Operating as a giant of the automotive industry, German-based Daimler AG is no stranger to innovation. Closer to home, in Southeast Asia, the same approach applies.Spearheaded by Shekhar Chhajer as CIO of Asia Pacific and Africa, the organisation recently automated internal processes in the region through the use of robotic process automation (RPA).Alongside innovation, customers continue to demand higher levels of efficiency, creating a need for Chhajer to seek business-wide collaboration between key stakeholders in accounting, controlling, sales and marketing and post-sales.After seeking commitment from the business, Chhajer and his department identified applicable processes to automate, outlining more than 70 use cases which qualify for a technological overhaul.A work in the progress, eight use cases have currently been rolled out across Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, with a further 30 use cases expected to be implemented by the close of 2019.In addition to both generating and harnessing data, the approach has allowed Daimler to optimise processes through “re-engineering” how the organisation approaches technology.Central to such success has been “trust, co-creation and collaboration”, with Chhajer shaping the innovation strategy of 12 countries across two continents.To promote cross cultural and cross-country collaboration, he has also established virtual competency teams across each location, housing a “bottom up” collection of ideas to create a knowledge sharing culture within Daimler.