Business Processes: Boosting Communication and Auditing

Sept. 2, 2010
Roland DGA Corp., of Irvine Calif., produces graphics printers and provides accompanying technology and services, including ultra-violet (UV) photography, engraving and 3D modeling technologies. 
Over the past 24 months, the company has started to implement workflow processes in its accounting and human resources (HR) operations.“Efficiently automating business processes is a key strategic initiative that allows us to stay ahead of our competitors,” says Bob Castle, vice president of operations and chief information officer. After reviewing more than 70 solutions, Roland chose Invensys Skelta, based in Bangalore, India. Roland based the decision in part on Skelta’s workflow, document management and Microsoft Dynamics GP integration. “One of the key reasons we chose Skelta was because of the underlying Microsoft .Net Framework,” says Diane Bullock, business systems manager at Roland.Roland first deployed workflow processes to automate its vendor payments. This includes an audit trail that forces appropriate sign-offs on payments. “All users have the means to annotate, highlight, version and search documents in the process,” says Bullock. “There is an extensive role-based view of accounts payable data, and documents are available, ensuring that only users with appropriate privileges view the data.”Roland has also implemented workflow for employee evaluations. In both cases, employees had to change their processes to comply with the automated system. In the case of vendor payments, the workflow simplified processes for users, thus eliminating any change management issues. With the employee evaluations, the process required greater communication.“The change was a lot easier with the accounting team, since we had end-users who wanted the process. They were excited about the automated process, so the change was well received,” says Bullock. “For the performance evaluation, it was more difficult, since people were more accustomed to e-mailing the evaluations. We had to sell people on the reason behind it to get people on board.”Related Feature - Using Workflow to Bolster Plant PerformanceTo read the feature article relating to this story, go towww.automationworld.com/feature-7518.

Subscribe to Automation World's RSS Feeds for Feature Articles

Sponsored Recommendations

1 Pole B-Trip DLS8 Series: Manual Motor Controller

Tailored to meet various requirements, this series offers B Trip Characteristics for two distinct rated current ranges - 1A to 10A and 13A to 60A. This ensures reliable and customized...

Versatile 2-Pole Solution for Precise Automation

Altech Corp proudly presents the 2 Pole B-Trip DLS8 Series - UL508 Manual Motor Controller, a robust and reliable solution for precise motor control in your automation and control...

Advanced 4 Pole B-Trip Manual Motor Controller by Altech Corp

Discover superior motor control with the DLS8 Series - UL508 Manual Motor Controller, now available in a 4 Pole B-Trip configuration. As your trusted source for automation and...

Reliable and Efficient 1 Pole B-Trip Supplementary Protector by Altech Corp

Introducing the cutting-edge DLS7 Series - UL1077 Supplementary Protector with B Trip Characteristics, engineered for precise protection in diverse industrial applications. Altech...