This testimonial highlights ABB’s successful implementation of e-invoicing solutions in partnership with Unifiedpost. By transitioning from paper-based to electronic invoicing, ABB has significantly improved efficiency, reduced costs, and enhanced data quality. The collaboration began in 2013 and continues to drive progress in ABB’s financial operations in Germany.
Customer details
Company: ABB Group
Business sector: Energy and automation technology
Location: Worldwide
The globally operating ABB Group is a leader in power and automation technology. At ABB Germany, all accounting-related services are handled by ABB Business Services GmbH (BIS). To continuously enhance efficiency, performance, and quality, the accounting centre has relied on its partnership with Unifiedpost (formerly "crossinx") to further expand its use of electronic invoice exchange.
In Germany, the company and its five business divisions receive over 600,000 invoices each year. Processing is handled by BIS. Unifiedpost’s e-invoicing solution went live technically in September 2013, marking the start of ABB’s major e-invoicing expansion. The new process became fully operational in October 2013, when the first invoice was successfully received through Unifiedpost.
Looking back: ABB’s invoicing process before
Until the introduction of the new solution, suppliers typically sent paper invoices to ABB. These were scanned and transferred into the ERP system using text recognition software, where they were then processed by Accounts Payable. At the time, only 6% of invoices were submitted digitally.
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A figure that was set to grow significantly. The previous standard approach was no longer seen as fit for purpose. It involved a high degree of manual effort, resulted in time delays, and offered limited scope for optimisation. BIS management therefore made the decision to actively promote electronic invoice exchange (e-invoicing).
Goal: Increase automation and efficiency
"Our aim was to increase the level of automation in order to reduce costs and make processes more efficient," says Franka Strache, Project Manager e-Invoicing, ABB Germany. "We also wanted to increase the data quality of the existing e-invoicing system and improve throughput times - for example to increase the discount utilisation rate."
Support through Unifiedpost
External expertise was required to ensure a smooth and effective implementation. ABB therefore invited proposals from several e-invoicing providers and conducted a supplier comparison, speaking with existing Unifiedpost clients. "The fact that a number of ABB suppliers were already cooperating with the local area of the business, spoke in favour of Unifiedpost Group," says Strache. "In addition, Unifiedpost Group has a broad network of international partners, so that we can benefit from existing roaming agreements in the future internationalisation of electronic invoice receipt."
Following the contract signing in July 2013, implementation was completed by October. "Initial outreach to suppliers was done via the relevant ABB procurement contacts. From there, we took over technical support for individual suppliers. Unifiedpost's existing clients were already set up. Based on an ABC analysis by document volume, we began by onboarding A-level suppliers and those who were already working with us," recalls Unifiedpost.
High data and invoice quality
Because the Unifiedpost solution can be customised to meet client-specific requirements, it enables a high standard of data and invoice quality. This is essential to achieving a high level of automation and short processing times, while also reducing the need for manual checks.
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For example, mandatory fields and order number ranges can be validated. An initial compliance check under Section 14 of the German VAT Act (UStG) is performed by Unifiedpost. If validation is successful, the structured data and invoice image are forwarded to ABB. If the invoice fails validation (e.g. due to missing fields), it is returned to the supplier along with the relevant error code. Further validations using mapping tables, such as keyword recognition, enhance the digital invoice receipt process and contribute to its overall efficiency.
Automated processes secure savings potential
"The expansion of e-invoicing will increase the entire invoice receipt process and the automation rate of postings. This saves ABB valuable time and therefore costs," emphasises Jacqueline Sikora, Head of Accounts Payable.
As a result, the use of Unifiedpost and its partnership with ABB paid off quickly: the proportion of invoices received digitally doubled compared to the previous year.
Encouraged by this success, ABB continues to push forward with the switch to e-invoicing. New business partners are being onboarded on an ongoing basis, and the first suppliers from other European countries have also embraced ABB’s e-invoicing solution with Unifiedpost.
The successful partnership between ABB and Unifiedpost demonstrates how the adoption of e-invoicing can lead to significant improvements in efficiency and cost reduction. ABB remains committed to further digitising its financial processes to continue benefiting from the advantages of electronic invoicing in the future.
