Before standardizing on Basware, Sulzer operated with five different accounts payable tools, each offering different levels of automation. Three SAP environments sat alongside Microsoft Dynamics and iSCALA, reflecting years of organic growth and acquisitions.
This fragmentation created operational friction. Processes differed by system. Automation levels varied widely. Training and governance were inconsistent, making it difficult to scale shared services efficiently. Vendor management was also harder to standardize, creating unnecessary variation across regions.
At the same time, compliance requirements added another layer of complexity. Country-specific e-invoicing regulations differed across Sulzer’s global footprint, increasing both operational effort and risk in an already fragmented AP environment.
Serrano describes the situation candidly, noting that before consolidation, AP processing was “quite chaotic,” driven by multiple tools and limited automation.
Fragmentation did not just affect efficiency. It also made it harder to manage compliance consistently across countries, increasing the risk of variation in how regulatory requirements were addressed.
One strategic decision: Standardize AP above ERP
Sulzer’s response was not to attempt ERP consolidation first. With five ERP systems in place, ERP diversity was a reality that would persist.
Instead, Sulzer chose to standardize accounts payable above ERP.
Basware was selected as the global AP platform because it could integrate across Sulzer’s existing ERP architecture while providing automation, global reach, and compliance support. Serrano explains that a decisive factor was the ability to “build on top of our different ERP architecture with one single standard tool.” Just as importantly, this approach created a stable foundation for managing global e-invoicing compliance without tying regulatory change to ERP replacement or regional system changes.
This architectural approach allowed Sulzer to move forward with AP standardization and compliance without forcing disruptive ERP changes or delaying progress until future modernization initiatives. It also created a stable foundation that could support ERP evolution over time without disrupting AP operations.
A rollout model built for scale and governance
Sulzer designed its global rollout to reflect how the organization actually operates.
Implementations were structured first by ERP system and then rolled out by region within each system. This approach allowed Sulzer to reuse integration patterns, manage complexity systematically, and engage employees in a way that aligned with regional structures.
As Serrano explains, the rollout was designed “by system and within the system itself, by regions,” making it easier to engage local teams while maintaining global consistency.
Strong governance was central to this approach. Sulzer deliberately avoided over-customization, focusing instead on using Basware’s standard capabilities. This helped reduce long-term complexity, supported scalability, and ensured the solution remained sustainable as additional countries and business units came online.
Clear roles for IT and Finance from the start
Early and deliberate stakeholder involvement was critical to success.
IT was engaged even before the design phase began. With multiple ERP systems in play, integration was mission critical. Serrano is clear that without early IT involvement, integration would have been extremely difficult. IT teams worked closely with Basware’s technical experts to define the integration blueprint and long-term architecture.
Finance engagement followed shortly after. Global and regional finance leaders were brought in around the start of the design phase, typically about a month before detailed work began. They were introduced to Basware, aligned on process changes, and prepared for rollout.
Local finance teams and shared services groups were then engaged as deployments progressed, ensuring adoption while preserving a consistent global model. Serrano summarizes the lesson simply: “When you’re implementing Basware, you need to involve your stakeholders very early on, especially IT and finance.”
Compliance managed at global scale
For Sulzer, compliance is not a one-time requirement. It is an ongoing operational reality shaped by geography, regulation, and scale.
Operating across more than 45 countries means dealing with a constantly shifting landscape of e-invoicing requirements. Each country introduces its own rules, formats, and timelines, making compliance increasingly difficult to manage through fragmented systems or local workarounds.
Before standardizing on Basware, this complexity sat on top of an already fragmented AP environment. Multiple tools, varying levels of automation, and inconsistent processes made it harder to maintain confidence that compliance was being managed consistently across regions.
Basware became a critical part of Sulzer’s compliance strategy by providing a single global platform that supports country-specific e-invoicing requirements across its footprint. Sulzer uses Basware not only to receive invoices compliantly, but also to send compliant electronic invoices, ensuring regulatory obligations are met on both sides of the transaction.
As Eduardo Serrano explains, compliance requirements are “popping-up left and right” across countries and having “a good partner like Basware is essential to navigating that complexity". Rather than tracking mandates locally or reacting to change country by country, Sulzer relies on Basware as a global compliance partner that helps manage regulatory variation in a controlled, consistent way.
This partnership-based approach gives Sulzer confidence. Compliance is not treated as a project with an end date, but as an ongoing journey supported by a platform and a team designed to evolve alongside regulation.
With Basware, Sulzer can operate at scale knowing that compliance is embedded into its AP processes, not bolted on as an afterthought.
