Business Chief Europe Magazine - February 2020

EUROPE EDITION FEBRUARY 2020 europe.businesschief.com

Procurement: a truly international operation

PROCUREMENT TRANSFORMATION Ian Jones on the bespoke innovations evolving the company

Charting a course for energy transition

City Focus

PORTO CEOs in Europe

FOREWORD

W

elcome to the February edition

transformation journey and procure-

of Business Chief Europe!

ment strategies in the supply chain

This month’s issue is packed with a number of great names that are innovating across Europe today, including: Twint, BRD, Eramet and Hindustan Zinc Ltd. In our coverpiece this month we speak with Ian Jones, Head of Procurement at Arriva UK Bus, who details the company’s procurement transformation journey in the transport sector.

We also hear from Mark Smith, Head of Procurement Strategy and Transformation, BP GBS and Alex Thomson, Head of Procurement Services, BP GBS, on how Compass is ensuring efficiency and effectiveness within the multinational oil and gas company.

Elsewhere in the issue, Ninian Wilson, Global Supply Chain Director and CEO of Vodafone Procurement Com-

space. “I’m a great believer in continuous improvement and striving for things that seem impossible,” he says.

Read on to find out more.

We also speak to the CEO of Holvi, Antti-Jussi Suominen, who shares his insight and advice on creating diversity in the workplace and the rise of his challenger bank. Finally, Business Chief takes a look at the top 10 CEOs across Europe, as well as a closer look at the fine city of Porto.

Do you have a story to share? Please don’t hesitate to get in touch and you could be featured in our next issue.

Enjoy the read!

Amber amber.donovan-stevens @bizclikmedia.com

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03

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EUROPE EDITION

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CONTENTS

10 From Habbo to Holvi: AJ Suominen on leadership and diversity

26

38 Embracing behaviours in a new technological age

DIGITAL INNOVATION IN LOGISTICS WAREHOUSES

48 72 City Focus

PORTO

60

84

CEOs in Europe

CONTENTS

100 BP

118 Vodafone Procurement Company S.a.r.l.

136 Hindustan Zinc

158 Eramet

170 Twint

184 BRD - Groupe Societe Generale

10

Transforming the procurement approach in transportation WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY

CHARLOTTE CLARKE

FEBRUARY 2020

11

e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

A R R I VA U K B U S

Ian Jones, Head of Procurement at Arriva UK Bus, discusses his company’s procurement transformation journey in the transport sector

W

ith a drive to deliver value-adding innovative procurement and supply chain solutions, Arriva UK Bus harbours clear

procurement transformational goals in the supply chain space.

Ian Jones, Head of Procurement at Arriva 12

UK Bus, oversees the company’s procurement strategy and believes that sustainable long-term improvement within procurement and the wider supply chain is fundamental for success. “Over the past five years, we’ve really focused on transformation. When I first joined Arriva, there was a centralised procurement team in its infancy and a regionalised purchasing function,” he explains.

He commenced building a synergised category management procurement team with supporting programme management, data extraction and categorisation underpinned with proactive analytics. “All the transactional activity was undertaken in five regions, each with their own purchasing team,” says Jones. “However, we felt we could achieve more leverage, control and compliance by centralising all activity through one location, FEBRUARY 2020

13

e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

A R R I VA U K B U S

“ Our journey isn’t at an end yet; it’s fix and fly. The plane is in the air and you’re fixing it as you go — we haven’t stopped” 14

— Ian Jones, Head of Procurement, Arriva UK Bus

FEBRUARY 2020

harnessing the power of strategic procurement in collaboration with purchasing. By implementing that, it enabled us to drive spend to first and second tier suppliers because of the control from the central location.”

Prior to Jones’ tenure, Arriva UK Bus operated with five regions all creating Purchase Orders (POs). However, since switching to its centralised purchasing approach, Jones acknowledges its influence and believes it has enhanced efficiency significantly.

“Our current approach drives process

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘MAKE YOUR BUS START’ 15 efficiency and we’re consolidating POs, providing greater ability to expedite,” explains Jones. “By communicating with the supply base instead of sending multiple POs at different times of the day, we can drive supply chain efficiencies via defined order cut off times which provides the opportunity for greater organisational alignment and ensuring resource availability at optimal times. The supplier then has the ability to pick for the consolidated order and then sub-pack, rather than pick, pack and dispatch on multiple occasions.” e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

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As part of Arriva’s procurement

it’s all about the ‘why’ and ‘how’ strat-

transformation journey, the first step

egy. The first thing we did was develop

was to get the right procurement

a why. We took inspiration from Simon

environment in place. This meant

Sinek, and we aligned our mantra with

a focus on people, data, holistic

his. His reasoning was that organisa-

spend management, process and

tions and people that understand their

policy. Secondly, Arriva looked at the

‘why’ are very successful,” explains

purchasing side of the organisation

Jones. “People in procurement can

before finally considering further

often give you the what, which is the

supply chain optimisation. Jones

delivery. However, they often scratch

believes that establishing these core

their heads on the why and the how.

first steps was essential to laying the

We’ve developed that why and how

groundwork for his company’s trans-

and linked it to the business’s strategic

formation journey to succeed. “To us,

pillars. There’s been lots of work and

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Ian Jones Ian Jones BA (Hons) MCIPS is Head Of Procurement at Arriva UK Bus. The role assumes responsibility for the management of all the business’ direct and indirect spend. He has more than 20 years’ Procurement experience within the profession after undertaking senior roles in Local Government, Manufacturing, Retail and Transportation. Prior to joining Arriva he was in the Procurement Leadership Team at Home Retail Group. He has an extensive track record of delivering multimillion pound/euro benefits for organisations whilst transforming teams.

e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

17

A R R I VA U K B U S

18

FEBRUARY 2020

this is ongoing to develop category managers and help them acquire softer skills to aid in the transition towards our strategic contract management programme as it’s linked to our journey through the stages of the procurement maturity curve.” Jones believes that strategic contract management is a core component to optimising the supply chain in order to better understand supply chain performance and manage risk. “The way to do that is by managing contracts in the right way and talking about innovation,” he says.

“Our journey isn’t at an end yet; it’s fix and fly. The plane is in the air and you’re fixing it as you go — we haven’t stopped, we continue to deliver value for the organisation.”

With technology becoming increasingly influential to operations in the supply chain space, Jones believes that procurement and purchasing teams can’t operate effectively without harnessing data efficiently.

“We’ve developed a range of inhouse bespoke solutions in terms of technology,” says Jones. “We have a data scientist who has helped us develop these solutions. We operate e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

19

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21

a comprehensive project tracking

“ We’ve developed a range of inhouse bespoke solutions in terms of technology” — Ian Jones, Head of Procurement, Arriva UK Bus

tool, running circa 100 projects every year. This supports programme management, business communications, financial reporting and automated MI. It’s a key conduit between finance and procurement portraying the breakdown of the value that’s delivered by region.” Such bespoke equipment includes a sophisticated spend categorisation tool and an engineering parts usage anomaly tracking tool. “The spend categorisation tool is intelligent enough to e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

A R R I VA U K B U S

“ The benchmark in the retail industry is set; people want things and they want them now” — Ian Jones, Head of Procurement, Arriva UK Bus

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objective is to examine these positive and negative ‘outliers’ using the various views available to ultimately establish if an efficiency opportunity exists. This enables all the standard questions to be taken out of the equation because fleets vary by volume, variant and specification.”

In a bid to provide the company with an added layer of control, procurement has also built a part number extraction tool. The tool provides us with the ability to ensure that parts are purchased from contracted suppliers, thus driving compliance and ensuring extract and categorise spend infor-

the right part and quality are delivered,

mation from free text strings, from this

this is in addition to other tools we

we build automated MI dashboards

utilise.“This tool is vital because safety

that deliver pertinent spend informa-

is essential and this helps to ensure

tion in a range of formats to support

the first tier preferred suppliers

category management and the busi-

secure the volume,” says Jones.

ness. It’s extremely sophisticated,”

Arriva places considerable trust on

explains Jones. “With our parts usage

its supplier relationships as it seeks

anomaly tool, it allows us to identify

to drive continual value, more than

extraordinary usage of engineering

just transactional interactions. “This

spare parts within particular depots,

is the next stage of the transforma-

vehicle types, and events relative to

tion,” says Jones. “We have built a

other depots, across various different

supplier contract management pro-

views using statistical significance

gramme focused on 25 segmented

to three standard deviations. The

suppliers. In order to achieve this, e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

23

A R R I VA U K B U S

Arriva are working with suppliers such as Cordant Cleaning, PSV Glass and SSE in a bid to drive innovation, continuous improvement, enhanced quality and environmental standards.

“We’re looking to work together with our partners on key initiatives,” says Jones. “For example, we have a big waste and recycling agenda and with Cordant being an extension of our business they can support us in further increasing our recycling volumes because lots of our recycling comes 24

from vehicles. It’s about health and safety as well as corporate social responsibility. All of our supplier

“ We were proud to be the first major transport operator in the UK to purchase 100% renewable electricity” — Ian Jones, Head of Procurement, Arriva UK Bus FEBRUARY 2020

partnerships are important and we were proud to be the first major transport operator in the UK to purchase 100% renewable electricity from SSE Business energy.”

Looking to the future, Jones has a clear idea of what he anticipates the future of the supply chain space to look like. “The future will be about immediacy, with products delivered to locations just-in-time in a cost-effective and efficient manner through sophisticated technology,” he says.

25

“The benchmark in the retail industry is

significant area of interest. Over the

set; people want things and they want

next few years, we’re going to be con-

them now. It’s the same for us - if

tinually assessing our fleet as the

we’ve got a vehicle off the road and we

industry moves towards more zero

need a part, we want it sooner rather

or low emission vehicles or zones.”

than later.” With ambitions on becoming the mobility partner of choice, Arriva strives for its customers, passengers, public transport authorities and partners to choose the firm every time because of its trust to deliver high-quality, reliable and sustainable services. “The environment is another e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

LEADERSHIP

From Habbo to Holvi: AJ Suominen on leadership and diversity

26

As BBVA-backed digital banking service Holvi continues to build momentum, we catch up with its CEO, Antti-Jussi (AJ) Suominen, who shares his insight on building sustainable diversity in business WRITTEN BY

AMBER DONOVAN-STEVENS

FEBRUARY 2020

27

e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

LEADERSHIP

C

reating the foundations for diversity and inclusion is an essential component to building

a forward-thinking company that seeks

to create lasting solutions for its customers.

Entrepreneur Antti-Jussi (AJ) Suominen, CEO, Holvi, has worked across the entirety of his career to provide companies with the relevant tools to promote diversity.

As a BBVA-backed digital banking service, Holvi operates across Europe.

Here, he speaks with Business Chief 28

about how his experience supports the fintech company’s growth.

YOU’VE BEEN THE CEO OF SOME MAJOR NAMES, FROM HABBO HOTEL THROUGH TO HOLVI. COULD YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR CAREER EXPERIENCE? I was driving new business growth for B2B and B2C companies, including Sonera, Nokia and Elisa. I was also building and running new businesses and have facilitated innovation in the mobile and online services domains in both corporate and startup environments.

My background in a range of diverse industries (and most recently in online gaming and mobile commerce) plays FEBRUARY 2020

29

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LEADERSHIP

“ IT IS ESSENTIAL TO KEEP DIVERSITY AT THE CENTRE OF A FAST GROWTH BUSINESS OTHERWISE YOU CAN LOSE SIGHT OF WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE: INNOVATION” — Antti-Jussi (AJ) Suominen, CEO, Holvi

30

an essential role in accelerating

and effort to execute but it was one

Holvi’s transition from a fast-growing

of the most rewarding parts of my

fintech company to an even more

career. At the beginning of June 2019,

customer-centric online service.

we opened our new branch office in Germany and made the country our

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS OVER THE YEARS?

second home market. Since our

Recently, it would have to be scaling

customers, we made the decision

up Holvi with over 150,000

to go "all in" for our customers.

mission is to make life easier for our

microbusinesses served, and growing Holvi to a 100+ employee company.

