Energy Efficiency and Document Efficiency Go Hand in Hand

Digital transformation for procurement and contract process efficiency.

Citizens worldwide are focused on how to reduce their impact on the environment. From simple things like turning off electrical appliances when not in use to larger decisions like driving electric vehicles, many people are taking steps to limit their carbon footprints and they expect the same commitment from the companies they do business with.

For Électricité de France (EDF), a leading nuclear energy producer with millions of customers around the world, energy efficiency is always top of mind. In addition to producing clean energy solutions for its customers, the company is always looking for ways to boost its own internal efficiencies.

Going zero-paper to reach zero-carbon

EDF is proud to report that 90 percent of the energy it generates is carbon-free. At the same time, the company recognizes that its efforts to reduce carbon emissions must extend beyond its power generation facilities.

The company’s Division of Nuclear Power Plant Engineering, Deconstruction, and Environment (DIPDE), based in Marseille, is working to further reduce the environmental impact of its operations by going paperless with Adobe Document Cloud.

Eliminating paper documents is not only good for the environment, it’s great for the division’s bottom line. And nowhere have the benefits been more pronounced than in procurement.

Energy efficiency in the procurement department

In the past, shuffling paper documents back and forth meant orders and supplier contracts moved at a snail’s pace. Documents would disappear for weeks at a time, taking 16 days on average to come back with a signature. And, with no visibility into status, the procurement team had its hands full following up on orders.

Using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and Adobe Sign, the EDF – DIPDE procurement department established electronic document processes, which allow it to manage signatures on 135 contracts with 60 suppliers and more than 2,500 orders every year. Orders can now be processed in one day. Automation and transparency mean no more orders getting lost—and less time spent following up.

Thierry Belloeil, Purchasing Policy Coordinator within the Contractual Performance Department of EDF – DIPDE, recognizes how far the company has come in its quest for energy efficiency. “In terms of paper, stamps, envelopes, and human resources, we estimate that we’ve saved more than €64,000 and 30,000 pages since the project was commissioned, which translates into €16 saved per order,” he says. “Adobe Document Cloud helps us reduce our environmental impact and enables us to have significant savings by moving to zero paper. You can only imagine these same savings at the level of the EDF Group!”

EDF – DIPDE’s success gives the company (and the world) something to celebrate — smarter, greener, more efficient operations.

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