Esker and Grant Thornton Italy Automate Key Business Processes for The Space Cinema

LYON, France, and MIDDLETON, Wis. — December 13, 2022 — Esker, a global cloud platform and leader in AI-driven process automation solutions for finance and customer service functions, today announced in partnership with Grant Thornton Italy, that The Space Cinema, a leading cinema operator in Italy, is automating its accounts payable (AP), expense management and accounts receivable (AR) processes with Esker.

The partnership with Grant Thornton, a preeminent audit, tax and advisory firm, has provided pivotal support to the successful rollout of Esker’s solutions for The Space Cinema. The expertise of Grant Thornton’s consulting services played a central role in the development and management of Esker’s solutions. This successful collaboration accompanied The Space Cinema on its digital transformation journey by automating key financial processes.

Together, these three companies have achieved tremendous gains in efficiency, time, and cost. With Esker providing innovative solutions, Grant Thornton enhancing its consulting offer and The Space Cinema committing to digital automation processes, this partnership lays the groundwork for future projects in additional business departments.

“Teamwork is always a winning strategy. The professional relationship we have established and nurtured with The Space Cinema over the years is based on open communication, dialogue and mutual appreciation,” said Giovanni Gavioli, Managing Director at Esker Italy. “We are able to deliver the best solutions to meet our customers’ needs thanks to quality relationships, close collaboration and shared goals.”

The Space Cinema has achieved numerous benefits, including:

  • Improved AP and AR processes with AI-based intelligent data recognition
  • Decreased workload with touchless processing
  • Optimized electronic workflow
  • Seamless multi-ERP integration
  • Enhanced control over business expenses

According to Alessandro Leone, COO at Grant Thornton Digital: "Automating business processes through the adoption of an AI-based engine is a goal for many businesses worldwide. I am proud to say that we have made this a reality and our great results have been achieved through a true partnership between The Space Cinema, Grant Thornton and Esker. Each party brought passion and technical expertise to the project to ensure it was a real success."

The Space Cinema’s digital transformation was accomplished in three phases. In 2011, the company implemented Esker’s on-premises Accounts Payable solution to achieve greater visibility of its supplier invoicing process, before moving to a cloud model in 2021. Based on the success of the first project the company introduced Esker’s Accounts Receivable solution in 2018 to automate another substantial part of its accounting processes. And in 2021, The Space Cinema added Esker’s Expense Management solution to efficiently manage its employees’ expenses.

“Our partnership with Esker now spans over a decade, and their expertise in AI technology and touchless processing, enabled us to greatly improve our AP and AR processes which also created more time for our teams to devote to higher value activities,” said Gianpiero Nese, Finance Director at The Space Cinema. “Esker has also enabled us to keep employee expenses under control while simultaneously helping us improve our sustainability, as we no longer need to print and store thousands of expense reports.”

About Grant Thornton Italy

Grant Thornton is one of the Italian member firms of the consulting group Grant Thornton International Ltd, a global network with more than 62,000 professionals that has been operating for over 100 years in over 140 countries and provides consulting services in the Audit, Tax, and Advisory segments. With more than 500 people working in 19 offices located in major cities in Italy, Grant Thornton Italy offers clients a constant presence throughout the country in order to provide better, more effective services. Active in the main sectors of today's economic landscape, clients include small and medium-sized companies, multinational corporations, as well as publicly listed companies and family-run businesses.

About The Space Cinema

The Space Cinema is a leading cinema operator in Italy with 36 multiplex cinemas and 359 screens, over 70,000 available seats and employs more than 700 people throughout Italy. The company is home to five out of the top ten highest grossing cinemas in Italy and welcomes an average of 16 million people per year, offering the best possible movie-going experience to its customers. The Space Cinema is part of the Vue International Group, one of the world's leading cinema operators, managing the most respected brands in major European markets and Taiwan, spanning nine countries, 227 sites and 1,990 screens.

About Esker

Esker is a global cloud platform built to unlock strategic value for finance and customer service professionals, and strengthen collaboration between companies by automating the cash conversion cycle. Esker’s solutions incorporate technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive increased productivity, enhanced visibility, reduced fraud risk, and improved collaboration with customers, suppliers and internally. Esker operates in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific with global headquarters in Lyon, France, and U.S. headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information on Esker and its solutions, visit www.esker.com. Follow Esker on LinkedIn and join the conversation on the Esker blog at blog.esker.com.

https://www.esker.com/sites/default/files/press_releases/esker_the_space_cinema_dec_2022_.pdf

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