Logistics group automates SAP-based document creation

GV Trucknet has been growing for many years and now consists of 13 partners. The companies are legally independent companies, but their most important administrative functions are performed by a central management company, GV Management. The core HR system is SAP SuccessFactors. In cooperation with the local HR managers, the central HR team uses SuccessFactors to provide efficient services for all locations.

Document Builder: A smart tool for a growing company group

What the company network still lacked was a smart solution for processing employee files. For instance, one major issue was drawing up employment contracts. When the successful group had a lot of new hires, manual processing proved too time-consuming and error-prone. It was also difficult to ensure that all locations were always working with the latest document templates – which should be in line with the corporate identity (CI) and legally up to date. The group was therefore looking for a reliable, easy-to-use tool for automatic document creation.

Centric solutions are tightly integrated in SAP SuccessFactors

The SAP service provider that had implemented SAP SuccessFactors at GV Management recommended Centric’s Document Builder. The solution met all the requirements of the HR team in charge, as Steffi Saur, the HR lead on the project, explains:

With Centric Document Builder, HR employees can continue to work with Microsoft Word templates and documents as usual. Master data and other required information is automatically imported into the documents from SAP SuccessFactors. This speeds up processing and significantly reduces the risk of errors. For instance, new employees’ data is now only entered once in SAP SuccessFactors and then automatically integrated into the relevant documents – even foreign names are always spelled correctly. HR employees can also create employment contracts, with all associated attachments, at the touch of a button.

Safe and compliant: Working with Document Builder

The logistics companies operate their own individual filing systems on their own servers. The document templates created in Document Builder are no longer stored in the same distributed locations as before; they’re stored centrally at GV Management. Employees at the individual sites can now access the document templates at any time and don’t have to wait for emails from head office. This allows HR managers to work much more independently and means the centrally managed documents are always standardized and up to date.

The companies only have access to the documents they need themselves. The central HR department controls access rights independently in the easy-to-understand SAP SuccessFactors authorization management system. The fact that the department now has control is an important advantage for HR Manager Steffi Saur. She confirms: “Centric empowers its customers to work independently.”

Good cooperation with Centric

The HR team felt well supported by Centric in the implementation phase. The project took around three months, including training, from the initial workshops and the design of new document processes to going live. A key focus was on collecting, assessing, and standardizing all existing documents. The Centric consultants used their technical expertise to help streamline the entire document system and provided valuable tips on document design and content. Steffi Saur emphasizes:

Broad acceptance at all locations

As it was the individual sites that initially called for a digital document solution, the HR managers there were very accepting of it. They came up with many of the ideas for creating documents, such as employee letters or certificates for the entire group. Document Builder’s ease of use also contributed to this high level of acceptance. New employees in HR departments can work with it quickly, and new companies joining the growing logistics group are also easy to integrate into the system.

Payroll Team Leader Sandra Siemann also cites the group-wide standardization, which ensures error-free, CI-compliant, and legally compliant documents and content, as a key added value:

Automation has also sped up work with documents considerably. In future, the GV Management team wants to activate Document Builder’s workflow control and integrate digital signature capacities in order to make even better use of the potential of system-guided processes.