Following the pandemic declaration and the subsequent economic impacts caused by the lockdowns, manufacturers faced a dramatic drop in demand. This is compelling executives to focus on measures that drive efficiency and reduce costs, while building resilience into their operating models to better adapt to change.
One of the top five automotive manufacturers in the world is turning to a robust, enterprise-wide robotic process automation (RPA) initiative to help achieve these measures. It selected CGI as one of its partners to tackle an ambitious target of implementing hundreds of bots over the next three years.
From the research lab to the CFO agenda
The automotive manufacturer’s research department uses its data lab to test various emerging technologies to learn how they can advance their digital agenda. As technologies mature, they move from research to production throughout the firm’s global operations.
In the case of RPA technologies, they were released from the lab into the business per the usual processes. However, following the impacts of the pandemic, RPA quickly became part of the CFO’s agenda to advance the company’s savings initiatives and commitments to its stakeholders.
With the executive sponsorship in place, the manufacturer chose three partners to help implement the program. CGI was selected due to our industry expertise and international experience in working with innovative technologies that can scale and be successfully implemented across a worldwide enterprise.
A quality test-driven delivery approach
Each of the manufacturers’ business departments is responsible for coming up with ideas for processes to automate. For example, one process to improve is the reporting of failures from international sales vendors. RPA can build a knowledge-base of these error tickets and identify improvements for the next models to avoid future repair costs. Another area is advancing the electronic engineering department’s car-related projects, helping to plan and accelerate the future of its electronic vehicles.
Once the RPA business cases go through an internal selection process, chosen candidates are brought forward to the RPA partners, which are using Automation Anywhere’s software to implement the digital worker bots.
CGI is responsible for managing the end-to-end, enterprise-wide RPA initiatives. The RPA bots come through CGI’s team that works in proximity to the client’s head office, along with our nearshore teams in the Czech Republic and Portugal, which specialize in such areas as DevOps.
Strengthening the technology supply chain
Technology is a key element of the value chains of every public and private organization today. Rethinking technology supply chains is key for leaders as they seek to build more resilience into their organizations. The technology supply chain includes a vast array and harmonization of technologies and services, such as robust automation, secure cloud solutions, and smart managed services.
Learn more about how we’ve helped clients harness the power of automation to build more elasticity into their technology supply chains, and to accelerate new services, optimize costs and enhance customer care.
