Manufacturing meets AI: LAPP’s journey to order automation

Who is LAPP?

LAPP is a global leading supplier of integrated solutions and branded products in the field of cable and connection technology. Their products are known for high-quality standards and are designed to handle extreme conditions, making them suitable for various industrial industries.

What was the challenge?

With a strong reputation for quality and efficiency and over 350,000 manual orders processed annually in the EMEA region, LAPP recognized that its traditional, manual sales order process was limiting its growth potential. Previously, every order had to be entered manually, a time-consuming process prone to errors. With a product catalog containing over 40,000 items, accurately processing and matching sales orders to the correct articles became increasingly complex, highlighting the need for automation.

The solution

To enhance operational efficiency and drive process improvements, LAPP launched a transformation initiative called the ‘Synergy Hub’ in Poland. This hub serves as a centralized entity to facilitate collaboration among various business units and standardize order management processes across the organization. The next crucial step involved automating the order management process to the greatest extent possible, for which LAPP chose to implement Rossum*.

In a collaborative effort with KPMG**, Rossum and LAPP, the process requirements were tailored into Rossum, replacing manual entry with an automated, template-free system capable of processing orders with high accuracy. KPMG ensured a seamless transition by integrating Rossum’s solution into LAPP’s existing workflows and environments, while aligning the implementation with business objectives.

“Our vision was to bring our order entry process to the next level: maximum speed, automation, and quality. Until now, LAPP had only used a very limited, template-based version of OCR to improve the order entry process across a few sales entities. With this central approach, we have deployed a state-of-the-art, AI-based solution designed to process orders quickly and efficiently, even when received in completely unknown formats.”

Pascal Kömpf, Head of Global & EMEA Sales Excellence at LAPP

The new system handles customer delivery preferences effortlessly. For example, it can automatically split a 600-meter cable order into two 300-meter cuttings and ensure the right packaging, like drums or rings, is used. By retrieving and applying delivery instructions automatically, it reduces manual work and improves order accuracy. This streamlined process is now in place across multiple countries, ensuring a standardized ordering process.

Urgent orders are now automatically detected and prioritized, ensuring faster processing. By recognizing incoming customer, contact, and material data, LAPP has created a more reliable and consistent order management system. The solution also issues alerts for any discrepancies between orders and master data, helping maintain accuracy.

“We are proud to be part of LAPP’s Synergy Hub Transformation initiative, in which we were responsible for the implementation of Rossum. Our experience in process optimization and order management specifically, all came together with the centralization and automation needs of LAPP. By integrating Rossum’s AI into LAPP’s existing processes, we helped them fully automate the more complex orders, improving efficiency throughout the whole process.”

Michiel van Oijen, Senior Manager Finance & Business Services at KPMG.

LAPP values KPMG’s proactive problem-solving and swift response to challenges, which have been crucial to the project’s success. Their expertise and best practices not only streamlined the implementation but also fostered a true partnership. This collaboration has led to smoother operations, knowledge sharing, and long-term process improvements.

Results

In just a few months, the company has accelerated its document processing. Today, 94.9% of all data fields on the customer orders are correctly captured by the AI engine, laying the foundation for a high level of automation. Full automation wasn’t the main goal—certain exceptions, such as unmatched shipping locations, are intentionally handled manually. Still, the efficiency gains have been significant: teams have reclaimed valuable time, reduced error rates, and shifted focus from manual data entry to strategic business growth.

“We’ve been working with Rossum for some time now, and after thorough stress testing and fine-tuning, the software continues to improve. Today, we’re genuinely impressed by how well it performs and how quickly it adapts to different order layouts.”

Pawel Fafara, Head of LAPP Business Services EMEA

With most orders now handled directly within the ERP system and only one dedicated person managing the Rossum interface, the company has seen a boost in both operational agility and customer satisfaction.

Next steps

The first phase of implementation in Spain, Denmark, and Sweden has laid a strong foundation for LAPP’s automated order entry. In collaboration with local teams, LAPP has meticulously defined its target processes in the Hub, ensuring a structured approach to automation. Moving forward, these detailed plans will guide the rollout to additional countries. By implementing Rossum’s cutting-edge OCR solution, LAPP significantly streamlines operations, resulting in faster and more accurate order processing for customers, ultimately enhancing their experience and satisfaction.

* Rossum is an AI-powered document processing platform that helps businesses handle paperwork more efficiently. By using artificial intelligence and machine learning, it can quickly extract data from various types of documents without needing pre-set templates.

** KPMG Netherlands (Digital Process Excellence) brings deep expertise in process optimization and supports clients in implementing cutting-edge AI technologies. As an implementation partner of Rossum, they helped LAPP streamline and automate the order management processes efficiently.