The scaling has taken a lot of time FEBRUARY 2020

HOW HAS DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION FACTORED INTO YOUR WORK FROM

31

THE START OF YOUR CAREER UNTIL NOW?

treat diversity as a box-ticking exercise,

They are two things that I have always

they now rightly view it, and inclusion,

taken very seriously throughout my

as a route to success. It’s important

career. I think that it is essential to

that employees of a company think

keep diversity at the centre of a fast

differently and approach situations from

growth business, otherwise you can

different angles, and I think there is

lose sight of what you are trying to

definitely more of a focus on ensuring

achieve: innovation. To ensure we are

other voices are heard in comparison

getting a holistic view, Holvi has built

to 20 years ago. The corporate approach

a sustainable culture where more

towards diversity is clearly transitioning

than one voice is heard.

from reactive to proactive, which is of

Whereas many businesses used to

e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

LEADERSHIP

“ WITH HOLVI, SOLE TRADERS NO LONGER NEED TO FILL OUT LENGTHY SPREADSHEETS AND USE GUESSWORK TO UNDERSTAND THEIR FINANCES” — Antti-Jussi (AJ) Suominen, CEO, Holvi

course a positive change, but one that can still be improved. We’ve come a long way but there is always more that can be done.

HOW DO YOU ENSURE THAT THE WHOLE OF A STAFFING BODY IS ONBOARD WITH INCLUSIVITY INITIATIVES?

32

Culture is very much based on values.

When hiring and inducting new people, values need to be explained from the outset to avoid onboarding talent that does not uphold the standards and principles of the company.

Everyone at Holvi understands the importance of diversity to building an inclusive culture. Our team consists of more than 25 different nationalities and we always look to hire openminded, curious people who are keen to learn new things and meet new people. As we have expanded across Europe, this approach has proved invaluable to understanding different FEBRUARY 2020

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘WORK HAS CHANGED, SO HAS BANKING’ 33 markets, and the needs of our

periods when companies grow to

consumers across the continent.

multiple locations.

I have been lucky to work in

when people are required to change

WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO OTHER C-LEVEL EXECUTIVES LOOKING TO DIVERSIFY AND BECOME MORE INCLUSIVE WITHIN THEIR COMPANIES?

the way they work. Diversity comes

Naturally, every leader wants to help

in many colors and it always takes

shape the culture of their organisation,

time to adapt to change. Whether

to leave their mark in some way. But

it be changing the working language

a great leader understands that they

of a company to English, as the

don’t want to create a homogenous

number of people from different

culture where everybody looks and

language groups grows, or respecting

thinks the same. My advice would be

different national holidays or vacation

that cultivating a sustainable culture

organisations that are international and diverse by design, but of course there are always some challenges

e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

LEADERSHIP

doesn’t happen overnight, but if you

we offer straightforward business

are willing to invest in creating a more

banking for the everyday sole trader.

diverse culture then you will reap the benefits in the long term.

WHAT GIVES HOLVI ITS COMPETITIVE EDGE? The idea of setting up a business is the scariest part of becoming a sole

34

WHAT ARE THE KEY BENEFITS USERS OF HOLVI GAIN? • Holvi is free, easy to use and intuitive; it’s even easier and more reliable than Excel.

• Fast and clear: with Holvi, sole

trader. Because we did it ourselves,

traders spend less time with their

we can totally understand why.

finances and always have real time

Finances annoyed us, so we took care

overview and control over their

of it. Today, our mission is to eliminate

business.

the stress from finances and to make

• Our Holvi business account is

it as simple as possible for our

designed to save our customers

customers. And in addition to that, we

time and help them.

speak plain English and don’t confuse our customers with jargon. In short,

FEBRUARY 2020

• Easy to use: unlike Excel, Holvi is made for your needs.

35

e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

LEADERSHIP

36

“ A GREAT LEADER UNDERSTANDS THAT THEY DON’T WANT TO CREATE A HOMOGENOUS CULTURE WHERE EVERYBODY LOOKS AND THINKS THE SAME” — Antti-Jussi (AJ) Suominen, CEO, Holvi

FEBRUARY 2020

need to set up a payment branch in that country, and then apply to the local regulatory framework. Therefore, there are always different approaches when considering regulation. However the product itself is predominantly uniformed because our customers across Europe face similar issues.

AS HOLVI GEARS UP TO EXPAND TO THE UK, WHAT CAN BRITONS EXPECT FROM THE COMPANY? Holvi helps solve real problems. Many of our clients don’t know much about business accounting and need a service that helps them understand their finances so they can take control of their own finances. With Holvi, sole traders no longer need to fill out lengthy spreadsheets and use guesswork to

DO YOU MODIFY YOUR SERVICES FROM COUNTRY TO COUNTRY TO SUIT THE CUSTOMER BASE?

understand their finances. That’s what we do.

Local regulations across Europe are a challenge for fast-growth fintechs like Holvi. Cross-border innovation is currently being restricted by the issue of local IBANs, which add another layer of local regulatory compliance.

In order to receive a local IBAN, you e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

37

TECHNOLOGY

38

g n i c a r b Em s r u o i v a h be in a new l a c i g o l o n tech age WR ITT EN BY

AM BE R DO NO VA N- ST EV EN

S

orus, h lC ia c o S , O T C , n se n e Tim Chri st ge m e n t a g n e e e y lo p m e e th w explains ho u ances of n e th s d n ta rs e d n u rm platfo unic ation m m o c e e y lo p m e to r e employ

FEBRUARY 2020

39

e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

TECHNOLOGY

S

ocialChorus has earned its name as one of the top employee engagement plat-

forms by working with CEOS to maximise the delivery of information to employees

in what is an increasingly misaligned environment.

SocialChorus was founded by Greg Shove and Nicole Alvino in 2008, and as the company started to gain momentum, Shove was on the search for a CTO who wanted to transform the company, taking its consulting-based foundations and making it a truly staff-led business. Tim Christensen's belief in creating genuine value in people’s day-to-day lives 40

aligned with Shove on a philosophical level, and so he joined the team to create a software that would achieve this.

He explains: "Initially we didn't have a firm idea of what we desired the product to be, but we knew what we wanted it to do: improve a person's day.

"Christensen, who hails from a working class family, reflects that over the last 30 years very little has been divested to the blue-collar worker, despite the continued evolution of technology. “For this reason, we wanted to build a product that didn't discriminate against position or function; one that promoted equality and added value into every worker's day."

Reflecting on the five years since, Christensen shares one particular milestone he is particularly proud of: increasing the product’s daily users from a few hundred to over half a million. "It's very FEBRUARY 2020

“ Our support team will not be satisfied with anything less than SLA 100%” Tim Chris tensen, CTO, SocialChorus

41

rewarding to see that it is working and making an impact,” he says “This has always been about reaching as many people as possible, and my personal satisfaction is seeing this impact on an individual level."

Considering SocialChorus’ success, Christensen explains that, while there are several platforms designed for internal communications, knowledge management and collaboration, there is no concrete space in enterprise that connects knowledge and news. "From e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

TECHNOLOGY

nt a w 't n o d e w , y n a p m o “ As a smaller c , s e r u t a e f f o r e b m u n r to win on scale o � y t li a u q n o in w o t we want Tim Chris tensen, CTO, SocialChorus

42

a workflow perspective, we aim to

CEOs and workers when delivering

make the communicator more effec-

information. "For example," Christensen

tive, assist them in telling the right story

explains, "a CEO may communicate via

and we will assist in its delivery and

email, or workers may receive informa-

amplifying the goals of the communi-

tion when congregating in the break

cator." This, he explains, benefits the

room. Our role is to amplify these mes-

worker. "If we can make their lives eas-

sages in a way that enhances prefer-

ier in two minutes each day, then we've

ences, and not just discard them." This

been successful, because we're look-

often becomes an oversight that has

ing at it holistically, both from the

caused many companies to lose out on

worker and from the communicator."

delivering an optimised service. "Some

Within this, SocialChorus must

competitors want to push organisa-

embrace the existing preferences of

tions to use one centralised platform,

FEBRUARY 2020

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘SOCIALCHORUS – BRAND VIDEO’

but if marketers enjoy using Marketo,

"Real success is getting customers to

or engineers enjoy using Slack, or if a

engage with the content, not getting

grocery teller uses a break room, then

them to engage with the content on

that needs to be respected. For exam-

our platform."

ple, if you get your information in the

To carry this attitude with confidence

breakout room, then a digital display

and success, the platform must be

may be the best way to communicate

accompanied by exceptional service,

information, or by sending it to their

which Christensen believes the team at

personal email. By pushing users to

SocialChorus has in spades. "We have

move to a different platform altogether,

a great deal of pride in all that we do.

another hurdle is placed between the

For example, our support team will not

communicator and worker, and that is

be satisfied with anything less than

not solving the issue," says Christensen.

SLA 100%, and they will be disappointed e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

43

TECHNOLOGY

with even 5% less. This sort of attitude is present across all of our departments, and prospective clients can see this from us when deciding between us and a competitor — they can see how much we care. As a smaller company, we don't want to win on scale or number of features, we want to win on quality."

While competitors have larger teams, Christensen explains that having a smaller team rewards a much higher quality due to the close-knit dynamics and collective conscientiousness, 44

and this is reflected in positive customer feedback that deems SocialChorus the best in the market. "It is rewarding to know that we have an excellent product,” he says, “it doesn't just give out features, it solves real problems."

Christensen forecasts that this year will bring a number of new challenges:

a message while traveling to an airport

"I will likely begin working on new trans-

and have the service transcribe and

lations and transcripts, as well as low

translate it to go into an article to be

band-width usage." One of his key

distributed to workers, say perhaps, in

challenges is to connect the CEO

Zimbabwe, where there is a weaker

with employees in demographics with

internet connection. This would give

low technology, or in other instances,

these workers the same access to

where the CEO may not speak the

information. As data is only growing

same language as employees. "I would

in value, Christensen shares that the

like to be able to have a CEO record

next step in the company's growth is

FEBRUARY 2020

“ It is rewarding to know that we have an excellent product�

Tim Chris tensen, CTO, SocialChorus 45

to build upon SocialChorus' analytics capabilities in order to deliver insights and intelligence, not only to discover trends, but to be able to identify why they change and how to respond to it.

Paired closely with this, machine learning will be used for auto transcriptions and translations, and AI will enable recommendations and relevancy, for speed and tuning.

Tim Christensen, CTO, SocialChorus e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

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FEBRUARY 2020

Business Chief takes a look at how three leading logistics companies are digitalising their warehouses WRITTEN BY

49

GEORGIA WIL SON

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S U P P LY C H A I N

W

ith technology evolving at an exponential rate, and the logistics industry needing flexible

solutions for its complex operation, we

take a closer look at some of the successful deployments of digitalisation within the warehouses of leading logistic companies around the world.

UPS Founded in 1907, UPS has been “breaking barriers throughout its 100+ years as 50

a leader in global commerce”. Within the company’s international supply chain and freight operations, its key services include: logistics, distribution, transportation, freight (air, sea, ground and rail) and freight forwarding.

SUPER HUB To combat the challenges that come with providing efficient and on time delivery during peak seasons, UPS uses new technologies within its warehouse facilities to create operational precision and network efficiencies.

