How Metsä Board Increased Product Volume by 60% Without Adding Headcount
The leading European producer of premium paperboards eliminated process uncertainties and avoided costly SAP development with QPR ProcessAnalyzer
Metsä Board's order-to-cash process lacked consistency—only 40% of order lines followed the correct process. Using QPR ProcessAnalyzer to analyze their SAP data, they discovered they didn't need expensive software fixes. Instead, they needed to train people on existing processes. Now 80% of orders follow the correct path, they've increased volume by 60% with the same headcount, and saved significant SAP development costs.
The Challenge:
A €1.9 billion paperboard producer was running order-to-cash processes on an ERP system designed for their old business model. Only 40% of order lines were conformant, processes had "developed a life of their own," and employees faced daily uncertainties from unpredictable workflows. Management assumed they needed costly SAP development work.
The Solution:
QPR ProcessAnalyzer analyzed SAP data to map their complete order-to-cash process, revealing that the software wasn't broken—people simply weren't following established procedures consistently.
The Result:
Process conformance increase (40% → 80%)
Order lines and volume increase with same headcount
Additional SAP development costs needed
Employees with eliminated daily process uncertainties
"The process insight and facts delivered by QPR ProcessAnalyzer were priceless. We were immediately able to focus our process improvement activities on the right things to reach the results our business needed. And not wasting time on trial and error."
Matti Ketonen
VP of Supply Chain at Metsä Board
About Metsä Board
Metsä Board is a leading European producer of premium fresh fiber paperboards, including folding boxboards, food service boards, and white kraftliners. Operating across 19 countries with 2,400 employees, they develop innovative packaging solutions that create better consumer experiences with less environmental impact. With €1.932 billion in revenue, Metsä Board has successfully transformed from producing paper cranes and printing paper to providing advanced packaging materials.
The challenge
When your business changes faster than your systems, things stop working the way they should
ERP system designed for a different business created daily uncertainties
Metsä Board had successfully transformed their business from producing paper cranes and printing paper to providing advanced packaging materials—but their core processes were still powered by an ERP system designed for an entirely different business model. The obsolete supply chain tool design was missing integrations to existing functions and lacked process performance measurements.
Only 40% of processes were working as designed
The biggest shock came when they analyzed their order-to-cash process: only 40% of order lines were conformant to established procedures. The remaining 60% had "developed a life of their own," with changes made to orders mostly due to ad-hoc requests and internal adjustments to already-made changes.
Employees lived with daily uncertainties and unwelcome surprises
Without process transparency or deviation measurements, business operations reported a complete lack of visibility. Employees never knew what to expect from their workflows, creating stress and inefficiency throughout the organization.
Management assumed expensive software fixes were needed
Facing these challenges, leadership initially believed they needed significant SAP development work and system overhauls—a costly assumption that would have diverted resources from their core business transformation.
The solution
Discovering the truth: processes weren't broken, people just weren't following them
QPR ProcessAnalyzer revealed what was really happening in SAP
Metsä Board used QPR ProcessAnalyzer to map out their complete end-to-end order-to-cash process using data directly from SAP. This analysis went far beyond existing SAP reports, providing unprecedented visibility into where and why process performance was affected.
The shocking discovery: software wasn't the problem
The analysis revealed a fundamental misunderstanding. The existing process setup wasn't broken—it had simply evolved inconsistently as employees adapted to daily challenges without proper guidance. Different teams were handling the same situations in different ways, creating the chaos and unpredictability.
Root cause analysis pinpointed training needs, not technology gaps
QPR ProcessAnalyzer's root cause analysis showed exactly where deviations were occurring and why. Instead of needing costly software development, Metsä Board needed to focus on training employees on agreed process guidelines and ensuring consistent execution across all teams.
Facts replaced assumptions in improvement planning
For the first time, Metsä Board could make process improvement decisions based on concrete data rather than hunches. They knew exactly which behaviors to change and could focus their efforts on areas with the highest impact.
"ProcessAnalyzer essentially helped us to create a better workplace for our employees because we removed uncertainties from our business processes, and thereby from everyone's work day. Better processes mean more peace of mind at work."
Matti Ketonen
VP of Supply Chain at Metsä Board
The results
Facts-driven improvements deliver dramatic results without additional software costs
Process conformance doubled from 40% to 80%
The most significant transformation was in process consistency. By training employees on proper procedures rather than rebuilding systems, Metsä Board achieved a 100% improvement in process conformance, eliminating the chaos of ad-hoc workarounds.
60% volume increase with same headcount
With standardized processes, the same supply chain team could handle dramatically more volume. This efficiency gain directly improved profitability while reducing per-unit operational costs.
Significant cost savings on avoided SAP development
Perhaps most importantly, Metsä Board avoided what could have been hundreds of thousands in SAP development costs. Instead of rebuilding systems, they invested in change management and training—delivering better results at a fraction of the cost.
Eliminated daily uncertainties for 2,400 employees
The transformation went beyond numbers to fundamentally improve work life. Employees no longer faced daily surprises and uncertainties, creating what VP Matti Ketonen called "more peace of mind at work."
Geographic challenges successfully overcome
Standardized processes enabled Metsä Board to successfully mitigate geographical handicaps, ensuring consistent performance across their 19-country operation.
Change management now driven by facts, not opinions
Today, all process development activities are based on real-time data and process visualizations from QPR ProcessAnalyzer. This fact-based approach makes it easier to get stakeholder buy-in and ensures improvements target actual problems rather than perceived issues.
VP of Supply Chain Matti Ketonen shares the transformation journey
Watch Matti Ketonen explain how QPR ProcessAnalyzer helped eliminate process uncertainties and create a better workplace for 2,400 employees.
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