KESSEL SE + Co. KG digitizes approval processes with Microsoft Power Apps
With innovative drainage solutions, KESSEL SE + Co. KG ensures safety in buildings in over 60 countries and helps its customers with high-quality backflow valves, lifting systems, drains and separators for clean and safe disposal of wastewater.
In recent years, KESSEL has focused its digitalization primarily on production, where it has already automated and digitized its processes as far as possible. Due to the increasing importance of digital processes and the ongoing transformation of the company, it was now a logical step for KESSEL to also tackle administrative processes and thus further automate and improve internal processes. In close cooperation with itmX GmbH, the company developed an app that is technologically based on Microsoft Power Apps that digitizes and automates internal approval and approval processes.
For approval and approval processes, such as those necessary for travel expenses, new IT equipment or project orders , KESSEL previously used numerous paper-based forms, which the applicant had to fill out and send by in-house mail on the approval trip. In the case of a new project assignment, up to 8 departments and up to 15 people may have been involved in the approvals. It may take several days to weeks for such an application to be approved by all parties involved, also in view of the fact that it was often not possible to understand exactly where the application was at the moment.
Today, the applicant fills out the application with the relevant information, uploads it to the Power App , adds the respective supervisor and the other necessary persons who need to approve the application, and sends them digitally on the approval journey. For certain types of applications, such as a travel expense, the necessary approvers – in this example, accounting – are already fixed and do not have to be added manually.
“The last project assignment I accompanied was completed within two days – a process that used to take weeks.”
Kevin Grein, Assistant to the Management Board and Digital Transformation Manager, KESSEL SE + Co. KG
In addition to the convenient application process, the new solution not only improves process speed, but also revolutionizes transparency in the entire approval process. Whereas in the past it was necessary to first ask who the application was currently with, the applicants can now track in real time , which approval level your application is currently in, so that you can contact the responsible person directly if necessary to avoid possible delays.
“If an application is not forwarded, the system now offers full transparency. As an applicant, I can see exactly who has the application and follow up directly to see if there is a problem or if it has simply been forgotten.”
Kevin Grein, Assistant to the Management Board and Digital Transformation Manager, KESSEL SE + Co. KG
Overall, the throughput times of the digitization of the approval processes could be reduced by 90%, which not only leads to acceleration of project starts, but also enormously increased the satisfaction of applicants.
Almost three months passed from the initial concept to the go-live of the digital form solution, the implementation time of the app was only five weeks. The app is technologically based on Microsoft Power Apps – a component of the Microsoft Power Platform, the application could be made available to all employees immediately . Anyone who has an Office 365 account has had an immediate access to the application. On the cost side, this represents an considerable advantage, as no separate licenses had to be purchased.
The fact that the app is based on Microsoft’s toolset has significantly accelerated and simplified the roll-out. Almost everyone in our company already has a Microsoft 365 account, so everyone had immediate access to the app. No further license costs have been incurred.
Kevin Grein, Assistant to the Management Board and Digital Transformation Manager, KESSEL SE + Co. KG
With the With the digitization of the approval processes of applications, KESSEL SE + Co. KG has taken a decisive step towards more efficient and future-oriented corporate management.
KESSEL SE + Co. KG is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of drainage solutions that are used in over 60 countries. Since 1963, the company has been offering high-quality products such as backflow valves, lifting systems and separators. These serve to protect people and the environment from the dangers of wastewater and stand for outstanding safety and quality.
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