Streamlining Kardex’s admin work through a premium onboarding

Modern warehouses require solutions that address both space constraints and workforce optimisation. With around 2,500 employees in over 30 countries, Kardex, a leading provider of integrated logistics solutions, meets these challenges head-on.

Listed on the Swiss SIX Stock Exchange since 1989, Kardex helps warehouses manage space for all their inventory with automated storage and retrieval systems that act like intelligent filing cabinets. Vertical space is used efficiently with shelves that automatically move up and down to bring the required items to the worker. This frees up floor space and saves time, making warehouses run smoothly and efficiently.

While Kardex was already a step ahead regarding intralogistics solutions, some internal processes, particularly expense management, still needed modernisation.

A significant amount of paperwork needed to be transitioned to a paperless system. Kardex employees frequently struggled to get signatures, and when key stakeholders were either on vacation or unavailable, it became challenging to accelerate the approvals.

As an international company, managers are spread across the globe. When a team member travelled, they would have to take photographs of their expenses, and the manager would email this information to the accounting department.

However, there were situations where expenses were approved, but no receipts were attached. This could happen for a multitude of reasons, leading the accounting department to raise questions and flag expenses — a recurring scenario that Kardex wanted to avoid.

Conscious of their need to digitise processes, Kardex took their first steps towards this transformation with Rydoo.

Kardex sought out a solution to save their employees’ time and energy while improving quality, with Rydoo checking off all three requirements. Moreover, Rydoo’s dedicated customer success team’s around-the-clock support during the onboarding period, offering guidance and providing solutions at all times, proved to be a game-changer.

From Kardex’s point of view, opting for an onboarding package was the best investment. This allowed the team to take the workload off their shoulders, claiming that “it felt like having an outsourced project manager guiding the team through templates, policies and procedures”.

Although Kardex now finds the setup process easy since they are fully onboarded, they still endorse the benefits of having a dedicated team from the very beginning. For instance, they highlight scenarios where newly onboarded companies might need assistance setting up local per diem.

The team also mentioned how having the helpdesk or chatbot available helped with ad hoc questions and solved problems that did not require complex support.

When referring to the adoption of Rydoo’s expense management software, the transition was straightforward for employees who were more comfortable with tech. As soon as it was mentioned that an app was available, they installed it even before the managers announced that they were live, with no questions asked.

However, extra care was needed for less tech-savvy employees or those who wouldn’t travel so frequently to ensure they felt comfortable while using the mobile app.

Kardex estimates that around 90% of the company quickly adopted Rydoo. The remaining 10% don’t use the software, given that printing receipts is still required by law in certain countries. However, it’s possible to have a full paperless and compliant expense system.

A key benefit of implementing Rydoo was the ability to secure instant approvals, regardless of location or employee availability, eliminating delays and bottlenecks. Rydoo also provides real-time expense tracking, improving visibility and accrual estimates and enhancing financial planning.

Rydoo’s ability to integrate with an HR tool, in this case, Workday, has also improved data accuracy, reducing manual entries, minimising the risk of errors and ensuring consistency across the organisation.

Implementing a single source of truth with Rydoo has had a positive impact since day one, saving Kardex a lot of administrative hours. 

With most employees using Rydoo across multiple locations, Kardex looks forward to improving the team’s digital capabilities and adopting more of the software’s features.

Incorporating complementary solutions like travel management software or AI-powered features to further enhance processes is also on the horizon. Kardex and Rydoo’s teams are dedicated to continuing their collaboration and looking forward to the possibilities the future holds.