“Our transformation initiatives are enabling UPS to perform at high levels, even as we handle nearly double the average daily FEBRUARY 2020

51

package volume as the rest of the year. We are confident we will sustain these high levels of service and we’re ready to take on even more customer shipments in the coming weeks,” commented David Abney, CEO and Chairman of UPS. The new technologies UPS is harnessing include: • Advanced analytics; UPS has developed a peak volume alignment tool (PVAT) utilising advanced analytics to efficiently manage loads by synchronising its volume demands and e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

S U P P LY C H A I N

capacity. In addition to PVAT, UPS is

developed a bluetooth audio device

utilising advanced analytics to bet-

that gives its employees processing

ter forecast its package volume that

instructions as they scan packages.

needs to be processed.

• Network planning tool (NPT)­;

technology, UPS has been utilising

by utilising advanced analytics,

innovations for its drivers too. These

artificial intelligence (AI) and opera-

include mobile tools to improve

tions research, UPS has developed

onboarding and effectiveness, via

its NPT to help coordinate trac-

a delivery helper app. UPS has also

tor-trailer movements between its

developed UPSNav to provide drivers

sortation hubs to reduce bottlenecks.

with higher levels of accuracy and pre-

• Dynamic Sort Instruction (DSI); 52

In addition to its new in-house

cision when making deliveries.

to increase employee productivity

As a result of UPS’ global deploy-

and reduce training time, UPS has

ments of automation, AI and advanced

FEBRUARY 2020

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘DB SCHENKER INTRODUCING DIGITAL PICKING’ 53

“ Delivering automation possibilities for logistics and warehouse operations is a foundation for building the next generation supply chain” — Xavier Garijo Member of the Board for Contract Logistics, Schenker AG

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S U P P LY C H A I N

analytics, UPS has seen between 25%-35% higher efficiency.

DB SCHENKER With over 140 years of experience supporting the global exchange of goods, DB Schenker strives to provide its customers with “innovative supply chain solutions to challenge the status quo”. DB Schenker provides its solutions for land transport, air freight, ocean freight, contract logistics and supply chain management.

54

ROBOTICS POWERED BY AI To provide flexible solutions within its warehouses to drive productivity, DB Schenker has been utilising the combination of AI and robotics with the help of Gideon Brothers — a global manufacturer of autonomous robots.

With the digital age becoming increasingly complex, DB Schenker strives to offer its clients a strategic advantage. “DB Schenker continuously explores opportunities to integrate innovations from visionary start-up companies,” commented Xavier Garijo, Member of the Board for Contract Logistics at Schenker AG. FEBRUARY 2020

“ This is a technological leap, self-driving machines, powered by vision and AI, will succeed where earlier technology failed” — Matija Kopic CEO and Co-Founder, Gideon Brothers

55

“Delivering automation possibilities for

and stereoscopic cameras, to pro-

logistics and warehouse operations is

vide next generation robotics vision.

a foundation for building the next gen-

In addition to its next generation

eration supply chain.”

robotic vision, the robots can move

“This is a technological leap,” commented Matija Kopić, CEO and

800kg and have a hot-swappable battery system to minimise downtime.

Co-Founder of Gideon Brothers. The

“Self-driving machines, powered

robotics developed by DB Schenker

by vision and AI, will succeed where

and Gideon Brothers utilises a visual

earlier technology failed,” added

perception based robotic autonomy

Kopić. “It will become ubiquitous in

system that combines deep learning

industrial environments.” e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

S U P P LY C H A I N

“ The future is exciting. The future is about innovation and making sure we continuously improve” — Oscar de Bok CEO, DHL Supply Chain 56

DHL Speaking with Oscar de Bok, CEO of DHL Supply Chain in January’s edition of Business Chief, de Bok highlighted the need for flexible solutions as supply chains become increasingly complex and the importance of a large global company such as DHL having a strategy that utilises digitalisation and collaborative robotics.

Between now and 2025 the company aims to invest US$2.2bn into digitalisation of its logistics and robotics.

FEBRUARY 2020

ROBOTICS From cleaning robots to robotic arms within DHL’s warehouses, its operations are seeing the benefits of digital automation to enhance its workforce.

Cleaning robots (Neo); developed

by Avidbots, DHL has deployed its cleaning robots in multiple standard warehouses, to reduce the need for people to complete repetitive and tedious tasks. ‘Follow me’ robots; designed by Effidence, it is a simple trolly that follows an associate will they pick items to help transport the load. Once it is full you can simply press a button to send it on its way, while another replaces it.

Robot arms (Sawyer); Sawyer is a robotic arm developed to sense its surrounded removing the need for it to be static and caged. This robotic arm can be moved to where it is needed to complete repetitive and mundane tasks.

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S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

60

S E S S E N I S U B W O H E V E I H C A T S E B N CA M R E T G N LO Y T I L I B A N SUSTAI ain

pply Ch u S , r o t c e ir D anaging M l, e e S plains d r x a e , h e r a Ric w la e d , able K & US) in (U a s t s ic t u s is a g o d il L u & es c a n b iv t u c e x e a ul l h e v g n lo e h t how c -le r o igned f s e d l e d o m s s busine W RI TT EN BY

R IC H A R D S E E L

FEBRUARY 2020

61

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S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

I

n today’s highly-competitive business environment, even the largest, most profitable organisations struggle to maintain

business longevity. To increase their chances

of long-term success, companies must transform themselves into sustainable enterprises, capable of adapting to changing priorities, markets and customer demand.

European organisations often lead the way.

KPMG’s latest Change Readiness Index ranks business action on rapid change based on an 62

‘Enterprise Sustainability’ metric, which takes into account factors such as carbon emissions per unit of GDP and the energy mix used by the business community. The ranking places Switzerland first overall, and in terms of Enterprise Sustainability, for the second consecutive year. European countries fill five other places in the Enterprise Sustainability top 10.

There are three areas around which discussions and debates about the sustainable enterprise tend to be focused: the environmental impact or footprint of the business, the need to create a sustainable business model and why a sustainable workforce is critical. The focus on reducing environmental impact by reducing energy FEBRUARY 2020

63

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S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

a b le n i a t s u s a g n i “ Build ly n o l l i w e c r o f k wor , r e v e w o h , k r truly wo he t n i e n o y r e v e if itted m m o c s i s s e bu s i n nge ” a h c o t n e p o a nd — Richard Seel, r, Supply Chain to c e ir D g in g a n a M US), delaware & Logistics (UK &

usage, emissions and introducing ‘smarter’ practices in the workforce is important. However, businesses also need to make certain that their specific business model is sustainable. They need an approach that sustains resources within the business over time.

CREATING A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL From the outset, planning for the long-term is key, which is becoming increasingly difficult when factors

64

such as market demand and competition are constantly shifting. To achieve longevity, organisations need to apply sustainability principles in everything they do.

Resources — both people and other assets — are crucial. Sustainable businesses focus on making those resources sustainable over time — and that means being willing and able to adapt the business model to match changed priorities.

In line with this, true sustainability is often about understanding the market landscape and ensuring the business proposition FEBRUARY 2020

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘AR METALLIZING ENSURES SUSTAINABLE GROWTH WITH MICROSOFT DYNAMICS’ 65 is aligned to shifting customer

involve the combination of historical

demand. To be sustainable, smart

data, data analytics and key algo-

organisations must reflect on

rithms to quickly detect anomalies

addressing customer and societal

and notify the relevant people quickly,

needs, often without even knowing

enabling businesses to reduce costs

in advance what the optimal solution

by addressing and resolving any

might be. In today’s age of automation,

inefficiencies in the process, as well

building a sustainable business

as stay compliant by quickly identify-

model will almost certainly involve

ing where it may be in breach of the

digital transformation.

rules and rapidly rectifying this.

That could mean the introduction

These examples highlight the

of machine learning and AI-powered

sustainability benefits that digitally-

systems that diagnose problems in

driven innovations can bring to

advance, enabling quick intervention

businesses. However, when organisa-

and problem resolution. It could

tions move to digital technologies, e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

they need to have a ‘Plan B’ in place to be able to keep the business up and running in the event that systems and networks are brought down or experience a security breach. A recent cyber — attack on Norsk Hydro, a global aluminium producer, forced the company into desperate measures.

The entire workforce — 35,000 people — had to switch to pen and paper as a result. Production lines shaping molten metal were switched over to manual functions, and in some cases, long66

retired workers came back in to help colleagues run things “the old-fashioned way”. a key role here in indicating just how

A SUSTAINABLE WORKFORCE

positive and sustainable workplace

Every business can look to reduce

culture is. Businesses need insights

their environmental impact and make

into their workforce that span levels,

changes to their business model to

departments and entities — and it’s

drive long-term sustainability. However,

important to link talent data with

if they do not put practices in place

enterprise information. The answer

to cultivate sustainable employees,

is a global system of records able to

they risk undoing that good work.

harmonise data generated by different

To drive a more sustainable work-

sources, providing key insight into

force, leaders must cultivate an

problems or issues. It is this type of

environment that helps people

reporting which drives sustainability.

to be empowered, productive and resilient. Technology can play FEBRUARY 2020

Companies must apply the digital mindset to HR and workplace processes

e e y o l p m e n e “ Wh p u t ’ n s i g n i e b well ss e n i s u b e h t , r to pa the s s o r c a s r e f f su in ” a h c e u l a v e r i ent — Richard Seel, r, Supply Chain Managing Directo US), delaware & Logistics (UK &

67

to support productivity and growth — or risk becoming obsolete. SAP SuccessFactors, a leading cloud-

attrition rates make organisations more sustainable.

This approach to building a sustain-

based HR solution, is an integrated

able workforce will only truly work,

environment encompassing all HR

however, if everyone in the business is

processes that is driven by data and

committed and open to change. There

analytics — and the ideal path to

must be business-wide sponsorship to

sustainable smart HR.

creating and maintaining a sustainable

By helping to ensure employees are happy and have greater wellbeing at work, organisations can

work culture — and this may involve cultural and operational change.

As we look to the future, it is likely

increase long-term business viability.

that predictive analytics will become

Employees that are happy are less

ever more important in maintaining a

likely to leave, and the resultant lower

happy, sustainable workforce. As an e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

ns o i t a s i n a g r o , ity v e g n o l e v e i les h p i c n i r “ To ac p y t i l i b ina a t s u s y l p p a o need t o” d y e h t g n i h t y in ever — Richard Seel, r, Supply Chain to c e ir D g in g a n a M US), delaware & Logistics (UK &

68

FEBRUARY 2020

example, an employee applies for maternity leave through the organisation’s HR system. This employee ‘life event’ triggers the HR department to start offering communications specific to that employee, so for example, asking: have you thought about childcare vouchers? Have you thought about the return-to-work programme or our part-time working options?

In rolling out concepts such as this one, employee wellbeing is prioritised.

Ultimately, the strength of a company lies in the health of its people, especially in the professional services industry where human capital is the company’s added value. When employee wellbeing isn’t up to par, the business suffers across the entire value chain, making burnout a business critical challenge, and driving down overall levels of sustainability into the bargain. But businesses that focus on a sustainable workforce and ally that with a sustainable business model and environmentally-friendly business practices are likely to be here for the long-haul.

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69

CITY FOCUS | PORTO

Business Chief takes a look at Porto, an ascendant economic powerhouse complete with Portugal’s greatest qualities

72

MARCUS LAWRENCE

POR WRITTEN BY

FEBRUARY 2020

RTO City Focus

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CITY FOCUS | PORTO

T

he historic Atlantic city of Porto traces its roots back to the 5th Century BC,

with its Celtic founders having been

succeeded by the Romans some 200 years later. So named for its role as a key port dur-

ing the Roman occupation, Porto is home to the outlet of the Douro, an 897km-long river whose source resides in northern-central Spain. Since its origins in ancient times, Porto has become Portugal’s second-largest city, its centre is a UNESCO Heritage Site and, along with Lisbon, it is one of the country’s two global 74

cities as designated by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.

World Population Review estimates that Porto’s 2020 population sits at 1,312,947, with around 93% of residents being Portuguese nationals. As a growing European tourism hotspot with a solid economic outlook and thriving business, that figure is set to steadily grow over the coming decades at a rate of 0.2-0.35%.

