Koito Czech, a leading manufacturer of automotive lighting based in Žatec, is one of the region's key employers. With a team of roughly 1,300 workers, its HR department faced a major challenge: the heavy administrative burden of paying out wage advances by hand. In March 2022, the outdated process was replaced by Earned Wage Access, a modern benefit from Advanto.
After four years in operation, it is clear that this was not just the digitisation of one internal process, but a change that eased the payroll department's workload, improved employee comfort and contributed to a more modern approach to employee benefits.
From manual work to digital freedom
Before Advanto, the wage-advance agenda at Koito Czech looked much like it does in many manufacturing companies: an employee had to ask for an advance in person, the payroll department processed the request by hand, issued a confirmation and sent the employee to the cash desk, where the advance was paid out in cash.
With that many employees, it was an administratively demanding, time-inefficient and, from HR's point of view, unsustainable process, as Hana Vejvodová, Deputy Manager at Koito Czech s.r.o., describes: “Mondays were the toughest — someone from payroll had to come in as early as 6 a.m. to pay out advances according to the set rules. We never knew whether we should keep 20 or 60 thousand crowns in the petty-cash safe.”
The original process carried several fundamental problems:
- Administrative chaos: Writing out requests by hand, approvals and constant interruptions to the payroll team's work.
- Cash operations: Paying out money in cash increased security risks and the demands of handling the cash desk.
- The human factor: Entering advances into the accounts manually carried a high risk of errors, which were then difficult to correct in the monthly closings.
- Loss of dignity: Queues in HR offices often did not look good even for the employees themselves, who had to ask for their money.
Earned Wage Access as a digital wallet
The solution was Earned Wage Access from Advanto. It gives employees the option to withdraw part of the wages they have already earned, simply through a mobile app. They can see in real time how much money is currently available to them and make a withdrawal without visiting HR, the payroll department or the cash desk.
At Koito Czech, the service was set up to give employees flexibility while keeping a safe framework for managing their pay.
- For every hour worked, CZK 75 is credited to the employee in the app.
- The maximum monthly limit for withdrawals is set at CZK 10,000, which provides a safe reserve while protecting the main payday.
- The minimum withdrawal amount is CZK 500.
This setup lets employees handle both everyday and unexpected expenses before the standard payday, without the company having to keep running a manual system of cash advances. “For employees, the biggest benefit is definitely your motto ‘Anytime and anywhere’,” says Vejvodová.
The key to success is automation
For a system of automatic advances to work in a manufacturing company of this size, a reliable connection to internal systems was essential. Koito Czech uses the RON Software payroll and attendance system. Thanks to Advanto's integration with the RON systems, data on hours worked and completed withdrawals is exchanged entirely without manual intervention.
From the payroll department's perspective, that is crucial. “The fact that the import file comes in a format that can be loaded straight into the database is the biggest relief — no manual data entry and fewer errors in payroll,” explains Vejvodová.
A smooth transition with lightning-fast adoption
Alongside internal communication about the new advance system, the Advanto team visited the Žatec plant in person in April 2022 to help employees register and answer their questions.
This step built employees' trust in the new benefit and helped remove the barriers that often accompany the roll-out of digital tools in a manufacturing environment. To make the start as smooth as possible, the app was also localised into Ukrainian for the large group of foreign workers.
Pay as part of broader support
Koito Czech is known for its strong social policy. For years it has run, for example, a Help line through which employees can anonymously deal with debt, legal problems or stress. Advanto fits perfectly into this mosaic of employee care: it works preventively — people can access their money before they would be forced to take out an unfavourable microloan.
The app also includes the Advanto Academy, where employees find educational quizzes and articles on personal and family finances. The company thus gives them not only faster access to their money, but also a tool that can support financial literacy.
“Koito is not just about machines and production, it is about people. The existence of the Help line proves that the company takes the social stability of its employees seriously. Earned Wage Access fits into this mosaic as a preventive tool that helps people deal with financial needs before they become critical,” adds Martin Fortelný, CEO of Advanto, on the company culture.
The data after 4 years in operation
Over four years, Advanto has become a firm part of life at Koito. The statistics clearly show that when people are given a tool for financial freedom, they learn to use it responsibly.
Roughly a third of employees registered in the app. At least one withdrawal was made by 371 unique users — almost 90% of those registered. Since the benefit launched, Koito workers had made over 27,000 withdrawals by May 2026. That represents more than 27 thousand requests that never had to be processed by hand thanks to digitisation. The time Advanto has saved the payroll department is almost impossible to quantify.
The money employees withdrew through Advanto became an important tool for stabilising their household budgets and preventing unnecessary stress.
- Almost a third of all withdrawals went to covering housing and energy costs.
- A third of withdrawals helped employees pay for everyday expenses such as groceries or transport.
- The rest served to immediately cover unexpected expenses and some well-deserved leisure time.
From the employees' perspective, Earned Wage Access has established itself at Koito Czech as a highly valued benefit. According to HR and in-app surveys, those who use the service see it positively and appreciate above all its simplicity, availability and the ability to solve a financial need without unnecessary paperwork. Mrs Vejvodová sums up the most frequent employee feedback in the words: “The best benefit the company has ever given us.”
Advanto does not complicate internal processes, burden the payroll team or require any additional manual agenda. On the contrary, it removed an operational problem that weighed on the company and gave employees more freedom in handling the money they have earned.
