Esker has announced that McDonald’s Force – the Economic Interest Group (EIG) responsible for the advertising operations of McDonald’s restaurants in France – has transformed its finance operations to manage 150 campaigns a year with a finance team of just eight people.
Through a collaboration dating back more than 10 years, McDonald’s Force has leveraged Esker’s automation, security and intelligent process management capabilities to drive business growth, ensure the security of finance workflows and prepare for mandatory e-invoicing in France in 2026.
Operational excellence and regulatory compliance
In 2014, a McDonald’s global directive introduced strict traceability requirements for media buys, the GIE’s largest budget category. For McDonald’s Force, the challenge was considerable: absorbing a 50% increase in the volume of supplier invoices without expanding the finance team. To meet these requirements, McDonald’s Force automated its billing and established a reliable audit trail, thanks to the Esker Accounts Payable solution, key to the evolution of its finances.
What initially began as a response to finance constraints quickly became a broader digital transformation strategy across the organization. Following the automation of supplier accounting, McDonald’s Force expanded the collaboration in 2015 by automating its purchasing cycle with Esker Procurement, improving financial efficiency. In 2022, the cooperation between both companies was further expanded with the implementation of Esker Supplier Management, allowing McDonald’s Force to eliminate remaining paper processes and further strengthen finance controls.
Since 2025, McDonald’s Force has also been actively preparing for the upcoming electronic invoicing reform, relying on its long-standing collaboration with Esker and the agility of its solutions, making it easier to adapt its finances to the new requirements.
AI and automation at the service of financial processes
Seamlessly integrated with Cegid’s ERP, Esker solutions have helped redefine operational efficiency across McDonald’s Force’s finance processes. Today, 80% of purchases are managed through purchase orders, helping to speed up finance processes while providing greater visibility into financial commitments.
Beyond the efficiency gains, security has also improved dramatically in the realm of finance. By automating supplier management, McDonald’s Force has standardized the verification of banking data and legal information, significantly reducing the risk of fraud in its finances.
This digital foundation allows McDonald’s Force to approach electronic billing reform with confidence, strengthening its finance strategy as part of its ongoing optimization process.
Using Esker technologies, McDonald’s Force has achieved measurable improvements in its financial performance, including:
• Faster invoice processing and payment cycles in finance
• Improved internal collaboration thanks to standardized workflows that directly impact finances
• Secure transactions through systematic verification of bank accounts in finance
• Greater visibility and control over financial commitments in the finance area
• Better preparation for financial regulatory requirements, including upcoming e-invoicing obligations
“Esker has been supporting us for more than 10 years with solutions that have evolved at the pace of our needs,” said Cyrille Maton, director of Financial Control at McDonald’s Force. “Automation allows us to eliminate paper, guarantee our financial commitments and streamline accounting processes. Thanks to the collaboration with Esker, we can anticipate market evolution while continuing to create value for our restaurants.”
By automating supplier management, McDonald’s Force has standardized the verification of banking data and legal information
“McDonald’s Force’s journey reflects exactly what we aim to achieve at Esker: helping finance teams become engines of resilience and growth,” said Thomas Honneger, sales director at Esker France. “Over the last decade, we have helped them solve a traceability need by offering intelligent end-to-end automation. Supporting a company of this size as it prepares for the 2026 e-invoicing reform demonstrates how trust and innovation can drive real performance in finance.”