BUSINESS While port, the city’s eponymous fortified wine, remains its most famous and favoured export, the past century’s industrial growth in Porto and the surrounding region has established it as one of the country’s key business hubs. The

FEBRUARY 2020

75

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CITY FOCUS | PORTO

“ The past century’s industrial growth in Porto and the surrounding region has established it as one of the country’s key business hubs” corporate landscape in and around the

2018, PCB (which operates largely under

city is diverse and thriving, with giants

its Millennium brand) served 2.3mn

from myriad industries basing their

Portuguese customers and had 546

global operations in the region.

branches across the country. According to Forbes, the company’s market cap

76

PORTUGUESE COMMERCIAL BANK

reached US$4.2bn in May 2019, and it

Portugal’s preeminent banking institu-

boasted 15,794 employees worldwide at

tion, Portuguese Commercial Bank

the time.

(PCB), is headquartered in Porto and was founded in 1985. At the close of

FEBRUARY 2020

As a major Portuguese investor, PCB takes pride in its approach to

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘PORTO AND THE NORTH AS NEVER SEEN BEFORE’ 77

sustainable financing. Having signed the

management and renewable energy

Letter of Commitment to Sustainable

generation. Founded in 2005, the firm

Financing in Portugal as part of its

posted revenues of €612mn in 2016

wider sustainability strategy, it has com-

through its 692 employees. The group’s

mitted to investment in opportunities

primary eucalyptus pulping arm, Celbi,

which promote and develop solutions

produces over 770,000 tonnes of pulp

that will facilitate the realisation of

annually, while its Celtejo factory pro-

Portuguese carbon neutrality by 2050.

duces over 200,000 tonnes of bleached pulp each year.

ALTRI

The firm’s integrated forestry pro-

Another major player based in Porto

gramme enables sustainable operations

is industrial conglomerate Altri, a

from a wood sourcing perspective, as

firm focused primarily on eucalyptus

well as providing an avenue for self-

pulp production, strategic forest

sustained renewable energy production. e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

CITY FOCUS | PORTO

Residual biomass and the energy potential of lignins (core polymers found in plant cell walls) both offer means of producing energy. Burning lignin-rich residue leftover from the pulping process produces steam which in turn drives a generator. Tree waste from the pulping process is burned in biomass boilers to similarly produce steam and spin a generator.

Altri says the energy produced by these methods 78

is sent directly to the grid, cutting into the share of coal-based electricity found in Portugal’s energy network.

FEBRUARY 2020

“ Standing over the city is the Romanesque cathedral with its staggeringly beautiful stonework bordering intricate blue and white tile images”

MOTA-ENGIL Basing its operations in the Norte Region of which Porto is the capital, Mota-Engil is a group focused primarily on construction, port operations, water and waste management, and logistics. In 2019, the group reported an annual turnover for FY18 of €2.8bn. This sum was predominantly generated through operations in Europe, Africa and Latin America, with a presence in 28 countries across those markets.

Considered to be a rising star on the global construction stage, Mota-Engil was named at #71 on Deloitte’s Top 100 Global Powers of Construction list in 2018, as well as

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CITY FOCUS | PORTO

“ Altri’s integrated forestry programme enables sustainable operations from a wood sourcing perspective, as well as providing an avenue for self-sustained renewable energy production” being named an Empresa Socialmente Responsable (Socially Responsible Company) by the Mexican Center for Philanthropy. Its impressive performance looks set to continue, with Mota-Engil announcing in December 2019 that it 80

had secured fresh contracts worth a total of €450mn for construction projects in Mexico, Honduras and Angola.

TOURISM It comes as no surprise that one of Europe’s oldest cities is replete with historic sites, museums and iconic landmarks waiting to be delved. Currently in the midst of a tourism boom, the city has become particularly tourist friendly; Porto boasts a low crime rate, particularly for a major city, friendly locals and a high frequency of English speakers.

In terms of things to do, the aforementioned port industry thrives not only on the quality of its wine but also on tourists’ FEBRUARY 2020

appetite for vineyard tours, river cruises along the Douro (itself bordered by typically verdant and quaint vineyards) and wine tasting afternoons. Another tranquil way to spend a few hours is the Lello Bookstore, an architectural marvel built in 1906 by engineer Xavier Esteves that has since become renowned as one of the world’s finest book shops.

Standing over the city is the Romanesque cathedral with its staggeringly beautiful stonework bordering intricate blue and white tile images, a highly recommended visit to its ornate Gothic cloister, and remarkable views over the city, river and coastline.

Traditional Fado performances are considered an essential cultural touchstone, and the city has no shortage of daily shows. The melancholic and passionately delivered genre is best experienced in smaller venues where the consuming acoustics can have their full effect. Such soul-enriching experiences emblematise the serenity, beauty and zest of Porto at large.

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81

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T O P 10

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FEBRUARY 2020

CEOs in Europe Business Chief ranks the top 10 CEOs in Europe according to company revenue, with reference to Statista and Forbes’ 2019 Global 2000 ranking of the world’s largest public companies WRITTEN BY

AMBER DONOVAN-STEVENS

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T O P 10

196,000 NO. EMPLOYEES

Paris

HEAD QUARTERS

$46.8bn REVENUE IN US DOLLARS

86

10

Jean-Laurent Bonnafé BNP PARIBAS

Jean-Laurent Bonnafé is the CEO of French banking group BNP Paribas, France’s largest bank. Before joining the company in 1993 as an investment banker, he studied engineering at the École Polytechnique and the École des Mine. He became CEO in 2011 and remains widely credited for the successful acquisitions of Paribas, BNL and Fortis. Today, BNP Paribas operates across France, Belgium and Italy and has a market capitalisation of US$68.7bn

FEBRUARY 2020

09

José Antonio Álvarez SANTANDER

Santander is the 30th largest company in the world, according to Forbes, and CEO José Antonio Álvarez, ranks as the ninth most wealthy CEO in Europe. Álvarez joined the bank in 2002 and became CFO two years later. The group has grown exponentially since then, evolving the Banco Santander name through acquisitions and rebranding, creating branches in Poland, the UK and the US. Álvarez became CEO in 2015 and an Executive Vice Chairman in January 2019.

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188,000 NO. EMPLOYEES

Boadilla del Monte HEAD QUARTERS

$53.68bn REVENUE IN US DOLLARS

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T O P 10

08

Noel Quinn HSBC HOLDINGS

Noel Quinn has been the interim CEO of HSBC holdings for a little over six months. Before taking up the position, he was appointed Chief Executive of Global Commercial Banking in December 2015.

HSBC is listed on both the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges and, from 2011 to 2015, he was based in Hong Kong, filling the position of Regional Head of Commercial Banking for Asia Pacific.

Today, HSBC is the seventh largest bank in the world with total assets of over US$2.56trn, the largest bank in Europe and the second largest company on the London Stock Exchange.

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235,000 NO. EMPLOYEES

London HEAD QUARTERS

$64.3bn REVENUE IN US DOLLARS

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T O P 10

469,600 NO. EMPLOYEES

Moscow HEAD QUARTERS

$112bn REVENUE IN US DOLLARS

90

07

Alexey Miller GAZPROM

Alexey Miller is the Chairman of the Management committee of Russian energy company Gazprom, the 40th largest organisation worldwide. The public joint stock company was founded in 1989 and is majority-owned by the Russian government, with the remaining shares listed across the London, Moscow and Frankfurt stock markets. Gazprom is currently in the process of moving its headquarters to the Lakhta Center skyscraper in Saint Petersburg. Miller is the longest serving CEO featured in this top 10.

FEBRUARY 2020

147,000 NO. EMPLOYEES

Munich HEAD QUARTERS

$114.8bn REVENUE IN US DOLLARS

91

06

Oliver Bäte ALLIANZ

Oliver Bäte has been Chairman of the Board of Management (CEO) of Allianz since May 2015. He originally held the position of COO when he joined the company in 2008, serving as CFO from 2009-2012. Bäte graduated from both the University of Cologne and the New York University Stern School of Business. According to Forbes, as of 2014, Allianz is the largest insurance company and financial services group in the world, specialising in a number of products ranging from general insurance to asset management.

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T O P 10

298,683 NO. EMPLOYEES

Stuttgart HEAD QUARTERS

$190bn REVENUE IN US DOLLARS

05

Ola Källenius

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DAIMLER

Ola Källenius became CEO of Daimler in May 2019. Known for its automotives, Daimler is known for its eponymous brand along with Mercedes and Smart. Källenius started out with the company in 1993 and has since held a number of roles, representing the company across Europe and in the US. From 2010 to 2013, he held the position of Chairman of the Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH. From 2013, he sat as a member on the executive board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, responsible for sales. At the start of 2015 he was appointed to the board of management for Daimler AG, and from 2017 managed the “Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development” division. He succeeds Thomas Weber, who had previously held the role since 2004.

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T O P 10

104,000 NO. EMPLOYEES

Paris

HEAD QUARTERS

$209.4bn REVENUE IN US DOLLARS

94

04

Patrick Pouyanné TOTAL

Patrick Pouyanné is the current CEO of the French oil and gas company, Total, and has held the role since 2014. He graduated from École Polytechnique in Paris with a degree in engineering, and joined Total in 2000 after it acquired the petroleum company, Elf. Total, which was founded in 1924, has emerged today as one of the six supermajor oil companies in the world.

In September 2015, Pouyanné was decorated as a Knight of the Legion of Honour.

FEBRUARY 2020

03

Herbert Diess

VOLKSWAGEN GROUP

Dr Herbert Diess is the Chairman of the Board of Management of the world’s largest automaker, Volkswagen Group. The Group is home to a number of automotive brands such as Volkswagen, Porsche, Bugatti and Audi. Diess has been CEO since 2018, having succeeded Matthias Müller. Diess holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a doctorate in Assembly Automation, graduating from Munich Technical University in 1987. In 2018, Diess was named among the “Best CEOs in the World” by CEOWORLD magazine.

656,000 NO. EMPLOYEES

Wolfsburg HEAD QUARTERS

$278bn REVENUE IN US DOLLARS

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T O P 10

02

Bob Dudley BP

Bob Dudley is the American-born CEO of British oil and gas company BP. Dudley’s BP career dates back to 1998 when it acquired his previous employer, oil company Amoco. He has since remained with the supermajor and is due to retire this year, preceding Bernard Looney. BP Chairman Helge Lund said: “Bob has dedicated his whole career to the service of this industry.” Helge also acknowledged that Dudley was appointed CEO during one of the most challenging times in BP’s history.

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FEBRUARY 2020

73,000 NO. EMPLOYEES

London HEAD QUARTERS

$303.7bn REVENUE IN US DOLLARS

97

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘OIL & MONEY 2019 - DAY 2 KEYNOTE, BOB DUDLEY, BP’

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T O P 10

01

Ben van Beurden ROYAL DUTCH SHELL

Ranking in first place is Bernardus Cornelis Adriana Margriet “Ben” van Beurden, CEO of oil supermajor Royal Dutch Shell, the largest public company in Europe. Achieving an annual revenue of over US$388.4bn, the British-Dutch company ranks in ninth place on Forbes’ Global 2000. With a career spanning over 35 years, van Beurden became CEO in January 2015, 98

succeeding Peter Voser, making him the second Dutch CEO of the company since its creation in 2004. The company continues to operate through its three major segments: Upstream, Downstream, and Corporate.

Shell has won countless awards, and ranked across a number of Forbes awards for Best Employer 2019 in the following categories: New Grads, Diversity, Women, and in the America and Canada regions.

