Lion Hudson Achieves Same-Day Invoice Processing with Toshiba Document Management

Lion Hudson is a well-established publishing house that works with a wide network of printers, authors, designers, freelancers, and other suppliers (since acquired by SPCK Group). The finance team processes over 400 invoices every month — a volume that demands efficiency, accuracy, and clear audit trails.

The Challenge

Invoice handling at Lion Hudson was almost entirely paper-driven. Every new invoice required manual entry of numerous details — PO numbers, invoice numbers, company names, account numbers, and amounts — into the accounting software. The approval process lacked visibility, making it difficult to see what was outstanding or identify where bottlenecks were forming.

Physical filing cabinets, lever arch files, and in-trays were the primary storage mechanism, which meant that retrieving a specific document could be a slow and frustrating process. Manual data entry was time-consuming and prone to errors, and the sheer volume of paper was creating storage challenges in the office.

The finance team recognised that the status quo was unsustainable, but needed expert guidance to design a better approach.

The Solution

Toshiba’s Process Optimisation team visited Lion Hudson to observe workflows first-hand and audit the logging and approval system for invoices. The assessment confirmed what the team already suspected: the manual, paper-based approach was the root cause of the inefficiency.

Toshiba proposed a complete Document Management System (DMS) that would automate the key processes around invoice handling. Digital workflows replaced the paper trail, so that once an invoice receives approval, it is automatically routed to the next person in the chain. Documents relating to any invoice — delivery notes, payment authorisations, bookings — can be opened instantly with a single click.

All documents are stored in a central digital pool with structured indexing, eliminating the need for physical filing and making retrieval near-instantaneous.

The Results

Between 80% and 90% of invoices are now processed through the paperless system, and all 30 people involved in the workflow have noticed a marked improvement. Invoices that previously took days to work through the approval chain are now turned around within 24 hours, which Lion Hudson could almost never achieve under the old system.

The digital document pool removed the need for filing cabinets and lever arch files, freeing up office space and making every document searchable and instantly accessible. Data security improved significantly, since electronic storage with controlled access is inherently more secure than paper sitting in an open filing tray.

Caroline Gregory, Finance Director, described the buy-in from the whole company as incredible, noting that everyone could see there would be no more time wasted searching through physical storage for documents. The organisation has since begun planning to extend the Toshiba DMS to cover legal contract storage as well.