Everything digital at Argus: workflows that make processes simple

"Finally get rid of all the paper!" That was the goal of Stefanie Becker, responsible for process optimization and export control officer at ARGUS Additive Plastics GmbH, before implementing digital business processes. Less paper - many software providers promise this and significant time savings on their websites. Just a promising advertising slogan or a fact?

ARGUS Additive Plastics GmbH is a specialist when it comes to producing plastic masterbatches for the processing industry. The company's focus is on making plastics more durable in order to achieve long-term benefits and make a contribution to environmental protection. Based in Büren, the company offers solutions mainly for the application areas of films, nonwovens, filaments/tapes, pipes, sheets and profiles, artificial turf and injection molding. Typical everyday processes include recipe creation or changes, which were previously recorded using printed PDF documents and were characterized by high paper throughput. "A lot of paper was passed from one department to the next. That always took a lot of time and we really wanted to simplify it," recalls Stefanie Becker.

The first contact with Yaveon was made back in 2016, when ARGUS was looking for a new ERP system. The company contacted several ERP partners - Yaveon won the race. Why? "Presales and the sales representative responsible for us convinced us. The discussions were always very open. They were very clear about what was possible and, above all, what was not. In human terms, it was simply a very good fit," reports Stefanie Becker. Since the ERP project was successfully completed, ARGUS and the Yaveon consultants have remained in regular contact. "Our project manager then drew our attention to the possibility of automating workflows with WEBCON."

WEBCON BPS is the low-code software from the provider of the same name, WEBCON, and enables the intuitive implementation of digital workflows. As a software partner solution, WEBCON BPS is an integral part of the Yaveon portfolio. It enables numerous business processes to be handled digitally and more easily. Typical examples include

• IT applications
• Digital travel management
• Digital vacation management

WEBCON BPS can also be used to digitally close many gaps in business processes that are not covered by existing standard software. Because the solution is based on templates, processes can be digitized quickly and easily.

The first step for ARGUS was a workshop in which a prototype of the future workflow was presented. This prototype was then further developed during the project itself and finally put into operation as a complete solution. "The implementation phase was absolutely relaxed and easy. Our consultant was on site for two days and showed us everything. It simply ran smoothly - just as we are used to projects with Yaveon," says Ms. Becker.

Thanks to the WEBCON solution, all previously manual and paper-driven recipe processes are now handled digitally. Once a document has been started, the next responsible employee automatically receives a workflow task. If necessary, the integrated escalation management reminds the employee if the task is still open. Particularly practical for ARGUS: the WEBCON solution was connected directly to the company's own ERP and document management system. While the complete document previously had to be printed out and stored in a folder at the end of the process, it can now be moved directly from WEBCON to the DMS. This is a partner solution of d.velop AG from the Yaveon portfolio, which was introduced some time ago. d.velop AG specializes in providing easy-to-understand, reliable DMS solutions.

However, a workflow solution such as WEBCON offers much more potential, as processes of almost any kind can be digitized. "Process digitization is an ongoing process for us. We are gradually digitizing everything that has a round trip. WEBCON is very easy to use, so we do it all ourselves. If you know a bit about data structures and the most important programming commands, you can do it really well," says Stefanie Becker.

Now to the question of questions: Ms. Becker, was your wish to use less paper with WEBCON fulfilled? "Yes, we definitely need less paper. We also save time. The forms are much easier to fill out and if a task gets lost, the system automatically reminds the employee responsible." Less paper chaos and time savings are good marketing slogans? Possibly. But above all, they are realistic goals that can be achieved with WEBCON.