FEBRUARY 2020

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘OIL & MONEY 2019 - DAY 2 KEYNOTE, BEN VAN BEURDEN, ENERGY EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR’ 99

81,000 NO. EMPLOYEES

The Hague HEAD QUARTERS

$388.4bn REVENUE IN US DOLLARS

e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

100

Charting a course for the energy transition through procurement WRITTEN BY

MARCUS LAWRENCE PRODUCED BY

CHARLOTTE CLARKE

FEBRUARY 2020

101

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As BP’s procurement transformation goes from strength to strength, we speak with Mark Smith and Alex Thomson to discuss the pivotal role that Compass is playing on its enhanced operations

P

rocurement and digital transformation have become intrinsically linked in recent years. While the former has become more

central to business operations for organisations around the globe, the latter seeks to disrupt dated strategies and technologies that have become 102

increasingly incompatible with the demands of modern business. The combination of the two delivers profound benefits for organisations that can master such fine alchemy; offering agility, flexibility, leanness, sustainability and readiness for both business and geopolitical landscapes that are evolving faster than ever before. At BP, the launch of its proprietary Compass platform forms the backbone of procurement transformation within and beyond its Global Business Services (GBS) division. The platform, developed with scalability and flexibility in mind, enables integrated, end-toend, digitalised procurement processes. Offering ease of use, visibility, artificial intelligence (AI), automated source-to-pay (S2P) functions and a portal for external stakeholders, Compass is revolutionising the way procurement operates at BP. FEBRUARY 2020

Server room at the Center for High-Performance Computing. Photo © BP Images

103

Formulating BP’s new ACTIVE fuels. Photo © BP Images

Serving as the glue of the transformation, Compass brings vital components together from across the organisation to foster collaboration and visibility like never before.

“Procurement and supply chain have been thought of as linear processes in the past,” says Mark Smith, Head of Strategy and Transformation for BP’s GBS Procurement organisation. “You start with a strategy, you end with a contract, you place an order and then, at some point, you’ll go back and restart. In the modern world, you’re e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

“ You’ve got to be efficient, but you’ve got to be effective. A number of companies have gone for efficiency – and that’s very good for function – but you’ve got to balance out the effectiveness of the output” 104

— Alex Thomson, Head of Procurement Services, BP GBS

constantly in all parts of that process.

“There might be new and emerging technologies that force you to rethink a strategy you devised six months ago; there might be changes to your demand patterns that come out of your ordering behaviour, necessitating a review of your supplier portfolio.”

Enabling effective management of these concurrent processes, Smith says, is Compass’s raison d’etre. “The process’s execution may exist in different systems, such as SAP Ariba or some of our legacy environments, but Compass provides end-to-end digital integration of all elements of procurement in one place.”

Highlighting other factors driving the firm’s procurement transformation, Smith begins with the seismic shifts in the global energy market. “The world will require significantly more energy to support population growth and the prosperity that everyone is looking to drive,” he says, “but that energy needs to come with lower carbon. To do this, BP needs access to new ways of doing things, disruptive thinking and new technologies.” In procurement, this challenge can be tackled by optimising

FEBRUARY 2020

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘BP GBS – MARK SMITH, HEAD OF PROCUREMENT STRATEGY ON PROACTIVE OPERATIONS’ 105 the mechanics of its supplier inter-

technologies emerge, such as new

actions – a key component of the

battery technology or alternative forms

Compass platform.

of power and energy.” Smith summa-

Another considerable factor is the

rises: “The thrust of the procurement

attraction and retention of top-tier

transformation is around three things.

talent, both internal and external to

The first is people, the second is about

the organisation; the training and

enabling the organisation with the

development of whom can drive the

with the correct tools, and the third is

sharpest innovations which will assist

about combining both people and

in future-proofing the company as

tools together in order to harness BP’s

the wider industry evolves. “As the

data to drive value.”

world changes, the requirements are

Unlocking the nascent power and

changing,” says Alex Thomson, Head

enabling qualities of BP’s data has

of Procurement Services. “We must

required innovative but pragmatic

be agile and able to adjust as new

thinking, and Compass is the result e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

of such an approach. “We’ve thought

a similar fashion to a sale, with the

innovatively about our entire end-to-

related work being distributed to the

end process,” says Smith. “If you think

stakeholders concerned promptly and

about it, sales is the mirror image

accurately. In sum, the sales-esque

of running a procurement exercise,

process delivers vital data to the

and so we’ve used a sales platform

right specialists as required, provid-

repurposed in reverse to run our pro-

ing both democratisation of data and

curement processes.” Opportunities

enhanced visibility.

are funnelled through Compass in

While the benefits to efficiency are

E X ECU T I VE P RO FI LE

Mark Smith 106

Mark Smith is the current Director of Strategy and Transformation for GBS Procurement in BP (having previously held a similar position in Downstream Procurement since 2012), driving the Procurement operating model, systems and process transformation. Overall, Mark has over 17 years’ experience in functional strategy and business transformation, specialising in Procurement within oil and gas. Working with organisations such as Shell, Chevron, Babcock, Centrica, Taqa, Husky and Seadrill, Mark has experience across the Procurement lifecycle from Category Management to Source to Pay in Upstream, Downstream and Corporate and Functions supply chains.

Mark holds an LLB (Hons) and Masters degree in IT from the University of Nottingham. He is married to Jackie and has two children, and recently completed his fifth marathon.

FEBRUARY 2020

clear, Thomson stresses that focus-

of the output. What you then enable

ing solely on making processes more

from the supply market to the users

efficient is tantamount to wasting

is appropriate for the output quality

opportunities. “You’ve got to be effi-

you need.” Through Compass, BP is

cient, but you’ve got to be effective,”

able to connect the end-to-end chain

he explains. “A number of companies

from strategy and category strategy

have gone for efficiency – and that’s

through to execution and the place-

very good for function – but you’ve

ment of commitment in the supply

got to balance out the effectiveness

market. “That adds efficiency to

E X E CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Alex Thomson Alex Thomson is currently the Global Head of GBS Procurement in BP. He leads a cross-regional, crossfunctional team that manages BP’s global Corporate categor y demand, covering areas such as IT and Business consulting, as well as being accountable for BP’s source-to-pay activities. Alex has over 30 years’ business experience in BP in a wide range of business roles. These include managing the performance of chemical businesses, leading strategic change in IT and Procurement and executing the delivery of major M&A projects. Immediately prior to his current role, Alex was Head of Country for BP in Malaysia and led the GBS Asia operation in Kuala Lumpur, supporting BP businesses and functions worldwide.

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107

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Mitigate risk through robust supply channels to maintain technical integrity and timely delivery

PROCUREMENT 4.0 – ARE YOU READY? Procurement has been at the forefront of adopting cloud-based digital platforms enabling efficient transacting processing. This transition to cloud that started with indirect purchasing has accelerated to direct materials. Key purchasing functions have gone a step further by building an ecosystem of solutions offering rich automation and intelligence lowering transaction costs by an average of ~30%.

Some industries like oil and gas have lagged in digitalization due to a mix of high regulations, significant variations between upstream and downstream and history of acquisitions. Figure 1. lists some of the typical challenges these industries face in their procurement value chain.

• • • •

• Under-exploited early payment discounts • Delayed payments

• Blocked invoices • Lack of invoice status visibility

• • • •

• Supply Chain Financing • P-cards

• Receipt Settlement • 2-3-4-way match

Supply chain disruption due to supplier risks Incorrect spend categorization Poor savings visibility / category Absence of fraud prevention Dashboards Categorization Spend Analysis Sourcing Strategy

Process Activity Capability

• eRFx

• Challenges

Resolve • Lack of control in text based requisitions

• e-Invoicing • PO-flip

Pay

Identify

Assess

Receive Invoice

Pay

Source

Transact

Procure

Contract

Approve

Request

Evaluation

• Tender Mgmt • Qualification

Enable

• Limited category strategy • Unstructured cost reduction initiatives • Lack of collaborative platform • Insufficient buyer productivity

• Cumbersome vendor collaboration • Vendor Managed Inventory

• Lack of decision support for approvals

In our experience, such companies can accelerate their digital transformation journey by adopting an approach based on four key principles – a clear view of applications at the core, automating and optimizing in parallel, AI as a central part of data operations and building an agile culture.

Digital Core: Transitioning from a jigsaw of legacy applications to a user-friendly digital platform starts with a clear definition of process that need to be part of the core and those that need to be part of the surrounding ecosystem. User experience needs to be at the center of this decision and supported by seamless data and process flows.

We recommend associating productivity and cycle time KPIs with user experience to make this a quantifiable benefit.

Automation: Process variability and disjointed workflows are prevalent in most organizations. While in an ideal scenario, streamlined processes are first developed and implemented, driving automation in parallel can release investments and capacity required to drive larger transformation programs. Looking ahead, these automated KPI driven processes form the cornerstone of the new solution.

AI and data: The challenge of combining meaningful data for analysis and transaction processing has long existed. A bill of material that is common across supply and demand, item master with the right attributes, and supplier masters with well-defined descriptions are examples of elusive essential building blocks. This is one area where AI is playing a significant role in both helping clean current data sets and merging information from new data sets to provide meaningful reporting with a significant positive impact across procurement KPIs. Agile mindset: Most large companies have followed a traditional waterfall approach with multi-year timelines and complex program structures. Even companies claiming to

• Automated Approval Workflow • Exception Management

• e-Requisition • Guided Procurement

• Performance Management • Classification

Negotiate

• Bidding Process • Reverse Auction

• Rudimentary quote comparison • Manual sourcing process • Poor identification of sourcing opportunities

Contract • • • • •

Onboarding Contract Lifecycle Mgmt.

Digitize Contracts Clause Standardization Approval Workflow

• Low contract compliance • Cumbersome contract obligation mgmt.

• Long contract lead time

Fragmented process • • • • •

Maverick buying Non-compliant spend Disparate / fragmented landscape Un-intuitive UI Ineffective knowledge-sharing

• Supplier performance not linked to procurement decisions • Poor supplier risk assessment

© Infosys Consulting

adopt agile are largely adopting the waterfall-based QA stage-gate process. Adopting agile requires the upfront allocation of the right team with end users, solution developers working in close co-operation and acceptance of imperfect product versions as a natural part of developing the solution. This fast iterative cycle and close co-operation cuts the project delivery time significantly and has been proven to enable radical simplification of end-to-end processes.

In summary, a mix of clear vision, new technologies, and an agile mindset is already enabling leading purchasing functions to accelerate procurement digital transformation.

The timing is right for all organizations to accelerate their journey to procurement 4.0.

Robin Goswami Senior Vice President, Global Head – Energy (Oil and Gas) Practice, Infosys Ltd.

Robin Goswami is a Senior Vice President and heads the Energy (Oil and Gas) practice in Infosys. Goswami has been instrumental in building the oil & gas practice in the organization since its inception to its current stature. He is a transformative leader with over two decades of experience in the IT industry. He is also a member of the board of directors of two companies - an IT consulting firm acquired by the Infosys Energy practice, and a global consortium that sets data exchange standards for the Upstream Oil & Gas industry.

© 2019 Infosys Limited, Bengaluru, India.

“ The world will require significantly more energy to support population growth and the prosperity that everyone is looking to drive, but that energy needs to come with lower carbon. To do this, BP needs access to new ways of doing things, disruptive thinking and new technologies coming from the supply market” — Mark Smith, Head of Procurement Strategy, Performance and Transformation, BP Downstream

110 processes and visibility of information

is to move to a world where we’re using

as to where work is progressing along

much more guided buying, with con-

that continuum, as well as improving

sumer-like technology that allows end

the output because you can see

users to self-serve,” he says, noting

the quality and whether it’s meeting

that such innovations are revolutionis-

users’ needs.”

ing procurement’s position within the

The modular aspect of Compass

wider organisation. “Like many procure-

means that this solid foundation can be

ment organisations out there, we’ve

built upon and modified to reflect trends

really struggled with the notion that,

for years to come. One such element

every time you need or want some-

to be infused into the platform’s

thing, you have to go to procurement

capabilities is automation, with Smith

and they will slow the process down.

highlighting the S2P function as one

While we still have a way to go on that

area to benefit from the emergent tech

journey, we’re starting to see more use

thus far. “The intent of automating S2P

of self-serve catalogues, quoting and

FEBRUARY 2020

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘BP GBS – MARK SMITH, HEAD OF PROCUREMENT STRATEGY ON ACCESSING INNOVATION’

O U R PART N ERS

112

“Infosys are our partners responsible for developing and maintaining two key modules of our Compass platform: opportunity and case planning. The huge advantage we get from those two modules in Compass is in our ability to workforce plan, prioritise and operate our activities at scale. From those modules, we are able to assign resources to those activities, track them to completion and check their status. One of the things we’re really excited about as a development for this year, and into next year, is our work with Infosys to improve the user experience around the way cases f low through the procurement operation.”

