PADNOS Simplifies Procurement and Eliminates Downtime with Levelpath

PADNOS, a leader in metal, paper, and plastic recycling, was using legacy systems to manage procurement processes, which resulted in lost time and poor user experience. After discovering Levelpath, they were able to implement guided buying and establish stronger workflows that simplified procurement, increased efficiency, and empowered their teams across 30 locations.

PADNOS historically relied on legacy systems to run their procurement and maintenance management operations. Combined with email, excel, and phone conversations, these older solutions led to significant delays in purchase order approvals and invoice fulfillment.

Rick Spykerman, Purchasing Manager at PADNOS, claimed, “Completing orders would take longer as the legacy systems and our Microsoft outlook folders would cause a wait for someone on our team to update the price to match what it was.”

There was also another big problem that impacted their entire workforce: none of their legacy tools had mobile solutions. Why did this matter? PADNOS has over 100 truck drivers who need to stay moving. When a driver required maintenance on the road, whether from a breakdown, flat tire, or otherwise, getting them back up and running was a time-consuming game of telephone.

As it stood, a driver would experience a breakdown. They would call their coach, who would call Maintenance. Maintenance would then send help or call Purchasing. From there, Purchasing would contact the supplier, and the entire process would start up again, backward up through the grapevine. On a good day, the entire exchange would waste the better part of an hour, and that was just getting through the phone chain.

The result of this downtime and inefficiency? Frustrated drivers and delayed customer pickups and container exchanges. When breakdowns are a daily occurrence, PADNOS knew they needed to explore options, which led them to new technology options.

PADNOS was first introduced to Levelpath by a team member who had prior experience with ProcureTech solutions. The team had one main focus: simplifying and streamlining procurement and procurement workflows. Levelpath immediately offered a solution through their AI-powered procurement platform.

Implementing Guided Buying

The first thing PADNOS noticed about Levelpath was the opportunity the front door experience offered, especially when it came to empowering their larger team. “Our ‘Aha’ moment with Levelpath was really the potential of the front door, how we could deliver guided buying and get the users to exactly where they needed to be,” said Spykerman. “This goes into the whole truck driver use case, which was one of the key areas for our team to tackle.”

Establishing Stronger Workflows

The PADNOS team also realized they could leverage Levelpath to improve their sales processes and establish a new degree of accountability throughout the business. Spykerman emphasized the difference, saying, “Before Levelpath, account executives just kind of flew purchase requests through to their manager. Now, we are formalizing that process where the order has an intake and then a quick digital review before placing assets and doing business with the supplier.”

Enhancing Contract Management

After years of using various SharePoint drives for contract storage, PADNOS discovered that Levelpath’s contract repository could centralize their data and enhance operations. Right away, the team began moving old contracts over so they have renewals and other dates aligned for automated triggers. “Levelpath’s contract repository and supplier platform have been a huge benefit to us from a workflow, approvals, and overall management process standpoint. It’s a significant improvement over our previous method.”

With nearly three dozen locations across Michigan, PADNOS needed a procurement solution that would be easy for every employee to use. There was no room for another program that required on-premise access and complex steps. “The simplicity of Levelpath is really life-changing for us at PADNOS, especially with our 100+ truck drivers who need to keep things moving.”

Teams across the business instantly noticed the ease of using Levelpath. What started as just truck drivers using the Pathfinder function quickly expanded to their Recycling Center coaches, Purchasing, Contracting, and Sales teams, and even the Executive team. Soon, over 180 people were working within Levelpath. “Our team was so impressed. Levelpath saved PADNOS enough time and made it so much easier for our team that, in three months, we were able to expand to other areas of the business and did so without having to grow headcount to manage the service offering” said Spykerman.

As PADNOS implemented Levelpath to simplify their processes and get better visibility into their operations, they saw the benefits right away.

Seeing the Levelpath Difference

For PADNOS, time is of the essence in keeping drivers on the road and improving their team members’ ability to complete tasks. Levelpath gave them exactly the speed and ease they needed.

In just a few months, PADNOS saw significant changes in several key areas.

Streamlined Procurement Processes

By implementing a centralized contract repository, automated approval workflows, and guided buying, PADNOS significantly reduced inefficiencies, completing supplier and service requests 76% faster. This not only simplified everyday procurement operations but also resulted in a more positive experience overall. As Spykerman attests, “Procurement, Finance, and our suppliers all appreciate the expedited paperwork and payment process, making it a win for everyone involved.”

As PADNOS rolled out Levelpath to more teams, there was a notable difference in how quickly employees could manage various tasks:

Empowered Drivers: Truck drivers can now directly connect to suppliers through the Levelpath mobile app with all the necessary paperwork seamlessly available in the background. Since they can handle the situation independently without playing telephone, the fleet saves 6,000+ hours of downtime each year.

“Levelpath allows drivers to get repairs for our equipment if ever needed throughout the routes. The app is already downloaded on our phones, and with four easy touches in the app, you can have repairs on the way in a fraction of the time it took before” said mobile user Freddie Griffes.

Improved Invoicing: Through Levelpath, drivers and buyers can automate invoice matching and payment processes. With purchase orders coded and invoices already in the system, PADNOS and suppliers ultimately reap the benefits of streamlined invoicing.

Centralized Operations: PADNOS has been able to include general contracts for their HR and Marketing Departments as well as links for creating purchase requests in Levelpath’s Pathfinder. Their plan is to leverage the platform so everyone can go to a single place to begin projects.

As more teams easily manage procurement tasks within Levelpath, the need for manual intervention cuts down on labor costs and downtime, keeping PADNOS’ bottom line strong.

Enhanced Visibility and Reporting

Levelpath’s contract repository and enriched supplier data, which includes a list of alternate suppliers available, allowed PADNOS to increase their visibility into supplier agreements and performance.

Using this enhanced insight and new digital process, the team is able to:

• Better track KPIs related to spend management and workflow efficiency
• Simplify data collection for financial audits
• Ensure compliance with yearly requirements

On top of more tangible benefits, PADNOS felt they partnered with a team that genuinely cared about their success and overall experience. Levelpath’s simplicity stood out compared to other procurement technology solutions. Whereas Spykerman felt older legacy tools and even some newer solutions included “too many steps for something, with Levelpath, you click four times, and all the information you need is right there.”

This, along with continuous platform updates, leaves PADNOS users feeling as if Levelpath “truly cares about our individual needs. It’s like they are a part of the PADNOS team, and we genuinely enjoy working with them.”

Looking Ahead

The future is bright as PADNOS and Levelpath continue to partner to empower future-proof procurement processes. As Rick Spykerman examines the past and looks ahead, one thing is clear: “When we look at how quickly the Levelpath product is progressing compared to some alternatives we also work with, it’s just worlds different.”