Ocean Network Express cuts invoice cycle to 2 days with Pipefy

Following the merger of three major shipping companies, Ocean Network Express (ONE) faced the complex task of consolidating cultures and systems across a single global organization. In the early years, fragmented communication between departments quickly became a critical bottleneck.
Accounts payable was the clearest example. Invoice processing and approval moved across three sub-departments, handled manually and in a decentralized way, often through paper records, scattered spreadsheets, and long email approval chains.

When the Covid-19 pandemic forced the shift to remote work, this workflow became unsustainable. The finance team lost visibility over how invoices were being received and reviewed, and the volume of requests coming in through email and basic forms grew dramatically. Without a clear channel, employees began tracking each step in personal spreadsheets, making it impossible to standardize the process, build a reliable payment history, or measure the time spent on each invoice.

To break the fragmentation, ONE adopted Pipefy as the central platform to orchestrate the process and integrate data into SAP, the company’s global ERP. Rather than patching the existing flow, the finance team designed an entirely new accounts payable process from the ground up, and launched it in just 60 days.

The solution consolidated every interaction into a single source of truth, eliminating the sprawl of spreadsheets and email threads. Standardized supplier forms ensured that payment requests could only move forward with complete information from the start.

ONE also deployed automations and triggers that instantly alert the right stakeholders the moment an invoice is received and approved, connecting teams across the organization while preserving their autonomy. Visibility became total: every team member now sees exactly where each request stands, supported by a fluid orchestration layer and an efficient SAP integration via RPA.

The digital transformation led by Pipefy drove a structural shift in ONE’s financial efficiency. Centralization eliminated rework, duplicate invoices, and communication gaps, bringing payment delays to zero.

Standardized data entry reduced errors and fines, dramatically optimizing the daily workload tied to client and supplier relationships. The sharp drop in manual effort freed employees to focus on strategic projects, maximizing savings and lowering overall costs. Success in Finance accelerated adoption by HR and fueled the rapid expansion of the automated operation to branches across Latin America and beyond, clear proof of how scalable the model has become.

Ocean Network Express (ONE) is the seventh largest container shipping company in the world, active across every major trade route. Born from the merger of Japan’s three largest shipping companies, ONE employs 14,000 people onshore and at sea, operating a fleet of over 250 ships and delivering logistics excellence in more than 120 countries.
Orchestrated process automation is the key to turning repetitive work into predictable scale, operational efficiency, and strategic autonomy.