— Mark Smith

“App Orchid, with its AI capabilities that automate parts of the contract cycle, is a great example of BP using new ideas from smaller companies to increase effectiveness and efficiency in an agile way. BP has scale while companies like App Orchid have more agility and ideas of what’s possible with emerging technologies, and co-venturing brings together the best of both worlds.”

— Alex Thomson

FEBRUARY 2020

113

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buying. The net effect of that is the creation of more space in the organisation to work through the innovation agenda.”

While the automated S2P features have been in operation for a few years, the firm has more recently incorporated intelligent contract reading and analytics-focused AI into Compass, enabling seamless document scanning and archiving in a way that draws value from the respective data. “We’ve been working out a proof-of-concept to allow you to conduct those searches 114

with natural language processing.

For example: ‘What was my caustic soda usage in the last ‘X’ months?’.

extra-organisation communications

Compass gives us a platform to inno-

with suppliers, the intricacies of pro-

vate from while adding capacity to the

curement have evolved to the extent

organisation,” adds Smith. “We’ve also

that multiple teams, with complemen-

added collaboration technology that

tary capabilities, are found along the

allows people to work on documents

operational chain. This increases the

together in real-time, along with 360

risk of silos with poor communication

degree views of all our interactions

which in turn hamper progress. “In the

with particular strategic suppliers.”

past, you would have your procurement

Collaboration at scale is an ascend-

team who were down the corridor, and

ant necessity for organisations, but

they would have conducted the entirety

Smith says that this is particularly

of the procurement process,” Smith

acute in increasingly complex pro-

explains. “In reality, much of that now

curement environments. Whether it is

is, and should be, operated at scale

internal teams liaising for a project, or

on the behalf of the entire enterprise.

FEBRUARY 2020

Since the implementation of

“ A lot of the effort that goes into procurement is effort that most of our workforce would rather not expend” — Mark Smith, Head of Procurement Strategy, Performance and Transformation, BP Downstream

Compass, our teams have seen innumerable benefits, including: the effective distribution of work, improved management of team activity backlogs and the balance of resources. Compass has created a better experience for all those working in and around procurement. The fresh degree of visibility and comparability that BP gains between its vendors and suppliers affords it opportunities to optimise costs and quality through partner selection, while simultaneously illuminating more sustainable options. “We

have been working specifically with some of our IT suppliers on reducing their carbon impacts,” says Smith.

“Some of our cloud providers, for example, are big power users, and so we can work with them to understand the source of that power and whether renewable is an option.” Thomson echoes this sentiment, adding that growing data demands from all industries will see data centre power consumption continue to rise.

“It’s not a binary case of using this e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

115

visibility to decide who we will and won’t deal with,” he says.

“It’s about being conscious of footprints as we buy closed requirements, and encouraging sustainable strategy.”

Compass, through its document scanning functions and end-to-end digitalisation, has also seen a marked shift towards paperless operations,

“ It’s not a binary case of using this visibility to decide who we will and won’t deal with, it’s about being conscious of footprints as we buy closed requirements and encouraging sustainable strategy”

the sustainability benefits of which speak for themselves.

116

“We have been able to elimi-

— Alex Thomson, Head of Procurement Services, BP GBS

nate what amounts to around a million paper invoices from suppliers each year,” enthuses Smith.

“That’s a very tangible example of

in reacting to things we would have like

how Compass is reducing our envi-

to have better foreseen, or in manually

ronmental impact.”

collecting information that allows us to

Implementing such an exhaustive overhaul of procurement functions

make better decisions.”

This effort, he enthuses, is better

naturally conjures concerns around the

spent on creativity and value added

ease with which a workforce will cope

tasks. “The organisation is somewhat

with the shift, but Smith is confident

frustrated by the drains on its ability to

that BP’s procurement teams have

act in a creative capacity because of

been receptive and supportive. “A lot of

the challenges in the data landscape

the effort that goes into procurement is

and the manual activity required

effort that most of our workforce would

to keep our operations running. We

rather not expend,” he says. “Such as

want to be orchestrating rather than

FEBRUARY 2020

117

executing those processes. As we

communication, collaboration, sus-

enter this world, we’re extremely pas-

tainability, and vendor management.

sionate about using technology to

Thomson says that flexibility, however,

move us into that creative space while

is the chief boon of the GBS-led pro-

helping the organisation to upscale in

curement transformation. “Being able

a way that, where necessary, supports

to adjust as requirements evolve is vital,

that journey.”

especially as supply markets around the

The sum of all these factors, Smith

world change pretty fast. Being able to

and Thomson highlight, is a shift in

take advantage of that through procure-

procurement’s capacity to enable

ment is a hugely positive change.”

the energy transition. Compass has revolutionised procurement within BP in many aspects: visibility, ease of use, e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

118

FEBRUARY 2020

Vodafone Procurement Company: transforming the approach WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY

CHARLOTTE CLARKE

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119

V O D A F O N E P R O C U R E M E N T C O M PA N Y

Ninian Wilson, Global Supply Chain Director and CEO of Vodafone Procurement Company, discusses his organisation’s transformation journey and procurement strategies in the supply chain space

T

ransformation. It’s the major trend of the supply chain industry. And with good reason — it is essential to achieving sus-

tained long-term success. Ninian Wilson, Global Supply Chain Director and CEO of Vodafone Procurement Company, has been with the organi120

sation since 2009. He initially joined in an IT role before transitioning into his current role in 2016.

As one of the first objectives upon his arrival, Wilson helped establish a transformation strategy for the organisation. The strategy, called ‘Our House’, was created with a clear mission statement: to be the best digital supply chain management (SCM) team in a connected world, powered by people and partnering to create value through innovation and ecosystem management. There are four main rooms of the house: the kitchen, games room, garage and dining room. “The kitchen is owned by the Chief Operating Officer. The best things happen in the kitchen, so naturally that’s where we run operations from,” explains Wilson. “In the garage, we have our innovation centre where we incubate small companies that can create value, whether FEBRUARY 2020

121

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V O D A F O N E P R O C U R E M E N T C O M PA N Y

“ Our House’ is built on solid foundation blocks around health and safety, purpose and inspiring our people” — Ninian Wilson, Global Supply Chain Director and CEO, Vodafone Procurement Company

that’s increased revenue, profit or taking costs out of Vodafone. The games room allows us to trial new things. For example, we try new technology to use internally in supply chain management.

If it works, we scale it. If it doesn’t, then

122

we simply turn it off. Finally, we have the dining room, which represents our supply chain management sales. We work with external clients; not just for Vodafone. We invite those external clients into the dining room to see what we’ve developed and to support them in their procurement activities.”

With that clear plan in place, Wilson believes the reason the house strategy has been successful is because it allows the different categories to be split up and looked after individually, while also enabling staff to take responsibility for their respective areas. “‘Our House’ is built on solid foundation FEBRUARY 2020

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘ARCH SUMMIT 2019_NINIAN WILSON – CEO, VODAFONE PROCUREMENT COMPANY’ 123 blocks around health and safety, pur-

With technology beginning to take a

pose and inspiring our people,” he

firm hold in the supply chain industry,

explains. “When I first joined, our staff

Vodafone Procurement Company has

decided to renovate the house, took

become more data-focused, building

ownership and transformed it by chang-

inconsiderable digital visibility into

ing some of the themes. It’s great when

supply chain operations. “We’ve built

people feel that the whole SCM organi-

a procurement control centre here in

sation is their house and they own it.”

Luxembourg that gives us a view of

Vodafone Procurement Company

every single purchase order from the

oversees its procurement opera-

operating companies in near real-time.

tions in Luxembourg via a centralised

We can then map all of our perfor-

procurement model. The organisa-

mance metrics into that near real-time

tion manages 83% of Vodafone’s

platform,” says Wilson. “We’ve added a

overall spend and supports all 24

tremendous amount of digital visibility

of Vodafone’s operating companies.

into our supply chain operations, AND e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

VMware helps power Vodafone’s network cloud of the future.

telco.vmware.com VMware is part of Dell Technologies. © 2019 VMware, Inc. VMware and Realise What’s Possible are trademarks of VMware, Inc.

Vodafone: Building a Network Cloud of the Future Worldwide, communications service providers (CSPs) are adopting software-defined virtualised platforms and services as they evolve their mobile networks for the upcoming introduction of 5G. That’s because Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV) streamlines the design and deployment of networking services and automates their operation—all while enabling scale and cost-efficiency.

Vodafone Group—with mobile operations in 25 countries and fixed broadband operations in 19 markets—is working with VMware to support its global rollout of virtual network functions.

Vodafone is using NFV and software-defined networking technologies across apps and networks to accelerate its delivery of cloud-based network functions.

“Virtualised, cloud-native network functions are a critical element of our Group-wide program as we continue to transform how we build, operate and evolve our networks and services,” says Matt Beal, director of technology strategy and architecture at Vodafone Group. “Reducing the time and cost to deploy and operate services, using automation and convergence in standardised cloud environments for both our network and IT businesses, is a critical part of our technology and operational transformation strategies.”

VMware helps CSPs like Vodafone create new revenue streams, open new industry opportunities, drive down costs and improve overall customer satisfaction by enabling them to become nimbler and more responsive. VMware provides an optimal infrastructure for all telco applications and services: customer-built, packaged, virtualised, cloud-native and software as a service (SaaS). With this infrastructure, CSPs can deliver those applications securely to any endpoint across a telco distributed cloud, including private and public cloud, branch/edge, micro data centre, gateway or end user.

Companies like Vodafone can roll out multiple applications on a common NFV infrastructure, rather than building new platforms for each innovative service. The VMware-based virtualised infrastructure also provides a common architecture spanning network and IT operations, further improving operational efficiencies and overall economics. With VMware, CSPs have the flexibility to choose from several certified VMware Ready™ for NFV virtual network functions, providing confidence in pretested and pre-certified solutions that can reduce deployment risk.

“Vodafone’s selection of VMware to support network transformation highlights how we are a proven, strategic software innovator that can help CSPs successfully deliver new services faster while driving down costs,” says Shekar Ayyar, executive vice president and general manager, Telco Group at VMware. “Our VMware vCloud® NFV™ platform is an agile and flexible virtualised infrastructure platform. Combined with Carrier-Grade Support, this will provide Vodafone with an open platform for new service development today, with an architecture that will support 5G deployments in the future.”

