EVALUATING THE PROCESS OF INDIRECT PROCUREMENT VIA AUTOMATION

This research evaluated the process of indirect procurement using Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in Wärtsilä Finland Oy, targeting operative purchasing activities. The research covered the increasing strategic role of procurement to make organizations more efficient and competitive, especially with digital technologies such as RPA, which computerizes mundane, rule-driven ac-tivities for cost savings and higher accuracy. It aimed to identify potential automation-ready tasks and assess their value to increase operatory efficiency. It undertook a case study approach, combining quant data from internal company systems and qualitative notes based on the researcher’s position as an operative purchaser trainee, in the North Europe region. It used the Task-Technology Fit (TTF) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to frame the analysis to measure task appropriateness and user acceptance indirectly in terms of task productivity. Main findings indicated that Intrastat reporting, being a high-number, rule-bound activity that devours 261 hours a year, was the best candidate for automation, fol-lowed by purchase change requests. Automation held the potential for remarkable time savings, reduced process cycles, higher accuracy, and improved staff satisfaction by engaging employees in strategy-oriented activities. It concluded that focused RPA implementation could revolutionize indirect procurement by making it more efficient and streamlined. It recommended that an Intrastat RPA must be devel-oped immediately and that a stage-wise approach to further automation must be undertaken, backed by a Center of Excellence to bring sustainable acceptance. It pointed to a research agenda for further studies to focus on long-term effects and next-generation automation tech-nologies to handle sophisticated activities, and it provided a case template for Wärtsilä to build its competitive differentiation based on digitalization in procurement.