Case Study: Merck KGaA achieves 1,400% faster time-to-signature and streamlined procurement & onboarding with Adobe Sign (Adobe)

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

Merck KGaA, a 350‑year‑old global science and pharmaceutical leader with about 52,000 employees, struggled with slow, paper‑based documentation across regulated research, procurement and HR. Manual signature workflows and interoffice mailing created long delays (procurement averaged 75 days), administrative overhead and a poor employee experience.

By implementing Adobe Sign and Adobe Document Cloud (with SSO and API integrations), Merck digitized procurement and onboarding workflows—reducing average procurement signature time from 75 days to half a day (1,400% faster), cutting new‑hire contract turnaround to one day (vs one week), and enabling mobile signing. The move supports a target of 5,000 digital transactions in year one, lowers storage and costs, and delivered environmental savings (≈2,000 kg of wood and 53,000 L of water saved in eight months).

Merck KGaA

Dimitri Metzger

Global Project Manager—Strategic Cloud Solutions & Digital Transformation