JACOPS NV is a Belgian infrastructure specialist with more than 50 years of experience. Based in Deerlijk, the company operates in areas such as telecom, rail, traffic, energy and building infrastructure. With around 1,500 employees (direct and indirect) and an annual turnover of 225 million euros, JACOPS is one of the larger players in its sector.

The organization processes about 57,000 purchase invoices annually, spread across 22 administrations, including temporary partnerships. Until recently, this was done largely manually: paper approval folders, time-consuming checks and regular payment reminders. With a clear vision of process optimization and future-proofing, JACOPS, under the leadership of Marc Van Braeckel, initiated a digitization drive.

The challenge

JACOPS NV experienced strong growth in recent years, in projects, size and administrative complexity. As a result, the financial administration, which had long run on paper processes, became strained. Purchase invoices were printed, checked for prices and quantities, and circulated through the organization via physical approval folders. A process that was slow, error-prone and labor-intensive.

Marc joined in 2018 as Digitalization and Transformation Manager with the task of future-proofing internal processes. One of the first files he grabbed was invoice processing. The three biggest bottlenecks? Time-consuming checks, delays in approvals and frequent payment reminders, resulting in frustration and extra work. “Those physical folders were out of date,” Marc Van Braeckel looks back. “Especially with our volume, you quickly fell behind the times.”

At the same time, it became increasingly difficult to find suitable administrative staff. When during the corona period it also became clear how dependent JACOPS was on physical documents, the need for digitization became abundantly clear. The organization opted for a fundamental approach: complete digitization of the invoice process, with the goal of scalability, speed and control.

The process/method

In the new process, all steps are completely digital. Purchase invoices come in via e-mail or are scanned, after which ImageCapture automatically recognizes, registers and links them to the correct administration. Thanks to 3-way matching, orders, deliveries and invoices are automatically compared. If everything is correct, approval is a matter of one click. Discrepancies are immediately signaled.

The setup is tailored to the complexity of JACOPS, with 22 administrations and diverse approval flows. Each entity has its own route, but the process is centrally streamlined. The integration with AFAS ensures a smooth fit with the existing workflow.

Each invoice is given a digital footprint. From receipt to approval, you can clearly see who made which step. This provides insight, prevents discussions and increases internal accountability. “The turnaround time has been reduced from sometimes a month to a maximum of one week. That gives peace of mind to the whole process.”

What's next?

The invoicing process at JACOPS now runs smoothly, clearly and scalably. But Marc is already looking beyond that. He sees a lot of potential in AI support. “The basis is solid, but as far as I’m concerned it can be even smarter. That next step now lies mainly with the software supplier,” he says. “As soon as those capabilities are in place, we will be ready.”