Promoting Expense DX for Toyo Engineering Corporation

NeedsWell Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Hajime Matsuoka) has supported Toyo Engineering Corporation (Headquarters: Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture; Representative Director, President & CEO: Eiji Hosoi, hereinafter "Toyo Engineering") in advancing digital transformation (DX) for expense settlement and invoice management. As a result, the company has achieved paperless operations and visible approval processes, while reducing the lead time from application to payment from approximately 17 days to 7 days.

1. Background of Implementation

Toyo Engineering specializes in EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) for industrial plants, primarily in the petrochemical sector, and operates with a group-wide workforce of approximately 6,000 employees.

Within its Japanese headquarters, expense settlement and invoice management had been conducted using traditional methods centered on paper documents, Excel, and email. This led to increasing demands for greater efficiency and improved transparency in tasks such as data entry, verification, and approvals.

Additionally, alongside the company-wide push for DX, the expansion of remote work due to the pandemic heightened the need to revise legacy processes that relied on paper and in-person interactions.

In response, Toyo Engineering launched a project aimed at improving operational efficiency through paperless systems, while also enhancing approval process visibility and internal controls—marking a full-scale commitment to expense DX. SAP® Concur® emerged as a candidate solution, partly because one of its subsidiaries had already successfully implemented Concur® Invoice, provided by Concur Japan, with support from NeedsWell.

2. Key Factors in Adoption

Mr. Watanabe and Mr. Shimada from Toyo Engineering’s Finance & Accounting Division, who led the project, conducted interviews with the subsidiary to evaluate financial DX solutions.

Through detailed discussions on the subsidiary’s SAP Concur operations and implementation support, they were impressed by the system’s robust functionality and potential benefits. Equally important was their high evaluation of NeedsWell’s support. They particularly appreciated the flexible, business-specific proposals and the on-the-ground support approach, which gave them confidence that NeedsWell was a trustworthy partner from an operational standpoint.

Based on these insights, both executives stated, "The proven track record within our group and direct feedback from users were the most decisive factors." Ultimately, after comparing multiple financial DX solutions, Toyo Engineering decided to adopt SAP Concur and simultaneously engaged NeedsWell for implementation support.

3. Implementation Outcomes

By adopting SAP Concur along with NeedsWell’s invoice auto-registration solution, Invoice PA, Toyo Engineering has achieved significant improvements in operational efficiency, flexible workstyles, and internal controls.

▪ Achieved Paperless Operations

Reduced reliance on physical documents and manual handling, driving overall efficiency.

▪ Visible Approval Processes

Enabled full visibility into approval progress, strengthening internal controls.

▪ Improved Searchability of Evidence and Historical Data

Facilitated quick access to required information, reducing time spent on verification and responses.

▪ Location-Independent Approval

Supported flexible workstyles such as telework and hot-desking by enabling approvals from anywhere via PC or smartphone.

▪ Reduced Operational Lead Time by Approximately 58%

Shortened the cycle from application to payment from about 17 days to 7 days.

4. On-Site Feedback

Immediately after implementation, some users expressed difficulty adjusting to the new system. However, adoption gradually increased, and the system is now operating stably.

Meanwhile, usability received high praise early on. In particular, the ability to approve requests from PCs or smartphones regardless of location has significantly reduced the workload for both approvers and applicants.

Additionally, the visibility of approval statuses and processing progress has improved overall workflow predictability, contributing to greater efficiency in daily operations.

5. Future Outlook

Toyo Engineering aims to further advance DX, targeting enhanced automation in invoice issuance, foreign currency transactions, and payment/receipt operations.

Going forward, NeedsWell will continue to leverage its expertise from over 170 SAP Concur implementations and its suite of efficiency-boosting solutions to support Toyo Engineering’s continuous operational improvements and advanced system utilization.

6. Company Overview

【Company Overview】

Company Name: NeedsWell Co., Ltd.

Headquarters: 13F, New Otani Garden Court, 4-1 Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Representative: President and CEO Hajime Matsuoka

Founded: October 1986

URL: https://www.needswell.com/

Business: Software development, operation, and maintenance; development, sales, operation, and maintenance of solution products

【Press Resources】

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Other Announcements: https://www.needswell.com/news/index

【Inquiries about Products/Services】 Sales Department

Email: sales@needswell.com

Phone: 050-5357-8344 (direct)

【Inquiries about Press Releases】 Corporate Planning Department

Email: ir-contact@needswell.com

About This Release

The content of this release was prepared by NeedsWell Co., Ltd. at its own responsibility.

About Concur Japan Inc.

The Japanese subsidiary of SAP Concur, the world’s leading cloud platform for travel and expense management, established in October 2010. It offers a suite of cloud services centered on Concur Expense (expense management), Concur Travel (travel management), and Concur Invoice (invoice management), supporting corporate indirect cost optimization and employee work-style reform.

For more information, visit https://www.concur.co.jp

About SAP Concur

SAP Concur is a globally recognized brand providing integrated solutions for travel, expense, and invoice management, focused on simplifying and automating these processes. Its highly rated mobile app supports employee travel, automatically captures expenses, and streamlines invoice approvals. By leveraging AI to integrate and analyze real-time data, SAP Concur enables efficient spend management. Its solutions eliminate manual tasks, enhance business efficiency, and empower organizations to operate at their best. For details, visit concur.com or the SAP Concur Blog.