A force for good—for business and society

The Yokogawa Electric Corporation, a Japanese multinational electrical engineering and software company, is a force for good—for the global economy, and the environment and wider society.

Under its guiding purpose—“Utilizing our ability to measure and connect, we fulfill our responsibilities for the future of our planet”—Yokogawa continues to drive meaningful progress toward a sustainable society.

The company has delivered high-quality products and advanced solutions that uphold workplace safety, maintain operational standards, conserve energy and water, and protect the environment.

Seeking visibility and control in 62 countries

As a large multi-industry, multi-market conglomerate active in 62 countries with 126 subsidiaries and affiliates, the company had numerous variations in working practices, processes, systems, and technologies. Local procurement decisions resulted in multiple or duplicate supplier contracts and variations in service quality and price, while business units were siloed, with few integrations between corporate IT platforms, systems, and data.

The lack of visibility and control over processes prevented Yokogawa Electric Corporation from improving business efficiency and scalability. In an effort to create a centralized business-wide viewpoint, the company decided to extend its use of the ServiceNow AI Platform and developed a comprehensive global low-code solution to transform its entire lead-to-cash lifecycle.

The leadership appointed Kwangseop Kim, Deputy Head of Global Digital Transformation at Yokogawa Electric Korea Co., Ltd in Seoul, to drive the project on behalf of the entire corporation.

“With so many different units, regions, stakeholders, and day-to-day ways of working, it was difficult to standardize processes and convince everyone of the value of fundamental global change,” explains Kwangseop.

He provided evidence to colleagues around the world, demonstrating how his automated workflows in Korea could be adapted to suit local needs around the world.

“We showed colleagues how, by using the ServiceNow AI Platform, we could provide a seamless data flow from lead generation through to cash collection, and how progress can be monitored at every stage. And, as a result, how the company could save on license, support, and maintenance costs,” adds Kwangseop.

A centralized platform and ecosystem for lead-to-cash

Using ServiceNow App Engine and Workflow Data Fabric, the Yokogawa Electric Corporation has transformed its lead-to-cash ecosystem, achieving impressive time and efficiency dividends.

With the help of Workflow Data Fabric’s flexibility and enterprise data integration capabilities, it has combined a major process management program with the transition of its SAP ERP system to the latest SAP S/4HANA version.

By leveraging the Integration Hub capability of Workflow Data Fabric, the Yokogawa Electric Corporation is now able to connect its workflow and ERP data across siloed systems on a single platform while ensuring enterprise-wide data access, governance, and security.

“After implementing Workflow Data Fabric, approval processes and master data management were automated, significantly improving operational efficiency and data accuracy,” explains Kwangseop.

The team also deployed ServiceNow App Engine to build custom processes for standardizing and simplifying the lead-to-cash lifecycle on the ServiceNow AI Platform. Now, processes from capturing a sales lead to issuing an invoice are easier and faster than before. And, as a result, the company reaches the quotation stage 75% faster than before. App Engine Studio provides a single low-code, collaborative workspace in which the Yokogawa team can create bespoke applications to drive speed and efficiency, from capturing a sales lead to issuing an invoice. In fact, the efficiency of invoicing runs has seen a 42% increase.

“The entire process is managed through a unified workflow, built on ServiceNow App Engine,” says Kwangseop. This has significantly reduced verification and approval lead times, and ensured data consistency across systems by eliminating legacy processes. Thanks to leveraging these automated workflows, credit checks are 71% quicker and quotations are approved 63% faster.

App Engine Studio has greatly reduced the learning curve, enabling not only ServiceNow developers but also ERP and other system developers to build applications after only a short onboarding period. Within two weeks, the team was able to acquire sufficient skills for independent development. Compared to traditional web environments, development speed has improved by over 30%, and the team can continuously reflect user requirements in real time.

Beyond core development, the unified platform has also made timesheet completions and approvals 69% more efficient. “With ServiceNow App Engine and Workflow Data Fabric, we can connect data across systems and silos, then use low-code tools to rapidly build custom apps that go from insight to action on a single platform,” says Kwangseop. “This enables real-time automation and decision-making on a unified, scalable AI platform.”

In a phased deployment, the Yokogawa Electric Corporation’s teams in China, Korea, and Singapore now benefit from a single lead-to-order system with simplified and standardized features. The current version includes activities up to manufacturing handover, including sales, specification development, quotation generation, and resource planning. This ensures that final products meet all customer expectations.

“Using ServiceNow App Engine and Workflow Data Fabric together, we can now very easily hand over projects, which might include items in a quotation, for accurate procurement and manufacturing, confident of successful outcomes,” explains Kwangseop.

Given the size of the company operations, leadership hopes to have its global lead-to-order system fully deployed within two years. But based on the current results, it’s already clear that Yokogawa will extend the same principles into its engineering and manufacturing centers.

“As well as visibility and control, the time saving, efficiency, and productivity improvements delivered by ServiceNow automation are substantial and apply throughout the lead-to-order process,” adds Kwangseop.

Next up: AI will help localize content across global operations

Next on the Yokogawa Electric Corporation’s roadmap are its European and Middle Eastern operations, and yet more focus on customer experience, with a transition to ServiceNow UI Builder-based workspaces a likely future development. The company plans to use Now Assist for Creator, ServiceNow’s developer-focused AI tool, for localization capabilities across its operations.

“Customers are receiving an enhanced service. For example, the quality and accuracy of our quotations have improved, making it easier for customers to approve with confidence,” says Kwangseop.

Prior to revamping the lead-to-cash ecosystem, the Yokogawa Electric Corporation had already achieved significant improvements with earlier deployments of ServiceNow. ServiceNow IT Service Management forms the core platform for its global help desk, while IT Operations Management and IT Asset Management provide full visibility into its IT infrastructure and assets in 35,000 locations.

With the help of ServiceNow Security Operations, the company also has a fully automated security breach-prevention system. Its ServiceNow Configuration Management Database (CMDB) automatically prioritizes security incidents as they occur, shortening response times by 30%.

“ServiceNow is crucial to us,” concludes Kwangseop. “The single portal is now used by every one of our 17,000 employees.”