Challenge 21. “Streamlining Sales Back-Office Processes”
About Smurfit Westrock
Smurfit Westrock Sangüesa is an industrial plant located in Navarre that specializes in the manufacture of high-performance MG paper for packaging, containers, and industrial processes. It is part of Smurfit Westrock, a leading global group in sustainable paper-based packaging, and combines industrial expertise, production capacity, and innovation to serve customers across various sectors and international markets. Its operations are centered on developing renewable, recyclable solutions aligned with the circular economy, in a context where sustainable packaging is becoming increasingly important.
Learn about Challenge 21, which Smurfit Westrock has submitted to the Open Innovation program.
Challenge 21. “Streamlining Sales Back-Office Processes”
Smurfit Westrock Sangüesa is an industrial plant specializing in the manufacture of MG Kraft paper for packaging, food, and industrial applications, with a strong focus on international markets and high standards in terms of customer service, reliability, and operational efficiency.
Currently, the commercial order management process involves a significant amount of manual work, primarily due to the variety of order input formats : emails, PDF documents, customer-specific systems, and other unstructured formats. This diversity requires the team to review each order individually, manually verify critical data such as volumes, quality specifications, dates, and prices, and then enter the information into the ERP system.
This model leads to operational inefficiencies, a high administrative workload, and a potential risk of errors, especially in an environment with high order volumes and increasing business complexity.
The challenge is to develop a solution that automates the capture, interpretation, and validation of sales orders, transforming unstructured data into structured data that can be directly integrated into the ERP system, thereby reducing the operational burden on the back office and improving the efficiency, traceability, and reliability of the process.
Expected benefits
Streamlining the sales back-office process will enable Smurfit to make an impact in several key areas:
Operational efficiency: Reduced time spent on manual and administrative tasks in order management.
Error reduction: Greater reliability in entering critical data (prices, volumes, product codes).
Improved customer service: Streamlined processes , faster response times, and greater consistency in order management.
Scalability: The ability to accommodate business growth without a corresponding increase in administrative overhead.
What are they looking for in a collaborator?
We are looking for startups, technology companies, or innovative teams capable of developing practical process automation solutions, such as:
Intelligent document analysis (emails, PDFs, unstructured data).
Data extraction and validation technologies (AI, advanced OCR, machine learning).
Robust integrations with industrial ERP systems.
Particular emphasis will be placed on industrial feasibility, ease of implementation, and the ability to adapt to a real-world plant and sales back-office environment.
Do you have any questions?
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The Open Innovation program is funded by
