As we enter the era of Industry 4.0 (The Fourth Industrial Revolution), Robotic Process Automation (RPA)* is gaining traction across all sectors. Across filings, more than 600 companies discussed RPA from Q1 to Q3 2022. Although companies within the Technology and Financial Services sectors were discussing this technology the most, mentions in the Retail sector witnessed an approximate growth of  52% from 2021 to 2022**, according to leading data analytics company GlobalData’s Company Filing Analytics Database.

Retail companies like Sa Sa International Holdings mentioned RPA for accounting needs while Migros Ticaret discussed the robotization of 34 of their business processes across various departments. CP All Public Company mentioned using RPA technology in repetitive work inspections as part of auditing. Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC talked about leveraging RPA to improve cyber security and information security, get deeper business insights, and go after operational excellence in sourcing, inventory control, and manufacturing. Dis-Chem Pharmacies mentioned improving its warehouse activity efficiency.

Ekta Chourasia, Business Fundamentals Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “As more retail companies are transforming their business processes to the RPA system so that tasks are performed more quickly, with minimum errors and reduced expenses, we have seen an increase in the number of retail companies discussing RPA in their filings.”

Companies in other sectors like Automotive and Consumer indicated greater efficiency in lead time calculations and enhanced supply chain and inventory management due to RPA. Vertu Motors mentioned its application of RPA in smart repair ordering, vehicle administration, payment receipts and customer refunds. Consumer company, Arcelik, discussed using RPA in logistics processes while construction company, CTCI, discussed utilizing RPA for the input of bulk material and delivery.

Chourasia adds: “RPA in financial services is focusing on automating processes like daily report generation, ATM reconciliation, and payment settlement. Some of the financial services have also mentioned stop debit, insurance deregistration and savings account openings through RPA.”

*Robotic process automation (RPA) is a technology that emulates how people interact with software to carry out repetitive, high-volume operations.

**Note: Data is updated till September 27, 2022