This is the story of how Grupo Gondi, a leading Mexican paper and packaging corporation, implemented an intuitive solution that saved its employees hundreds of hours of manual work. With access to all information in their native language and automatic compliance with NIIF 16 (derived from the international regulation IFRS 16), the company achieved seamless lease management.
Managing over 7,000 employees and numerous assets—ranging from buildings and warehouses to vehicles and compressors, distributed across the country—posed a massive challenge. The task involved handling hundreds of contracts accompanied by additional documentation, attachments, and appendices, keeping track of crucial dates, managing payments in multiple currencies, and generating timely reports, all of which were previously managed through Excel files.
As a result, lease management became complicated, involving an increasing number of people in the company to manage the process. After evaluating the options in the market, Grupo Gondi determined that Nakisa's lease accounting software (aka Nakisa Lease Administration or NLA) was the ideal solution to fit their requirements.“Before adopting Nakisa’s solution, we managed all the information in Excel files. Soon, we were facing such a daunting volume of operations that directors started looking for solutions,” said accounting analyst Francisco Javier Chavez Espinosa, one of the first at Grupo Gondi to hear about Nakisa.
Results after implementing Nakisa's lease accounting software: optimizing operations and saying goodbye to spreadsheets
From comptroller Marisol Gutiérrez Rojas’ point of view: “We were looking for ways to optimize time and stop the needless pencil-pushing.” NIIF 16 has changed the lease accounting standards for public and international companies listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange. Complying with this regulation is no easy task.
Francisco Javier Chavez Espinosa
Accounting Analyst at Grupo Gondi
Implementing Nakisa's lease accounting software was key for Grupo Gondi. “In the past, it took half an hour to check a contract or generate an accounting record. It can now be done in two minutes,” illustrated Espinosa. Rojas added: “Nakisa accounts for everything this regulation (NIIF 16) demands out of the box. We simply type in the contract data and the tool gives us the records and data tables that we need.”
She also pointed out another advantage that tipped the scales in favor of Nakisa: It was one of the few solutions on the market available in several languages, including Spanish.
After signing with Nakisa, it was time to migrate all the information into the solution and learn how to use the tool. These tasks were of utmost importance for Grupo Gondi. “I feared that implementing the system and mastering the platform would be very difficult. We had little time. Fortunately, Nakisa’s team was there to train us and never left us in the dark,” Espinosa pointed out. “The numbers make us feel 100% confident that the information we enter into the system is correct,” said the analyst. “It is a very precise tool.”
For Espinosa and Rojas, the support of Nakisa’s team has provided a great advantage. “They were always present, and they are still there for us despite the implementation contract being finalized. We can rely on them for quick answers to all our questions.”
Rojas points out that the platform’s ease of use is one of many benefits the team enjoys. “There are many things that we like. For instance, Nakisa allows us to put postings on standby while we perform other tasks.”
Valerie Leffray
Global Business and Functions Director at Grupo Gondi
Grupo Gondi’s contracts are listed in various currencies with different types of interest, a problem that was solved thanks to Nakisa's lease accounting solution. “Definitely, the accounting records are the same. It only takes a moment to record the contracts you need, and obtaining all the reports and information is easy,” said Espinosa.
Another great advantage of Nakisa’s solution, according to him, is how easy it is to generate, send, and read reports. “It is not necessary to know how the platform operates. Anyone will immediately be able to use it, and it perfectly adjusts to the user’s needs.”
The analyst believes that the company’s newfound planning and forecasting abilities will be key for further time optimization. “Our accounting colleagues at the plant already have a visualization of everything that will happen throughout the life of the contract. They have undoubtedly helped us to optimize timelines and anticipate events,” he adds.
Francisco Javier Chavez Espinosa
Accounting Analyst at Grupo Gondi
One of the advantages of modern cloud-native software is backup and recovery capabilities that protect data and also provide failover protection. Grupo Gondi found themselves in a situation that could have resulted in significant delays if they were still using on-premise or legacy, retrofit cloud technology. When sharing, Francisco remembered the words from Nakisa’s response team: “’Relax, the system can be reset, no problem.’ And they did it,” explains Espinosa. The situation was quickly resolved and Grupo Gondi was able to ensure their critical go-live timelines. A great relief for the team, which now knows that with Nakisa “There is always backup for anything that could happen. There is a copy stored in the cloud, and that changes everything,” Espinosa concluded.