V O D A F O N E P R O C U R E M E N T C O M PA N Y

126

to help create that capability we’ve

we have a separate budget to try new

employed several data scientists. It’s

things which may or may not work,”

a truly international operation and the

explains Wilson. “Once we’ve seen,

team helps us to remain focused on

understood and analysed a specific

digitalising everything we do in the

technology, we then create a business

supply chain.”

case for implementation and are rigor-

Although Wilson recognises the

ous on how we implement that new

value of implementing technology,

technology and capability within the

he believes it’s important to not just

organisation.” Over the past few years,

introduce new processes for the sake

Vodafone Procurement Company has

of it. “There are things you should

sharpened its focus on digitalisation

try to see if they work, because it’s

significantly. To Wilson, operations are

important to improve your capabilities

centred around ‘performance manage-

and knowledge. That’s why we ensure

ment and metrics’. “If you think of that

FEBRUARY 2020

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Ninian Wilson, Ninian joined Vodafone on 1 June 2009 as SCM IT Director, and was appointed to the board of the Vodafone Procurement Company in November 2009. From 2014-16 Ninian held the role of SCM Technology Director, and was responsible for all technology sourcing in Vodafone including networks, IT and new product development. In March 2016 he was appointed as Director of Group SCM and CEO of the Vodafone Procurement Company. Prior to joining Vodafone, Ninian held the position of Operations Director for Royal Mail plc, managing the largest workforce in the United Kingdom with full accountability for the delivery of Royal Mail’s customer promise and its transformation programme. Previously, Ninian held senior positions in Cable & Wireless plc. (Chief Procurement Officer & Group Property Director) and was a member of the board of the Caribbean Business Unit and Trustee of the Pension Scheme. Ninian was educated at Aberdeen University and holds a Bsc Hons degree in Geography.

He is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply and a life member of the Institute of Directors. Ninian lives in Luxembourg with his wife Philippa.

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V O D A F O N E P R O C U R E M E N T C O M PA N Y

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FEBRUARY 2020

129

2008

Year founded

250

Number of employees

e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

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transactional activity, it’s all digitalised

With continuous improvement a key

and metric driven. The next step we’re

component of Wilson’s mantra, he

working on is adding artificial intel-

believes that you can’t afford to stand

ligence (AI) into our processes,” he

still. “If you win a gold medal at the

says. “In our procurement organisation,

Olympics, you’ve done very well in your

everything is digitally presented on

particular sport, but the people who

scorecards. There’s no PowerPoint

really stand out are the ones who win

presentation. Over the past year, we’ve

consistently and keep on breaking

slowly increased our interest in AI

world records,” he says. “This applies

and machine learning (ML), which is

to us because we want to have a mental-

centered around category manage-

ity where it’s about being excellent at

ment and the tender process. It’s a

what we do and continually improving

work in progress and will enable us

all of our metrics, costs and perfor-

to ensure we’ve covered all the pieces

mance. It’s a mindset which we have

of the value stream and digitalised over

here in the leadership team and in

a three to five year journey.”

supply chain management.” While Wilson believes his organisation is in a great place, he also understands the necessity of striving to be better every year. “It’s so important that we all have the mindset around improvement

“ It’s a truly international operation and we remain focused on how they can help digitalise everything we do in the supply chain” — Ninian Wilson, Global Supply Chain Director and CEO, Vodafone Procurement Company e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

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V O D A F O N E P R O C U R E M E N T C O M PA N Y

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FEBRUARY 2020

and excellence, because we can always do better every year,” says Wilson. “Everyone else in procurement improves, so you’ve got to keep trying to enhance yourself, team and function. I’m a great believer in continuous improvement and striving for things that seem impossible.”

Vodafone Procurement Company values its collaboration with other companies. Wilson points to the 12 strategic partnerships which exist

— Name of Person, Position and company

as key network and IT vendors. “Our partnerships are grounded in strong commercial foundations. For example, if we’re working with a technology partner with state-of-the-art technology, then we think about how we manage those relationships so that we both get mutual benefit,” he explains. “Every two months there will be a 90-minute check-in for some of the key technology partners. There are two parts to the agenda; there’s a review of performance and then there’s new releases that the vendor would like to come and talk to us about.”

Looking to the future, Wilson believes that Vodafone is built for success in the ever-evolving supply chain industry e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

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V O D A F O N E P R O C U R E M E N T C O M PA N Y

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“ I’m a great believer in continuous improvement and striving for things that seem impossible” — Ninian Wilson, Global Supply Chain Director and CEO, Vodafone Procurement Company FEBRUARY 2020

135

over the next few years. “We have

and that’s a really positive develop-

a tremendous European platform

ment for the industry. Ultimately,

now, following the acquisitions which

digitalisation and transparency will

we completed last year in Germany

walk hand in hand together and con-

and central and eastern Europe,” he

tinue to transform the supply chain

explains. “In terms of future evolution

over the next five years.”

of the industry, I think we’re seeing more automation of the menial tasks and more AI and ML being leveraged.

Blockchain is also becoming more important in the supply chain space e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

136

Aiming for zero waste and maximum metal recovery WRITTEN BY

DAN BRIGHTMORE PRODUCED BY

RICHARD DEANE

FEBRUARY 2020

137

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H I N D U S TA N Z I N C

How Hindustan Zinc, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources, is aiming to make its flagship Sindesar Khurd and Rampura Agucha operations the most advanced digital mines in the world

H

industan Zinc is India’s only zinc producer and among the world’s top three zinc producers today. A subsidiary of Vedanta

Resources, the company’s flagship operation, Rampura Agucha (Agucha) in Rajasthan, is the 138

world’s largest mine for industrial metal. Allied to this, and strategic to the company’s growth, is the Sindesar Khurd (SK) mine offering a rich source of silver along with zinc and lead. Hindustan Zinc also runs three large smelting operations at Chanderiya, Dariba and Debari in north west India and 10 milling facilities across the country.

“How do we drive efficiency to support future growth across our operations?” asks Barun Gorain, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at Hindustan Zinc, Vedanta Resources. “The whole point of our digital transformation is to build a foundation to prepare ourselves for the next phase of growth to support key outcomes of enhanced safety, improved productivity and reduced costs with true technology innovation.”

FEBRUARY 2020

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H I N D U S TA N Z I N C

“The whole point of our digital transformation is to build a foundation to prepare ourselves for the next phase of growth to support key outcomes of enhanced safety, improved productivity and reduced costs with true technology innovation” — Barun Gorain, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer, Vedanta Resources

142

FEBRUARY 2020

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘CORPORATE FILM HINDUSTAN ZINC DIRECTED BY MANEESH JOSHI’ 143 Gorain points out that few mining

business operation models for each

companies work in this way: “We

and every part of a unit operation so

take a very holistic view of this digital

that we can go beyond data analysis

innovation with a portfolio focused on

with a system based approach and

three areas to build that foundation.

official automation.

Critically, the first step is to integrate

“This leads us into the third area.

all of our operating data into one

Digital alone is not going to help us so

platform so it can enable the digital

we must support our subject matter

enterprise with all of the financial,

expertise. Many companies across the

commercial and HR systems.

globe go digital but without strength-

“Secondly, with all the data on a sin-

ening their core know-how, which for

gle platform, we have begun a deeper

us is mining, milling and smelting. The

analytics drive where we’re looking

idea is to leverage digital, which is just

not just at predictive and prescrip-

the enabler to help us in optimising all

tive controls, but also at developing

of our individual operations. Now this e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

Cisco enables digitization of India’s largest underground mine, Hindustan Zinc Limited As the digital transformation technology partner of Hindustan Zinc, Cisco deployed a scalable and secure underground mine network to improve the efficiency of the mine’s operations, extend the life of its assets, and control costs while supporting its present and future demands.

In association with Cisco, Hindustan Zinc aims to develop a fully connected, efficient, safe and collaborative mining system.

CLICK TO WATCH: HZL’s mining 4.0 journey powered by Cisco

Welcome to the future of connected mining!

“Digitization is the future and our partnership with Cisco is going to help us move in that direction.”

- Barun Gorain Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Hindustan Zinc

145

approach is actually quite deep, com-

asset tracking, people tracking, asset

pared to most companies, and this is

management, short interval controls,

where we see the benefits.”

automated scheduling & task manage-

In embracing Mining 4.0 Gorain’s

ment management,” he says. “We are

team is using the OSI-PI system to

doing this at a scale not seen before in

bring all operating data – mining, mill-

any underground mining scenario, it’s

ing, smelting and power plant – into

a game changer.”

one platform which will eventually be

To change the game, Vedanta has

integrated with SAP. “We are looking

recently inaugurated their Hindustan

to digitally integrate 1,500 people, over

Zinc Collaboration Centre based at

200 pieces of equipment and several

the company’s head office in part-

different outsourced business part-

nership with OSIsoft and ABB to

ners at our flagship SK and Agucha

improve efficiency, safety and sustain-

mines. It allows us to do real-time

ability while enhancing value across e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

The cutting edge of underground productivity and safety True digitalization of underground mines with double digit productivity increase, unparalleled efficiency and increased safety in modern mines.

The undisputed leading product portfolio Mobilaris Mining Intelligence™ features: - Real-time Situational Awareness with 3D visualization opens the lid and enables transparency. Everyone, everywhere will know what is going on down below.

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- Complete suite for Short Interval Control including shift-planning and work task dispatch.

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- In-shift Production Monitoring features that shows the true real-time status about the shift.

- Totally technology and vendor agnostic.

Our unique agnostic approach allows realtime location, tracking and monitoring of vehicles, personnel and any equipment using a mixture of technologies (e.g. LTE, WiFi, UWB, RFID) from various vendors.

LEARN MORE

True digitalization of underground mining With new innovative technology Mobilaris Mining & Civil Engineering takes digitalization of mining operations to the next level. So far, the result has been double digit productivity increases, higher efficiency and increased safety for the mining industry.

Many mining companies around the world are facing daily challenges that make the mining operations unpredictable, resulting in a waste of valuable time and inefficient use of machines, assets and equipment. During a normal shift, there are many obstacles that can cause differences between planning and reality, for example machine breakdowns and people taking the wrong decisions due to lack of information.

both empower people by increased transparency, increase productivity by less traffic congestions and a safer work environment”, says Hans Wahlquist, VP Business Development and Strategic Product Management at Mobilaris.”

When every second counts

In the case of a stressful situation like a fire or a collapse that requires evacuation of the mine, time is of essence.

Rescue personnel and evacuation leaders need to have the best tools available to ensure that the evacuation is done as quickly as possible and according to defined procedures. With Mobilaris Emergency Support, rescue personnel have access to real-time information on “We help mining companies to become aware where in the mine people are located – knowing who is safe and who is not. Studies show that with these of what is going on in the mine, right tools in hand, the time to evacuate people in danger here and now. Every day, all the time. is dramatically reduced.

This information makes it possible to take control over the operations and the resources. With our digital In partnership with Hindustan Zinc Ltd solutions people can act upon what Hindustan Zinc Ltd has partnered up with Mobilaris is happening in real-time and make Mining & Civil Engineering to digitalize the Rampura the right decision faster. We offer Agucha mine, their flagship of mining operations. tools for new, more efficient, ways of working”, says Mikael “We feel honored that Hindustan Zinc has chosen us Nyström, CEO Mobilaris Mining as a partner for modernizing their mine operation & Civil Engineering. even further. We will provide solutions for smooth and seamless operations that defines new, more efficient, ways of working“, Says Mikael Nyström, Mobilaris Onboard ™ CEO Mobilaris Mining & Civil Engineering.

A disruptive innovation

The latest product from the Swedish company is Mobilaris Onboard, a unique product that runs on a standard tablet mounted in a vehicle.

Just like with a GPS car navigator, Mobilaris Onboard™ makes it easy for anyone underground to navigate to a location or to a moving asset without any specific knowledge about the mine. Without any dedicated infrastructure for positioning needed.

“We are confident that Mobilaris Onboard™ will cause a paradigm shift in the underground mining industry. It makes every miner aware of the whole real-time situation in the mine and enables a set of unique tools that will

The partnership includes solutions for situational awareness designed to visualize and support the mining operations in all its complexity, in real-time.

By implementing superior real-time 3D visualization with information from various systems and sensors, Hindustan Zinc will have the tools for superior control and planning of their mining operations.

Hindustan Zinc Ltd will also be among the first customers worldwide to implement the new disruptive product Mobilaris Onboard™, for navigation underground and a smoother traffic flow.

