Large Cooperative in Brazil sows digital efficiency with OnBase

The Large Cooperative in Brazil operates in more than fifty cities, strengthening local economies through retail stores, supermarkets, and wholesale operations, while offering a wide range of products and services. The cooperative provides security to its producers through technical assistance, support with negotiations, and access to crop insurance. Its primary mission is to generate value for its members in an innovative, secure, and sustainable way.

The cooperative managed an extremely high volume of physical documents, which slowed daily operations and made document control and governance increasingly difficult. To address this, the organization launched a digital transformation initiative that included the creation of a Shared Services Center and a dedicated Electronic Document Management (EDM) unit.

Once the new organizational structure was in place, the cooperative began searching for the most suitable technology. After evaluating all internal requirements, Hyland’s technology was selected as the best fit. The organization needed centralized and consistent document management, digital signature capabilities, and records retention control. A critical requirement was autonomy—specifically, the ability for internal teams to make changes to the solution without advanced programming knowledge. As a result, a low‑code platform was essential.

The cooperative launched a Document Management project within the Human Resources department, prioritizing customer demand and eliminating key process bottlenecks. To ensure full control over HR documentation, two digitization workflows were established: one for newly generated physical documents and another for existing archived documents. All documents are tracked using barcodes.

Five automated processes were designed, serving as a foundation for future automation across other departments:

• Digital‑Native Documents Workflow: All documents generated by the cooperative’s ERP system are automatically imported into OnBase for storage. When signatures are required, documents can be signed through integrations with digital signature tools or, depending on the signature type, directly within OnBase

• Scanning Workflow: The process begins with registering physical storage boxes. Documents are logged, and once a box is full, it is sent to the EDM team for scanning. The cooperative then retains both a digital version and the securely stored physical original.

• Loan Request Workflow: Loan requests are initiated through a form. When an employee ID is entered, OnBase automatically pulls all related employee information, generates the request, and routes it for approval. Email notifications are sent upon request creation. After review by the team, the loan is approved or denied.

• Document Disposal Workflow: All documents follow defined retention policies. OnBase monitors expiration dates and generates notifications when documents are eligible for disposal. After manual approval, both physical and digital documents are destroyed. Every disposal action is logged in OnBase, including the authorizing individual.

• Reporting Workflow: With process automation and document digitization, the cooperative gains increased visibility into its information through workflow‑based reports. The long‑term goal is to become a fully digital organization, while still retaining some physical documents as required by law.

Through document digitization and automated workflows, the Large Cooperative in Brazil significantly improved efficiency and speed within its Human Resources department, eliminating the need to search for physical files and enabling faster access to information. The organization is now better prepared to respond quickly to labor‑related requests, ensuring both agility and legal security.

By centralizing digital documents, the cooperative reduced the risk of lost files, improved information integrity, and strengthened compliance with regulatory requirements—all while laying the groundwork for broader enterprise‑wide digital transformation.