Transforming Procurement at Electra with Payflows: Visibility, Efficiency & Control

Electra Overview

Founded in 2021, Electra is a key player in the decarbonization of the transportation sector. The company installs and operates rapid charging stations for electric vehicles, strategically located in ultra-urban areas and along major routes.

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Electra’s business model covers all installation costs and financial risks, as well as rental payments for each station. Their partnerships span various sectors, including supermarkets, shopping malls, hotels, parking lots, and gas stations. The company generates revenue from each charge session at their stations.

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Currently active in France and eight other countries in Europe, Electra has experienced exceptional growth and is a member of the Next40.

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Operational and Financial Challenges

Setting up a charging station for Electra is a complex, lengthy process involving around six months for commercial negotiations and lease signing, followed by four to six months of construction (such as electrical connections, permits, and equipment installation). Once operational, each station represents a significant CAPEX investment. By 2030, Electra plans to install 2,300 stations across Europe, with an average cost of €500k each.

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A major challenge lies in managing costs and ensuring station profitability—an essential factor for Electra's sustainability and for continued investor confidence. However, until the end of 2023, Electra’s accounting tools were limited and lacked automated cost reconciliation, leading to reduced visibility into expenses per station.

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ERP and P2P Solution Implementation

Initially, Electra aimed to centralize its operations through SAP S/4 Hana ERP, but the user experience for those involved in purchasing didn’t meet Electra’s expectations.

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SAP is an excellent tool and a powerful core ERP engine, but Payflows will serve as an overlay, managing the operational data entry where many users interact with the interface.

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The SAP ordering process was slow and cumbersome, which risked limited adoption and productivity loss among operational teams.

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“SAP is an excellent tool and a powerful core ERP engine, but Payflows will serve as an overlay, managing the operational data entry where many users interact with the interface.” Etienne de Valbray, VP Operational Strategy at Electra.

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Electra opted then for a hybrid model combining:

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• An ERP – providing a robust engine for financial flows and multi-country accounting
• A P2P tool – serving as an overlay specialized in procurement management.

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Choosing Payflows

Electra conducted a two-month audit, comparing several P2P solutions. Payflows won over the team based on three main criteria:

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• An intuitive, user-friendly interface for end-users
• A team willing to listen and invest fully in resolving Electra's unique challenges
• Speed of execution to align with Electra's rapid pace, including:
  • A standalone Payflows P2P implementation in three weeks to start managing spending (POs, PRs, approvals)
  • A two-month integration with SAP for real-time synchronization on all expense-related items

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Leveraging Payflows

Payflows now supports procurement management: intake, approval and orchestration for all Electra employees, especially 70 users who engage with it daily.

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Its native integration with SAP S4/Hana automates a significant portion of accounting entries and payments in the ERP, utilizing purchase requests, receipts, and invoices directly managed within Payflows.

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The Finance team’s end goal is to save time by automating control tasks (such as validating invoices and receipts without discrepancies and identifying gaps), allowing them to focus on high-value activities like handling cases with discrepancies.

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Results with Payflows

80% of Electra's purchases are related to charging stations. Managing orders and deliveries is a major challenge, and Payflows simplifies these processes.

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With 80% of Electra’s purchases tied to charging stations, which involve heavy equipment (chargers, transformers) and complex services, managing orders and receipts remains a critical area explains Etienne de Valbray, VP Operational Strategy at Electra. Payflows helps Electra streamline these processes, enhancing efficiency and transparency in spending management.

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Today, more than 70 Electra station managers use Payflows daily to request purchases related to charging stations. The tool was quickly adopted by teams and provides 100% visibility into all expenditures.

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Conclusion

Implementing Payflows has enabled Electra to overcome the operational and financial challenges associated with rapid growth. By combining SAP—a robust ERP—with Payflows—an agile P2P tool—Electra has achieved a balanced approach to cost control, operational efficiency, and a solid, scalable financial foundation. This transformation lays the groundwork for optimized procurement management tailored to Electra’s business model.

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