Case Study: Merck KGaA achieves 1,400% faster time to signature and streamlined procurement with Adobe Acrobat Sign

Merck transforms time-consuming procurement by digitalizing workflows with the help of Adobe Sign

Merck KGaA, a 350‑year‑old science and pharmaceutical leader based in Darmstadt with around 52,000 employees, faced slow, paper‑based procurement and approval workflows that tied up staff time, increased costs and waste, and hurt the employee experience. Cross‑office signature processes often required printing and mailing contracts, creating delays (average 7.5 days to sign) and administrative burden that distracted employees from higher‑value scientific work.

Merck implemented Adobe Sign (Adobe Document Cloud) with integrations into its procurement systems and single sign‑on, enabling fully digital workflows, API integrations and mobile signing. The change cut time to signature from 7.5 days to about half a day (1,400% faster), sped up order placement for time‑critical purchases, centralized digital storage of agreements, and delivered environmental savings (≈2,000 kg wood and 53,000 L water in eight months) while scaling toward 5,000 procurement transactions in the first year.

Merck KGaA

Florian Wies

IT Project and Service Manager