Datacor > Case Studies > Haviland Enterprises Streamlines AP Process with Datacor ePayments

Haviland Enterprises Streamlines AP Process with Datacor ePayments

Technology Category

Networks & Connectivity - NFC
Sensors - Chemical Sensors

Applicable Industries

Electronics
Packaging

Applicable Functions

Logistics & Transportation

Use Cases

Last Mile Delivery
Time Sensitive Networking

About The Customer

Haviland Enterprises, Inc. is a chemical distribution company that serves the needs of companies worldwide, including those in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. Founded in 1934 as a small research and testing lab, it has grown to become one of the largest privately held chemical distribution companies in the United States. Haviland consists of two separate divisions: Haviland Products Company, which serves the industrial market with custom formulation, specialty blending, packaging, and distribution of a wide variety of chemical products; and Haviland Consumer Products, which formulates, blends, packages, and distributes more than 85 different swimming pool products for more than 75 different private label customers, serving some of the largest mass marketers of private label products.

The Challenge

Haviland Enterprises, a large chemical distribution company, was facing significant inefficiencies in its vendor payment process. The company was relying heavily on manual, paper-based processes for their payment runs, which were conducted multiple times a week across multiple locations in three states. This resulted in an ever-growing workload for the AP team. Additionally, despite many vendors expressing a preference for electronic payments, Haviland lacked the resources to securely store sensitive data. The company was in need of a solution that could automate the payment process, reduce workload, and securely handle sensitive vendor data.

The Solution

Haviland Enterprises found its solution in Datacor ePayments. The software offered a partnership with Corpay to process payments, which represented a significant time-saver for the AP team and reduced the barrier to automation. The implementation of Datacor ePayments required minimal setup and involvement from Haviland's accounting and IT staff, as most of the work was handled by Corpay and Datacor. The software not only automated the payment process, but also mitigated Haviland’s payment security risk by offering ACH payment to vendors without the need for Haviland to securely store and update their data. Furthermore, Datacor ePayments provided an indemnification policy, shifting the liability of ensuring payments reach vendors to Datacor.

Operational Impact

The implementation of Datacor ePayments brought about significant operational improvements for Haviland Enterprises. The time taken to conduct a check run was reduced from over an hour to just five minutes, freeing up hundreds of hours for the AP team to focus on other tasks. This was not about reducing staff, but about making more time available through technology. In addition to time savings, the company also saw a reduction in the expense associated with mailing thousands of paper checks. The software also mitigated Haviland’s payment security risk, allowing the company to offer ACH payment to vendors without having to securely store and update their data. Furthermore, the indemnification policy provided by Datacor ePayments shifted the liability of ensuring payments reach vendors to Datacor, providing Haviland with added security.

Quantitative Benefit