Lexi: How Ahlers Reinvented Contract Management with AI
At Ahlers, we see innovation as a part of everyday work ─ not only in the solutions we deliver to our customers, but also in how we run our own business. One of the latest examples is Lexi, our in-house AI-powered contract management assistant. Built to simplify a time-consuming process, Lexi helps us handle contracts faster, with more accuracy, and with less manual effort. It’s a practical step that shows how rethinking even routine tasks can free up time, reduce risk, and set the stage for smarter ways of working across the company.
From Manual Effort to Digital Efficiency
Managing corporate contracts used to be a highly manual process for our Legal team. Each agreement required hours of reviewing, filing, and tracking for renewal dates, notice periods, and deadlines. With more than 1,500 active contractual documents only in Belgium, this represented nearly 400 working days of effort every year.
The process was not only time-consuming but also prone to missed deadlines that could lead to unexpected costs. We knew there had to be a smarter way.
Turning to AI
In early 2025, our IT team began exploring how artificial intelligence could make everyday processes more efficient. Contract management quickly emerged as a promising use case. After careful evaluation, benchmarking, and testing, we built a solution entirely in-house, leveraging modern AI technology and our current infrastructure.
The result was Lexi (inspired by lex, the Latin word for law), our AI assistant that automatically processes, organizes, and tracks contracts, reducing manual workload and improving accuracy.
Meet Lexi: Ahlers Contract Management Assistant
Here’s what Lexi does for us today:
- Automates extraction of key contract data (like company names, contract terms, and notice periods).
- Files and stores contracts with zero manual effort.
- Answers questions about contracts via an intuitive chat interface.
- Provides transparency by organizing contract information into a structured, searchable repository.
During the test phase, Lexi processed 86 Belgian contracts within minutes, with over 15 data fields extracted from each. Importantly, language is no barrier: contracts in any language are supported seamlessly.
The solution is now live in Belgium, with plans to roll it out to other Ahlers offices, adapting it to local legal requirements. What started as a tool for contracts has already sparked ideas for other internal applications.
Innovating for Ourselves & Our Customers
Lexi brings structure and speed to contract management, turning what used to take hours into a process of just seconds. It’s a clear step forward in how we work with digital tools at Ahlers. By innovating internally, we not only empower our teams but also strengthen the way we serve our customers worldwide.
At Ahlers, innovation goes beyond logistics. It’s embedded in the way we run our business, the way we solve everyday challenges, and the way we prepare for what’s ahead.
