How Gimatic eliminated maverick buying and gained procurement control with Unite

Streamlined approval processes and data visibility

Founded in 1985 and part of the Barnes Group for several years, Gimatic Srl specialises in designing and manufacturing components for industrial automation. Based in Roncadelle, near Brescia, the company serves as a reference point for supplying grippers, sensors and actuators, with solutions supporting manufacturing companies worldwide. The Barnes Group operates across multiple countries with thousands of employees, demonstrating significant scale in industrial automation solutions.

Too many suppliers creating administrative overload 

Managing a high number of suppliers meant significant administrative overload for Gimatic. The company had too many invoices to process manually and poor visibility over purchases made. This made it complex to centralise the purchasing function and monitor indirect spending, particularly in a business context that wasn’t fully digitalised. 

Another obstacle was the lack of a centralised approval process. Each department purchased autonomously, without the necessary authorisation steps, leading to widespread maverick buying. The absence of digital tools made it difficult to intervene in real-time on requests and rationalise spending. 

Digital transformation through Unite’s integrated platform 

The breakthrough came through Unite’s platform. Gimatic adopted the web access solution and started to use the purchase request system and related approval workflows. Several users were profiled with appropriate authorisation levels, thus enabling effective spending control.  

Greater transparency in purchasing was now possible, with easily exportable and accessible data via the platform. Additionally, it facilitated the centralisation of procurement, reducing the number of active suppliers and streamlining operational management. “Unite’s approval workflow is, for our needs, its strongest point. It’s flexible and scalable,” says Carlo Cacciatore. 

Concrete and visible benefits 

One of the most evident benefits was the reduction in time needed to manage each order. Even without ERP integration, thanks to the platform’s simplicity, orders were managed more quickly and with less burden on administration and the purchasing office itself.  

The system also enabled Gimatic to conduct periodic consumption analyses, identifying recurring items and further optimising purchasing strategies. Key advantages include significant reduction of indirect suppliers, streamlined approval processes with reduced maverick buying, and greater satisfaction among internal stakeholders thanks to an intuitive platform. 

Looking ahead, Gimatic’s digitalisation project is still ongoing. The company intends to further extend use of the platform and evaluate new functionalities, such as adding suppliers with framework contracts and analysing the environmental impact of purchases. Furthermore, the positive Italian experience has already been shared with other group companies in Germany and could lead to broader adoption in international contexts.