s team enabled Norco to save between 10-15 hours of employee time per week. Additionally, the automation eliminated 15-20 hours of billing tasks per week and removed 30 hours of invoicing tasks per week. The automated system also reduced human errors and minimized the need for hiring new staff.
Expansion of RPA efforts with division presidents and director of human resources
The success of the automation was evident, and Chris Richner and his team were eager to expand its use in Norco. They brought in the two division presidents and the director of human resources to an envisioning workshop on RPA aimed at exploring how Norco could extend the use of RPA across more departments.
Norco’s “Engineering on Request” feature
One of the things that sets Norco apart from its competitors is its “engineering-on-request” feature. With the help of RPA, Norco could potentially automate the entire process of generating a bill of materials from design specifications, feeding it into SolidWorks, a solid modeling CAD engineering application, and rendering the design in real-time. This automation could not only save time, but also reduce the number of human errors, guaranteeing greater accuracy.
Possibilities of automating the entire process with RPA
The success of the RPA project has highlighted the possibility of automating other processes in Norco. According to Chris Richner, other RPA plans include onboarding and offboarding employees, processing checks, and handling chargebacks for freight. The incorporation of RPA in these workflows is expected to provide similar benefits to the company.
Chris Richner’s Advice to Peers
To anyone looking to embark on the RPA journey, Chris Richner’s advice is, “Don’t be scared. Spend time understanding it.” According to him, understanding the technology is crucial to successfully incorporating it into any organization.
In conclusion, Norco Industries’ journey through digital transformation has been successful, with RPA playing an essential role in the process. Chris Richner’s leadership and teamwork with Kognitos have enabled Norco to achieve significant results by freeing employee’s time and resources to concentrate on more strategic tasks. The success of the RPA project is a testament to the company’s commitment to innovation and technology-centric growth strategies.