Nintex Case Studies Streamlining Development and Automating Processes: First Solar's Journey with Nintex K2 Five

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	Streamlining Development and Automating Processes: First Solar's Journey with Nintex K2 Five Nintex

Streamlining Development and Automating Processes: First Solar's Journey with Nintex K2 Five

Nintex

Technology Category	Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP) Functional Applications - Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
Applicable Industries	Packaging Renewable Energy
Applicable Functions	Procurement Product Research & Development
Use Cases	Additive Manufacturing Inventory Management
Services	System Integration Testing & Certification
Challenge	First Solar, a leading producer of high-performance thin film photovoltaic (PV) modules, was facing challenges in automating and modernizing work across its business. The company was operating in a startup mode, with a significant portion of work being conducted via email or Excel spreadsheets. As the company grew, it realized the need to automate processes to eliminate manual work and enhance operational efficiency. The company initially considered using SharePoint’s built-in workflow tools, but this did not provide a single platform to manage all the different workflows. Another challenge was the complexity of the company's change management process, which was managed by a 21-tab Excel spreadsheet. This manual and time-consuming process needed an upgrade. Additionally, the company needed to centralize and streamline document management, but purchasing enterprise document management systems for every department could have been extremely costly. Read More
About Customer	First Solar is a U.S.-based company that produces high-performance thin film photovoltaic (PV) modules, designed and developed at its R&D centers in California and Ohio. The company has a manufacturing footprint that spans the United States, Malaysia, and Vietnam, making it the only U.S.-headquartered company among the world’s largest solar manufacturers. Efficiency is a key focus for First Solar, not just in terms of its products, but also in its internal operations. The company is committed to innovating solutions across the organization to improve employee efficiency and simplify its technology landscape. Read More
Solution	First Solar implemented the K2 Five process automation platform from Nintex to centralize support and build workflows as per their needs. The company has deployed about 30 applications, ranging from an intricate change management system to the company’s document control center. The K2 Five platform is recognized across the organization as a tool that delivers business solutions. The K2 Five change management system replaced the complex Excel spreadsheet, orchestrating a gating process that evaluates the risk and complexity of any given change. It goes through an initial rule-based workflow that scores a form based on how it was filled out. Once the form has been signed off by management, it triggers a stage to determine how many different workflow approvals will be needed. First Solar also developed an enterprise document management system, leveraging SharePoint for document storage and K2 Five to manage approvals. The system has the intelligence to figure out which library a document belongs in and who needs to sign off and approve the document. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)

Functional Applications - Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)

Applicable Industries

Packaging

Renewable Energy

Applicable Functions

Procurement

Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Additive Manufacturing

Inventory Management

Services

System Integration

Testing & Certification

Challenge

First Solar, a leading producer of high-performance thin film photovoltaic (PV) modules, was facing challenges in automating and modernizing work across its business. The company was operating in a startup mode, with a significant portion of work being conducted via email or Excel spreadsheets. As the company grew, it realized the need to automate processes to eliminate manual work and enhance operational efficiency. The company initially considered using SharePoint’s built-in workflow tools, but this did not provide a single platform to manage all the different workflows. Another challenge was the complexity of the company's change management process, which was managed by a 21-tab Excel spreadsheet. This manual and time-consuming process needed an upgrade. Additionally, the company needed to centralize and streamline document management, but purchasing enterprise document management systems for every department could have been extremely costly.

About Customer

First Solar is a U.S.-based company that produces high-performance thin film photovoltaic (PV) modules, designed and developed at its R&D centers in California and Ohio. The company has a manufacturing footprint that spans the United States, Malaysia, and Vietnam, making it the only U.S.-headquartered company among the world’s largest solar manufacturers. Efficiency is a key focus for First Solar, not just in terms of its products, but also in its internal operations. The company is committed to innovating solutions across the organization to improve employee efficiency and simplify its technology landscape.

Solution

First Solar implemented the K2 Five process automation platform from Nintex to centralize support and build workflows as per their needs. The company has deployed about 30 applications, ranging from an intricate change management system to the company’s document control center. The K2 Five platform is recognized across the organization as a tool that delivers business solutions. The K2 Five change management system replaced the complex Excel spreadsheet, orchestrating a gating process that evaluates the risk and complexity of any given change. It goes through an initial rule-based workflow that scores a form based on how it was filled out. Once the form has been signed off by management, it triggers a stage to determine how many different workflow approvals will be needed. First Solar also developed an enterprise document management system, leveraging SharePoint for document storage and K2 Five to manage approvals. The system has the intelligence to figure out which library a document belongs in and who needs to sign off and approve the document.

Impact #1	The implementation of the K2 Five process automation platform has significantly transformed First Solar's operations. The platform has eliminated manual work, streamlined processes, and supported continuous improvement. The company has been able to automate its change management process, replacing a complex Excel spreadsheet with a system that evaluates the risk and complexity of any given change. This has helped drive operational excellence across the company. Additionally, the enterprise document management system developed using SharePoint and K2 Five has enabled the company to manage document approvals efficiently, saving significant costs that would have been incurred in purchasing enterprise document management systems for every department. The platform has also helped the company gain insight into its applications, including capabilities and cost figures, which has further contributed to operational efficiency.

Impact #1

The implementation of the K2 Five process automation platform has significantly transformed First Solar's operations. The platform has eliminated manual work, streamlined processes, and supported continuous improvement. The company has been able to automate its change management process, replacing a complex Excel spreadsheet with a system that evaluates the risk and complexity of any given change. This has helped drive operational excellence across the company. Additionally, the enterprise document management system developed using SharePoint and K2 Five has enabled the company to manage document approvals efficiently, saving significant costs that would have been incurred in purchasing enterprise document management systems for every department. The platform has also helped the company gain insight into its applications, including capabilities and cost figures, which has further contributed to operational efficiency.

Benefit #1	25% -50% decrease in development times
Benefit #2	30 applications deployed with K2 Five
Benefit #3	Saved around $50,000 on an enterprise architecture (EA) tool

Benefit #1

25% -50% decrease in development times

Benefit #2

30 applications deployed with K2 Five

Benefit #3

Saved around $50,000 on an enterprise architecture (EA) tool

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Overview

Streamlining Development and Automating Processes: First Solar's Journey with Nintex K2 Five

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit