Exide Industries Limited: Innovating Processes With Robotic Process Automation

In the throes of a global pandemic, on May 3, 2021, Exide Industries Limited (EIL) faced a critical juncture. The managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) convened the executive committee in Kolkata, India, to grapple with the choice between human capital and robotic process automation, specifically in the realm of accounts payable (AP) processes. Balancing tangible benefits and intangible costs, the executives debated the impact on employee morale and company culture. Amidst the complexities, the MD and CEO aimed to chart a course that harmonized innovation with tradition, ensuring automation fortified rather than undermined EIL’s core strengths. Focused on the vital AP processes, the senior vice president (SVP) of corporate accounts and the IT team initiated an exploration, recognizing the need to navigate a delicate equilibrium between human insight and technological advancement. The narrative unfolds in a bustling city, against the backdrop of a pandemic-altered economic landscape, as EIL seeks a path forward that preserves its unique human capital while embracing the transformative potential of automation.

This case is suitable for graduate and post-graduate courses in business administration, technology management, digital transformation, innovation management, and entrepreneurship. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:<br><br><ul><li>Critically evaluate the trade-offs between preserving human capital and embracing automation, considering both the tangible benefits and the intangible costs, and identify strategies that balance innovation with the well-being of employees to serve the organization’s long-term goals.</li><li>Identify and analyze the possible challenges and opportunities in shifting a company toward digital transformation, focusing on key decision-making factors contributing to successful robotic process automation (RPA) adoption.</li><li>Explain how RPA could streamline accounts payable processes and assess the potential benefits and drawbacks.</li><li>Explore the potentially transformative impact of automation on a business’s operations and consider ethical implications, prospective trends, and impacts of RPA across different industry sectors.</li><li>Define the role of digital transformation’s role in enhancing operational efficiency and resilience, especially in a post-pandemic world, while promoting sustainable growth.</li></ul>

• trade-offs
• automation
• tangible benefits
• intangible costs
• innovation
• well-being
• digital transformation
• decision-making factors
• challenges
• opportunities
• streamline
• transformative impact
• ethical implications
• robotic process automation (RPA)
• accounts payable
• human capital and automation balance
• change management
• post-pandemic business strategies
• ethical automation practices