Bayer LATAM saves €1 million and accelerates automation delivery by 87.5% with Python and BotCity
Bayer LATAM built an internal automation community, trained over 220 employees as Citizen Developers, and delivered 180 projects in record time, with zero external costs and centralized governance.
Learn moresaved by reducing external automation costs
saved by reducing external automation costs
projects delivered, a 3000% increase compared to the previous year
projects delivered—a 3000% increase compared to the previous year
hours saved vs. an initial goal of 7,000 hours
hours saved vs. an initial goal of 7,000 hours
Automation delivery time reduced from 8 months to 4 weeks (an 87.5% acceleration)
Automation delivery time reduced from 8 months to 4 weeks (an 87.5% acceleration)
Over 220 employees trained as Citizen Developers
Over 220 employees trained as Citizen Developers
of automations developed internally, ensuring complete autonomy for teams
of automations developed internally, ensuring complete autonomy for teams
Founded in 1863 in Germany and present in Brazil since 1896, Bayer is internationally recognized for its tradition of innovation and excellence in Life Sciences.
With a strong presence in the agricultural, pharmaceutical, and consumer health sectors, the company continually strives to deliver innovative solutions that contribute to a better life, focusing on sustainability and high operational performance.
Automated Processes
Intelligent Freight Query
Automatic Order Processing
Productive Data Extraction from SAP
Challenge: How Bayer turned constraints into opportunities
At the end of 2023, Bayer LATAM faced a significant budget cut to its main automation program, IPAP, which required an annual investment of approximately €450,000 for renewal. Additionally, the previous model had important limitations such as slow automation delivery (average of 8 months), restricted user autonomy, and excessive reliance on external resources, resulting in a growing backlog of pending requests.
The Solution: Governance, Intelligent Automation, and Autonomy
In response, Bayer LATAM made a strategic decision: adopt the BotCity platform with intelligent Python based automations, promoting centralized governance, operational autonomy, and significant cost savings.
With BotCity's support, Bayer established the "Innovation Club LATAM," a program dedicated to training internal employees as Citizen Developers.
This model enabled rapid scalability, robust governance, and active engagement from business teams on low and medium-complexity automations.
Real automation examples:
- Intelligent Freight Query (SICE TAC – Colombia): What previously took 7 hours is now done in just 25 minutes thanks to Python automation, saving 168 hours annually.
- Automatic Order Processing (ATP and MAD – Brazil): Handling an impressive 327,600 orders per year, this automation integrates SAP, SharePoint, Power Automate, and Maestro—streamlining daily operations with speed and accuracy.
- SAP Productive Data Extraction (RMRC): With reinforced security via logs and credential management, data is automatically extracted, drastically reducing errors and boosting operational efficiency.
Results
The results exceeded expectations, demonstrating the success of the strategy:
- €1 million saved by eliminating external supplier costs
- Productivity significantly increased with over 60,000 hours saved, an 857% overachievement of the initial goal
- 180 new projects delivered, a 3000% growth compared to the previous year
- Average automation implementation time reduced from 8 months to just 4 weeks (87.5% faster)
- Formation of an internal automation community with over 220 trained employees, achieving an average satisfaction score of 3.94/4
- More than 94% of automations developed internally, enabling true operational autonomy for teams
Next Steps
With results already consolidated, Bayer LATAM plans to further expand its intelligent automation program, deepening the use of AI and continuously improving governance practices.
The goal is to scale up the Innovation Club, increase engagement across departments, and continue transforming the company’s automation landscape with agility and efficiency.
Alexandre Marin
Automation Lead at Bayer LATAM
