Pont Packaging is part of the Pont Europe Group, a European supplier of glass and plastic jars and bottles. The company was founded in Amsterdam in 1906 and currently employs 140 people across 13 offices and 7 warehouses. Pont meets the packaging needs of the food & beverage, chemicals, dietary supplements, pharmaceuticals, personal care, and pet care markets.
Pont Packaging has experienced rapid growth. One of the consequences of this is a significant increase in work-related travel. “We’ve been using the 4CEE Invoice processing software for 1.5 years now. As a result, it’s become completely normal to have information available at any time of day, no matter where I am. This need also applies to our employees’ expense reports and credit card expenditures. On an annual basis, travel incurs significant costs, so having insight into this is of great importance.”
“Everyone benefits from a reduction in administrative burdens. For us, internal time and cost savings are therefore very important. But sustainability is certainly no less important. Travel is necessary but polluting. Eliminating the need to print, copy, and mail expense reports is just a small contribution, but it’s an improvement,” said Thøre Gericke, Controller at Pont Packaging.
Gericke continues: “In 2017, we began implementing software for the digital processing of invoices and contracts using 4CEE Invoice and 4CEE Contract.
“One of the selection criteria was that we would also receive support in digitizing our expense report process. 4CEE stood head and shoulders above the rest in this regard.”
Thøre Gericke, Controller at Pont Packaging
Processing all expense reports on paper involved a great deal of manual work, both for the employee submitting the report and for the financial department. Filling out Excel forms, sorting and stapling receipts, printing and attaching travel itineraries, and then having the entire expense report approved by the manager. This was particularly cumbersome for employees abroad, since everything had to be sent by mail. After the manager’s approval, everything had to be sent to the finance department, where each entry was posted at the line-item level due to the various cost categories and VAT. Finally, it went to the CFO for authorization, and only then was it ready for payment.
For credit card expense reports, the process was virtually the same. Except that in this case, we also had to wait until the end of the month when the statements were made available by the credit card company. As a result, you’re always a month behind.
Our expectation for 4CEE Expense was that we could streamline this cumbersome process. The most important benefit we wanted to achieve was saving time. Through faster and simpler data entry, digital submission—which sends the expense report directly to the relevant manager for approval—and the automatic matching of monthly credit card statements with the corresponding expense reports.”
“When we discussed this project with 4CEE, they told us about their intention to completely revamp the existing expense reporting solution. They asked if we would like to participate as a test partner. Aside from the fact that this is, of course, simply fun to do, it gave us the unique opportunity to voice all our requirements and try to incorporate them into the software.”
“It turned out to be a very pleasant collaboration, just as we’ve come to expect from 4CEE. Open communication, even when things get tough. There were quite a few challenges. At first, you think, ‘How difficult is the expense report process, really?’ Until you start defining all the details and choices, keeping in mind that it has to work for other organizations in the market as well, not just us.”
“There’s also a lot involved from a technical standpoint. You expect it to be done once you’ve passed a test, but there are so many phones, operating systems, and internet platforms that need to be taken into account. I had no idea what all this would entail. The downside is that this simply takes time, even though the possibilities and benefits become clear fairly quickly. You really have to be patient and keep the importance of quality over speed firmly in mind.”
Expense reports are now being processed using the new solution. Gericke: “The initial feedback has been positive. The software’s design and functionality are very intuitive. Speed is the first thing you notice. Reimbursement requests from abroad are received, approved, and processed in the system much faster. Whereas we used to be a month behind, processing now takes just a few days. It’s also cheaper, because previously the reimbursement requests were sent by mail from abroad. No more dealing with folded and stapled receipts that are impossible to read.”
"Speed is the first thing you notice. Expense reports from abroad are received, approved, and processed in the accounting system much faster. Whereas we used to be a month behind, processing now takes just a few days."
4CEE Product Owner: “The past year with Pont Packaging has been a joint journey of discovery. Building a completely new application is quite a challenge and requires patience. But the result is impressive. As a team of product owners and developers who worked hard on the application, it’s great to hear that it more than meets expectations. That’s what it’s all about in the end.”
“The key to success is the energy Pont Packaging has put into this project. Without their constructive feedback and input on the solution, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”