Elly Yates-Roberts |
Global fashion house Marc Jacobs International has partnered with Microsoft and Medius to modernise key aspects of its supply chain.
In the fashion industry, the success of each collection depends the ability to quickly engage with suppliers, receive the materials needed and get products from the runway to the rack as quickly as possible.
To speed up this process, Marc Jacobs automated its accounts payable (AP) workflow by leveraging a hybrid cloud approach. The company uses MediusFlow, a Microsoft Azure-based AP invoice automation solution that integrates directly with Microsoft Dynamics 365, the company’s on-premises enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution.
“At Marc Jacobs, we’re launching a completely new offering every four months — a model that’s rather unique to the fashion industry,” said Regis Litre, CIO of Marc Jacobs. “By embracing this hybrid cloud model, we’re better enabling and empowering creativity to continue to push the envelope when it comes to our designs. Now, we’re able to tap into the most talented artisans around the world to bring our avant-garde creations from the runway to our vast network of stores and retailers as quickly as possible.”
Today, 92% of Marc Jacobs’ invoices are routed to the correct approver without human intervention, and time to pay invoices has been reduced from up to 90 days to five days.
When invoices arrive in Marc Jacobs’ centralised AP inbox, they are automatically routed to the appropriate approver by MediusFlow, preventing the invoices getting misplaced. Because the solution is cloud-based, approvers can receive and approve the invoice from any device.
“Marc Jacobs’ success with MediusFlow, Azure and Dynamics is a great example of how we can combine the power of the Microsoft Cloud with the unique expertise of our partners to help solve our mutual customers’ most complex business challenges, transform their businesses and allow them to innovate as quickly as needed,” said Judson Althoff, executive vice president, Worldwide Commercial Business, Microsoft. “Fashion trends change on a dime, and thanks to the cloud, Marc Jacobs can now stay well ahead of those trends to continue to delight its customers.”