Digital integration for sustainable competitiveness: The role of BPM, process mining and ERP in accounting automation

Abstract

This paper examines how integrating Business Process Management (BPM), Process Mining, and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems enhances sustainable competitiveness and accounting automation efficiency. Using OMV Petrom SA, Romania’s largest energy company, as a case study, the research analyzes the digital transformation program S4Strive, which unified 170 legal entities under a single SAP S/4HANA platform. The implementation combined BPM frameworks for process standardization, Process Mining analytics for identifying bottlenecks and deviations, and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) for repetitive financial tasks. The results revealed a 50% reduction in invoice-to-payment cycle times, annual savings of over 225,000 labor hours, and cost reductions exceeding €8 million. Beyond efficiency and cost improvements, the integration strengthened transparency, compliance, and data accuracy, while supporting environmental and social responsibility through optimized resource utilization. By comparing these outcomes with international accounts payable process-mining cases, the paper highlights how data-driven process integration enhances not only financial performance but also long-term organizational sustainability and resilience in the digital economy.