Industry:
TRADING
Department:
Finance
Process: PURCHASE & SALES ORDER
67%
efficiency improvement
100%
accuracy achieved
Significant
resource optimization
Client Overview
Honda Trading (HTID) is a global trading company specializing in automotive parts and materials for Honda group operations worldwide. The company’s principal activities encompass import-export and distribution of steel, aluminium, resin, parts, and machinery for Honda’s diverse product portfolio including vehicles, motorcycles, and power products. Managing complex supply chains across multiple continents, HTID processes substantial daily volumes of purchase and sales orders while coordinating between Honda group entities and suppliers globally.
The Challenge
HTID’s operations team faced significant bottlenecks in processing their core three-document workflow that defines trading operations. When Honda group entities submitted purchase orders for automotive materials and parts, staff manually extracted data from each customer purchase order, created corresponding sales orders with appropriate pricing and delivery terms, and simultaneously generated purchase orders to suppliers with coordinated specifications and timing. This process required 4-5 full-time employees working 5-6 hours daily, creating operational inefficiencies that limited scalability.
Challenges faced:
- High risk of transcription errors when transferring data between customer purchase orders, sales orders, and supplier purchase orders
- Time-consuming manual workflows requiring 5-6 hours daily with 4-5 dedicated staff members
- Resource-intensive processes limiting the company’s ability to scale operations effectively
- Delayed response times to Honda group entities affecting supply chain efficiency
- Employee dissatisfaction from repetitive, administrative tasks with limited value-added contribution
The Solution
RPATech implemented an AI-powered automation solution specifically designed for HTID’s unique three-document trading workflow. The solution deployed two sophisticated bots programmed to handle the complete documentation process from initial customer purchase order receipt through final supplier purchase order generation, incorporating advanced understanding of automotive parts trading operations, pricing calculations, and critical data mapping requirements.
Key aspects of the solution:
- Automated data extraction from customer purchase orders with intelligent field mapping across different document formats
- End-to-end sales order generation with automatic pricing calculations and customer-specific terms application
- Coordinated supplier purchase order creation, incorporating timing buffers and specification matching
- Built-in reconciliation capabilities to handle purchase order revisions throughout the order lifecycle
Seamless integration with HTID’s existing ERP system, ensuring complete audit trails and data consistency
The Outcomes
- Dramatic time reduction from 5-6 hours to 2 hours daily processing time, representing a 67% efficiency improvement
- 100% accuracy in data extraction and document generation, eliminating costly transcription errors
- Significant resource optimisation allowing 4-5 full-time employees to focus on strategic, value-added activities
- Enhanced Honda group responsiveness through faster order processing and confirmation cycles
- Improved supplier coordination with accurate, timely purchase orders, reducing fulfilment complications
- Stronger operational scalability, enabling HTID to handle increased order volumes without proportional staffing increases
- Higher employee satisfaction by eliminating repetitive tasks and enabling focus on relationship management and strategic growth initiatives
