Siemens transforms supply chain with autonomous delivery processing

Delivery note processing

With materials arriving from over 1,000 vendors, each delivery carried vital data to keep Siemens’ supply chain moving. But employees faced inconsistent layouts, smudged printouts, and unstructured digital attachments. 

Every note required manual entry into SAP, which constrained throughput and absorbed operational focus, and the impact showed up in three ways:

• Repetitive work: Teams spent time on manual entry and correction instead of higher-value activities.
• Operational risk: Errors and delays created downstream friction in receiving, reconciliation, and reporting.
• Service expectations: Vendors and internal stakeholders depended on speed and accuracy, but the manual model could not scale reliably during peak volume.

There was only one way forward: eliminating manual input management handling while keeping ERP data integrity and auditability intact.

Autonomous execution under enterprise control

Siemens partnered with Otera to deploy autonomous delivery processing across their supply chain operations, eliminating manual entry while preserving transparency and traceability.

Instead of relying on traditional OCR pipelines, Otera deployed an autonomous, multi-agent execution model designed for real-world document variability, making delivery notes:

• Understood and structured: Otera’s AI agents interpret delivery notes across diverse supplier layouts and formats.
• Validated against ERP context: Delivery note data is validated against purchase orders and receiving requirements before posting.
• Routed only if exceptions: Standard cases proceed autonomously, while only exceptions are escalated with clear reasons and supporting evidence.
• Fully traceable: Each step remains reviewable and auditable with human oversight applied where needed.

Delivery notes that once slowed operations were processed autonomously, compressing cycle times and freeing staff to focus on exceptions and continuous improvement.

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A new default for global business services

• Faster cycle times: From days to minutes, enabling same-day document reconciliation.
• Employee empowerment: Staff transitioned from repetitive entry work to managing and optimizing AI-driven processes.
• Inventory & Capital Efficiency: Real-time visibility driven by faster processing reduces stockouts and safety stock requirements.‍
• Cultural transformation: Automation became a catalyst for broader digital adoption across the company.