SemCAMS Reduces Costs with Accounts Payable and Payment Procedure Processes

Background

Ultimus Client: SemCAMS
Industry: Energy
Solution: Accounts Payable and Payment Procedures

SemCAMS is one of the largest licensed sour gas processors in Canada, accounting for nearly 80% of total Canadian energy production. Based in Calgary, Alberta, SemCAMS’ assets include four gas processing plants and more than 600 miles of natural gas gathering pipeline in Alberta.

Formed in 2000, SemCAMS was created to align and optimize the operation and business development activities relating to gathering and processing assets located in the west-central area of Alberta.

Goal: Automate Accounts Payable and Payment Processes

The sheer volume of invoices SemCAMS receives makes tracking and managing accounts payable a challenge.

Receiving both manually and some electronically submitted invoices only added to SemCAMS tedious process, making it a nightmare for any finance or accounting department. Other challenges with the process include:

• Time Consuming and Manually Intensive- The accounts payable process was very labor intensive as the accounting department had to manually track invoices, enter data, and send the invoices to the appropriate supervisors for approval.
• Lack of Visibility and Control- SemCAMS lacked the ability to monitor the progress of the payments through the approval process. Moreover, they were not able to identify trends such as cycle time and lacked the ability to see what financial obligations were open and where the responsibility laid. 
• Error and Delayed Payment Prone- The manual payment process was very prone to errors and missed payments as accounting codes had to be entered by hand. Lacking a notification system for new invoices and the status of approvals made the paying procedures subject to delays.

Ultimus' Approach

Using the Ultimus Adaptive BPM Suite, the finance and accounting department  automated the accounts payable process, including email notifications of new invoices and the status of the payment, thus increasing visibility within the department. The new system automatically pre-populates specific fields and connects to PO systems for verification, and supervisors are notified of the payments as they come due.

The Ultimus Adaptive BPM suite delivers the control SemCAMS needs to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements such as Sarbanes-Oxley. Additionally, the new automated process includes enhanced reporting and tracking features, helping SemCAMS monitor and track other financial obligations and responsibilities as well as identify key cycle trends.

Implementation

The implementation of the Ultimus Adaptive BPM Suite was fast and efficient with SemCAMS quickly realizing increased performance and cost savings.

Streamlining the accounting process also sped up the company’s procurement of critical goods for operations and new asset development. The web-based forms improve communication with employees and help to answer payment questions promptly.

With Ultimus, SemCAMS facilitated demonstrable, rapid efficiencies at nearly every stage of the accounts payable cycle. Through the implementation of the Ultimus Adaptive BPM Suite, they have rapidly increased performance, reduced costs and enhanced customer satisfaction.

About Ultimus

Ultimus has automated more business processes than any other Business Process Management (BPM) vendor worldwide. Ultimus Adaptive BPM Suite has enabled companies to accelerate their performance goals at every stage of corporate growth. Ultimus’ award-winning technology seamlessly adapts to people, systems and change. Utilized by more than 2,000 customers worldwide, Ultimus provides solutions to organizations such as Pfizer, ProHealth, Bausch & Lomb, Northrup Grumman, DHL, Microsoft, Daimler, Perdue Farms, Chevron, and Tulane University. Ultimus is headquartered in North America, and has additional offices in Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Australia.