Contract Intelligence Objective
Unify global contract management processes while integrating with existing systems for enhanced efficiency, compliance, and risk mitigation.
Solution Highlights
- Improved risk management through automated compliance checks and standardized clauses
- Standardized contract creation and approvals with defined approver set-up, as well as a global clause library
- Integrations with Salesforce, Adobe Sign, Archive System
Challenge
Decentralized Contracting Creates Risk
Krones is the market leader in beverage and liquid food processing, designing and delivering production and packaging solutions for companies across 156 countries. With a vast international presence, Krones supports an intricate network of suppliers and customers, requiring seamless contract management to ensure efficiency, compliance, and risk mitigation.
Before adopting Icertis, Krones faced several key challenges in contract lifecycle management:
- Decentralized and manual processes: Contracts were managed in an unstructured way, leading to inefficiencies and a lack of transparency.
- Lack of standardization: Employees created their own contract templates, increasing risk exposure.
- Compliance risks: Regulatory and contractual obligations were hard to track across multiple regions.
- Limited visibility: Contract data was scattered, making reporting and performance monitoring difficult.
“Everyone had their contracts in different places—drawers, local files, and siloed systems. There was no standardization, making it difficult to track agreements and enforce policies,” explained Tobias Schlagbauer, Project Lead at Krones.
Solution
A Global, Integrated Contract Management Platform
Recognizing these issues, Krones sought a robust contract lifecycle management (CLM) platform that would unify its global contract management processes while integrating with existing systems like Salesforce and SAP Ariba.
Following a selection process led by IT in consultation with business stakeholders, it chose Icertis. With Deloitte as the implementation partner, the company standardized contract templates, streamlined approvals, and integrated Icertis with its existing enterprise applications.
“The transformation has been remarkable. Moving from fragmented manual processes to a centralized CLM system has brought consistency, compliance, and transparency across our organization,” Schlagbauer noted.
Deloitte played a crucial role in the successful implementation, ensuring that Krones could scale its CLM transformation effectively. “We always challenge our clients to define the best process for their contracting landscape. Krones’ dedicated CLM team and structured rollout strategy made this a best-in-class implementation,” said Zacharias Zawierucha, Senior Manager at Deloitte.
Key improvements include:
- Single source of truth: All contracts are now stored and managed within Icertis, ensuring easy access and auditability.
- Automated workflows: Standardized approvals and clause libraries have reduced contract cycle times and minimized risk.
- Seamless integration: Icertis now works in tandem with Salesforce, SAP Ariba, and Adobe Sign, enhancing the overall contract lifecycle process.
- Advanced analytics: Real-time reporting enables Krones to track key contract performance metrics and compliance adherence.
Benefits
Smarter Business Decisions that Drive Value
The implementation of Icertis has delivered significant benefits for Krones, transforming how the organization creates, manages, and governs contracts worldwide.
By standardizing contract creation and approval processes, Krones has achieved greater consistency and control across its agreements. Automated compliance checks and the use of standardized clauses have strengthened risk management efforts and improved overall governance. The solution has also supported a seamless global rollout, enabling regional teams to adopt Icertis with localized configurations that fit their specific needs.
Additionally, the integration with existing enterprise applications has increased user adoption, making the platform a natural extension of Krones’ broader digital ecosystem.
“With Icertis, we now have full transparency into our contract obligations and risks. This enables us to make smarter business decisions and drive value across our global operations,” Schlagbauer added.
Looking ahead, Krones is continuing its CLM evolution by integrating Icertis’ AI-driven copilots for contract risk analysis and automated insights. The company is also expanding Icertis CLM to procurement and further departments to create a fully connected contract ecosystem.
“We’re now leveraging Icertis’ AI capabilities to enhance contract intelligence further. This will help us proactively identify risks and optimize agreements across all business units,” Schlagbauer concluded.
