How Schweizer Zucker automated 12,000 invoices a year across two production sites

Over 100 years of sweetness

When you enjoy a piece of Swiss chocolate, chances are that you taste the sweetness of ‘Schweizer Zucker’. For over 100 years, Schweizer Zucker AG has supplied the Swiss market with high-quality products in great volumes. Each year, they turn 1.7 million tons of beet into 300,000 tons of sugar. Around a third is processed into Swiss chocolate, a large proportion goes to beverage manufacturers, and the rest ends up on domestic shelves.

Two plants, 2,200 suppliers, and a growing paper problem

With two production sites in Aarberg and Frauenfeld, 250 employees, and a century-long operation, Schweizer Zucker has more than enough to keep track of. Digital technology makes it easier.

For Schweizer Zucker, digitization is a strategic initiative — one that promotes the use of mobile devices, streamlines business processes, and reduces time and paper consumption.

The first process to be optimized was purchase handling, from orders to payments:

• Overseeing 12,000 invoices, manually filed across two locations, was no longer manageable
• Coordinating orders with ca. 2,200 suppliers in a unified way had become difficult
• Complexity grew as individual solutions and exceptions accumulated over time

In 2018, Schweizer Zucker decided to digitize the process.

Why Schweizer Zucker chose Next Invoices

Schweizer Zucker AG selected Next Invoices from Nextway based on cost-competitiveness, Nextway’s customer-centric approach, and the solution’s ability to deliver:

• More efficient and uniform processes across both plants
• Automatic invoice control and timely booking
• Reduction of paper mail and electronic invoice filing

Integrated with Dynamics NAV — from order to archive

With Next Invoices plugged into Dynamics NAV, orders are still issued directly in the ERP, but a PDF copy is automatically archived in Next. A workflow invites the right people to approve the purchase — and reminds them if they forget.

When supplier invoices arrive, they are scanned or emailed to Next. In either case, a digital copy is archived — accessible to anyone with permissions, from anywhere. The ERP is immediately synced with invoice data. Bookkeeping and accounting get a real-time overview of pending approvals, invoices waiting for payment, and monthly outstandings.

Next automatically matches the invoice with the purchase order and the delivery. If all three align, the invoice is released for payment.

With Next® Invoices, we always have up-to-date purchasing data at hand. We avoid potential delays and pay on time with little efforts.
— Nicole Aerni, CFO at Schweizer Zucker

Less paper, faster processing

Since Schweizer Zucker rolled out Next Invoices, the volume of incoming paper invoices has dropped significantly. With everything digitized and automated, people complete their tasks faster.

Instant access to documents

The embedded archive in Next Invoices provides full-text search, so staff find information in seconds — purchase orders, invoices, and emails they have previously archived in the system.

Role-based access for 150 users

Next Invoices helps the purchase and finance teams tighten control over their processes, from orders to payment — including all finance and purchase documents. Strict permission settings ensure that only authorized people see relevant invoices, and nothing more. With 150 users in the system, that level of control is a clear advantage over manual procedures.

Legally compliant with built-in approval controls

With Next Invoices, Schweizer Zucker has a legally compliant and audit-proof system in place. The corporate hierarchy and strict permission controls are embedded, making approval procedures straightforward. By default, the four-eyes principle applies. For larger amounts, up to six people are automatically invited to approve.

150 people, one rollout, no trouble

Implementing a new system is never easy — especially when it affects the work routines of nearly 150 people. But a multifunctional project team and a standard integration between Next Invoices and Dynamics NAV made it manageable.

Learning Next Invoices was no trouble at all for the end users.
‍— Nicole Aerni, CFO at Schweizer Zucker

Invoice approval from anywhere — with Next Go

With a clear digital agenda, Schweizer Zucker saw mobile access as a priority. The Next Go mobile app was an important addition.

Next Go lets all 150 users submit and approve invoices on the go — and access thousands of documents in their digital archive. Ready to review or share with colleagues, from anywhere.