SLP Kustannus

SLP Kustannus, a subsidiary of Suomalainen Lehtipaino Oy and the new owner of Alma Media’s print publishing business in Kainuu, is outsourcing its invoicing and payment control processes to Finnish Ropo Capital. The service solution will be based on digitisation and automation, and expected to support the company’s growth strategy, generate resource savings and improve profitability.

SLP Kustannus publishes Kainuun Sanomat and several other newspapers in Northern Finland. As part of its operational restructuring, it will outsource its invoicing, ledger and payment control to Ropo Capital, a Finnish company specialised in financial management services.

The company submits some 100,000 subscription and ad invoices a year, all of which will be processed through Ropo Capital’s Ropo 24 system.

– Ropo Capital stood out from its competitors for its pricing model, which from a buyer’s perspective is very clear and safe. All costs were listed in the offer and the buying was made easy. The fact that the deployment phase entailed no additional costs for us was also a contributing factor. Whole cost structure has been clear from the start, says Erkki Heikkilä, Publishing Manager at SLP Kustannus.

– We are talking about extensive cooperation, which covers the integration of the invoicing and payments monitoring process with subscription management, advertising sales and accounting. Manual work has been reduced to a minimum and data transfer largely automated. The new system will cut our costs significantly and is an important part of our growth strategy, Heikkilä continues.

New invoicing process in two months

As a subsidiary of Suomalainen Lehtipaino, SLP Kustannus is bound by the agreement between Suomalainen Lehtipaino and Alma Media, according to which Suomalainen Lehtipaino as a group is responsible for the entire production chain of its print media from publishing to printing and distribution. Due to these changes, the outsourcing had to be done quickly and the whole subscription-invoicing chain reformed.

– The entire process from subscription to invoicing was completely restructured in two months. Deadline and cooperation between the various operators posed the greatest challenges. It was important to get the different systems to work effectively together. Ropo Capital was up for the challenge, and we are very pleased with the progress of the project, Heikkilä comments.

Rapid deployment was supported by Ropo Capital’s experience in comprehensive solutions tailored for the media and publication industry, as well as its software partnership with Jaicom Oy, a company responsible for SLP Kustannus’ subscription system, and Anygraaf in charge of SLP Kustannus’ advertisement management system. Ropo Capital and its partners have realised similar solutions for Fokus Media and Joutsen Media, among others.

– The whole publishing industry is in a transition phase. We find the segment highly interesting and will continue our investments there. We have a ready-to-use service package, which takes into account the specific characteristics and challenges of the sector. Automations are the cornerstones of our solution, says Mikko Uotinen, Account Director at Ropo Capital.

Comprehensive solutions and invoicing process automations that combine the different elements of financial management are Ropo Capital’s core business. It is able to produce digital service solutions, which work seamlessly with different invoicing, ERP and accounting systems. The solutions minimise manual work related to invoicing and ledger service, improve the use of resources, increase profitability by generating cost savings, and accelerate sales receivable collection.

Suomalainen Lehtipaino Oy is a family-owned company based in Kainuu, Finland. The Group employs some 150 people in print media publishing and newspaper printing and distribution. SLP Kustannus, a subsidiary of Suomalainen Lehtipaino Oy, publishes the regional Kainuun Sanomat newspaper; Koti-Kajaani free copy magazine; and Ylä-Kainuu, Kuhmolainen and Sotkamo-lehti local papers. www.suomalainenlehtipaino.fi

Additional information:

Mikko Uotinen

Sales Director

Erkki Heikkilä

Publishing Manager, SLP Kustannus Oy