EXPLORE OUR WORLD

H I N D U S TA N Z I N C

148

Hindustan Zinc’s operations. “The

operations. ABB, as one of the world’s

unique thing here is that we’re con-

top experts in control innovation, is sup-

necting all our operating people with

porting us on this quest.”

OEMs, subject matter expertise and

Looking long-term, the company

our data scientists,” explains Gorain.

vision is moving towards converting all

“OSIsoft and ABB are helping us to con-

of its underground mining operations

nect our operating data across all of our

from batch to continuous with the

mines, mills, smelters and power plants.

support of next generation technolo-

It’s a crucial initiative because, along

gies, including underground hydraulic

with insights, we’ll be able to predict

ored pumping solutions to enable

things in real-time and collaborate in

mining with minimal or no tailings or

a way that allows us to maximise the

waste. “From an extraction or recov-

benefit that digital solutions from SMEs

ery point of view, we’re looking at

can have in helping us to optimise our

completely digitised equipment to aid

FEBRUARY 2020

the recovery of minor, major and pre-

improvement from 81% up to 92%,” he

cious metals,” adds Gorain. “In parallel,

adds. “Silver recovery is forecasted

greater efficiency will come from fine

to rise from 57% to 70% leading to an

tuning via digital means.”

additional 70,000 tons of lead-zinc

Gorain’s team is targeting benefits

metals.” Gorain stresses that enhanc-

on the mining side to improve effi-

ing safety is a key aspect and one

ciency by 15% which translates to

of the major reasons why SK mine is

74,000 tons of extra metal by 2021

considered one of the most digitally

– a huge gain. “Meanwhile, on the

advanced mines in the world. “With

milling side we’re looking at recovery

safety as a top priority, continuous

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Barun Gorain Barun Gorain has more than 25 years of experience in metallurgical plant operations, plant optimisation, capital (growth) projects, technology development, metallurgical consulting and also in technical advisory and board roles. Focused on operational excellence, technology innovation, as well as technology transfer with demonstrated benefits and breakthroughs for projects and operations, before returning to Hindustan Zinc he worked for Barrick Gold and Teck Resources. “I’m a metallurgist by background and combined with my experience with digital innovation I’m in a unique position to be able to understand both worlds so we can take Hindustan Zinc to the next level,” pledges Gorain. “When we look at our business needs for future growth it’s vital to bring these two strands together to make our mining, milling and smelting more efficient to meet our long-term goals and vision.”

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149

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Learn more about what the PI System can do.

Contact miningmetalsmaterials @ osisoft.com or visit www.osisoft.com.

“We are looking to digitally integrate 1500 people, over 200 pieces of equipment and several different outsourced business partners at each of our flagship mines. It allows us to do real-time asset tracking, people tracking, peak management, internal controls, automated schedule link up management, you name it” — Barun Gorain, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer, Vedanta Resources mining, automation, digitisation, less

have to lay out the cables and the

man-machine interaction, remote

network on a daily basis. As we go

monitoring and real-time visualisation

deeper underground, the challenges

of people will be a tremendous leap

keep evolving, so these partners make

forward which will also lower the cost

sure we have the best of the best with

of production.”

mobile networking and LTE to access

Underground wireless communications are vital to be able to integrate

all of our data in real time.”

Sandvik has been instrumental

new solutions. “It is the foundation,

at the SK mine, where it provides

along with the sensor technology, on

Hindustan Zinc with around 90% of

which everything else is built,” con-

its equipment. “The first phase of this

firms Gorain. “To achieve this, we’ve

digitisation through our collaboration

partnered with Cisco at the SK mine

with Sandvik has now been com-

and with Israeli company Eurotech

pleted focusing on driving efficiency,”

at the Agucha mine. The whole idea

confirms Gorain. Meanwhile, at the

is that networking is something that

Agucha mine, the company is also

doesn’t really finish anytime soon, we

partnering with Mobilaris who are e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

151

H I N D U S TA N Z I N C

A New Mining Paradigm

152

“The existing mining paradigm is not sustainable in the long-term,” argues Barun Gorain, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at Vedanta. “Much of the material generated from mining is waste. For example, with base metals typically 90% is waste.

This increases our footprint, heightens risk and can trigger environmental hazards within our communities. We need to ask ourselves why we generate waste in the first place. It’s why we’re pushing towards a new mining paradigm through automation, electrification and digital solutions to help us deliver the extraction of metals with minimum waste. Governments, NGOs and communities are asking the same question: ‘Why can’t we develop a better way of mining?’ We’re committed to delivering the innovation to achieve that goal.”

Barun Gorain, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer, Hindustan Zinc, Vedanta Resources

FEBRUARY 2020

Inside Hindustan Zinc “We are leveraging digital solutions to improve our availability, utilisation and productivity at the Sindesar Khurd (SK) Mine,” says Sunil Duggal, CEO at Hindustan Zinc Limited. “With OptiMine® we will be able to plan, schedule and monitor overall operations in real time. This will add major value and increase our productivity, eliminating bottlenecks, and allowing us to measure and monitor our key performance indicators in real time, proactively addressing problems before they occur.”

Sunil Duggal, CEO at Hindustan Zinc Limited

“SK Mine has embarked on a major digital transformation journey in partnership with Sandvik and Cisco. We are now considered the most digitally advanced mine in India, but we aspire to be the world’s most advanced digital mine by 2022,” pledges Rajeev Bora, SBU Head SK Mines.

“We have our unique set of complexities but the ongoing digital program will allow us a step change in safety and productivity.”

153

Rajeev Bora, SBU Head SK Mines “Digitalisation is becoming the new way of working at Rampura Agucha,” agrees Sujal Shah, Director Agucha SBU. “Let us all become the agents for change in t ransforming our mines to become Sujal Shah, digitally advanced Director Agucha operations.”

SBU

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H I N D U S TA N Z I N C

154

FEBRUARY 2020

10.5%

Average zinc-lead grade

Zinc

Reserve base of 105.7mn MT

78%

Share in India’s primary zinc industry

155

providing connections for visualisa-

he concedes. “We want to make peo-

tion and equipment tracking. “They’re

ple think more about how we plan for

helping us to leverage digital to com-

the future across such a large work-

municate in a way that keeps all of our

force. Change management is always

teams aligned,” he adds. “We’re reduc-

an issue, so we are educating employ-

ing the time of the track operations,

ees about how digital is not going to

improving the asset optimisation, and

take jobs away but create new ones

it’s helping us better predict our main-

in safer areas of the business with

tenance needs.”

less physical labour requirements in

Continuous alignment is a challenge that Gorain believes must be met to ensure all teams are looking at one

different roles where technology can support them.”

The benefits of new technologies

truth with minimal manual intervention.

are evident with Gorain’s team’s

“There’s always resistance to change,”

recent initiatives on advanced e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

H I N D U S TA N Z I N C

156

“With safety as a top priority, continuous mining, automation, digitisation, less manmachine interaction, remote monitoring and real-time visualisation of people will be a tremendous leap forward which will also lower the cost of production” — Barun Gorain, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer, Vedanta Resources

FEBRUARY 2020

for one shared truth. Second, we deploy the right analytics solutions to enhance the working environment of everybody across the company. Third, we have to integrate the subject matter teams into the digital way of doing things. These three areas combine to help us identify the right technologies for the right purpose so that our guiding principles - in terms of enhancing safety, productivity, and reduced costs - are in alignment with our vision.”

Vedanta and Hindustan Zinc’s vision is to make the SK and Agucha operations one of the most advanced digital mines in the world. “Our goal is to achieve the highest benchmark process controls. “We’ve had great

of recovery and metal extraction in

success at Zawar,” he says. “We

the zinc industry,” says Gorain. “Not

have experienced a 10% increase in

just lead-zinc major metals, but also

crusher throughput, and around a

the minor and precious metals such

3 - 5% increase in recovery, which is

as germanium, cobalt, and silver.” The

really quite remarkable.”

vision for mining in India and a move

Gorain notes that with so many technologies to choose from the problem

towards zero waste looks set to welcome a new mining paradigm.

can be selecting the right one. “To meet this challenge, our three-stage approach has been very useful,” he explains. “First, we must make sure to integrate all the data into one platform e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

157

158

FEBRUARY 2020

159

A UNIQUE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WRITTEN BY

HARRY MENEAR PRODUCED BY

RICHARD DEANE

e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

ERAMET GROUP

Ludovic Donati, CDO at Eramet, discusses the French mining giant’s use of drones, AI, ML and other cutting-edge technologies in order to overcome unique challenges and thrive in a new digital age

A

global digital transformation is underway.

New digital solutions, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML),

the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data analytics and augmented reality (AR) are driving a digital revolu160

tion. Across every industry, companies are facing new challenges and exploring new opportunities.

But digital transformation is more than the simple adoption of cutting-edge technology; those companies that wish to reap the largest rewards are the ones that look to transform more than their software solutions. “We’re not guided by new technology, but by the new applications of that technology and the new ways of thinking and operating that it enables,” says Ludovic Donati, Chief Digital Officer at French mining and metals giant Eramet Group.

Operating since 1880, Eramet is a leading global player in the extraction of metals like nickel and manganese, as well as the processing and manufacture of high-value alloys such as high-speed steels, high-performance steels, superalloys, and FEBRUARY 2020

161

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ERAMET GROUP

“ We’re not guided by new technology, but by the new applications of that technology and the new ways of thinking and operating that it enables” — Ludovic Donati, CDO, Eramet

US$4bn in 2018. The company’s main operations include mines and process-

aluminum and titanium alloys. “We

ing plants in Europe, Africa, Oceania,

also produce special alloys for differ-

Asia and North and South America.

ent sectors like aerospace, nuclear,

162

After obtaining a PhD in chemistry,

defense, and so on. For instance, when

Donati joined Eramet in 2011 and spent

you travel in a plane made by Boeing or

three years in the company’s R&D

Airbus, you are traveling with Eramet,

department as a research engineer.

because we produce a lot of very

In 2014, he moved over to the corpo-

important parts for those companies,”

rate strategy department and, in 2017,

Donati explains. “Eramet is an interest-

was asked by senior leadership to

ing organisation because it’s both a

conduct a study of what exactly the

metallurgical and mining company;

digital transformation of a mining and

we are present all the way up the

metallurgical company like Eramet

value chain.” Eramet employs around

would look like.

13,000 people across 20 countries and reported revenues of more than

FEBRUARY 2020

As the global business landscape is reshaped by the digital revolution,

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘ERAMET, EXPLORING OUR WORLD’ 163 a shifting political zeitgeist and a

demand for lithium in things like elec-

worsening climate crisis, Eramet is

tric vehicle batteries, smartphones,

undergoing a unique digital trans-

etc. and, to produce it in quantities

formation in order to employ new

that meet our customers’ needs, we’re

mindsets and technologies to over-

going to use digital to drive efficiency

come new and evolving challenges.

wherever we can.”

“We started by making some proof of

In order to effectively transform

concepts that showed good results.

Eramet’s operations using technology

Then, we decided it was necessary

ranging from IoT and drones to digital

to create a new digital transformation

twins and advanced data analytics,

department,” recalls Donati. “Today,

Donati and his team need to overcome

the crux of Eramet’s strategy is to use

several challenges that are unique to

digital to support being a leading pro-

a company like Eramet. “So the first

ducer of nickel, manganese and also

problem is: how do you digitalise a

of lithium. We’re predicting exponential

mine when it’s in the middle of e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

ERAMET GROUP

“ It’s very important for our operations to be connected, in real time, to our experts” — Ludovic Donati, CDO, Eramet

164

FEBRUARY 2020

a rainforest? Or the middle of the pacific ocean? That’s a challenge,” he reflects.

The second challenge is that mining is a relatively old industry, and the skills required by Eramet are set to shift dramatically. “If you’re a miner or a geologist today, tomorrow you’re also going to need to be a data scientist and a drone pilot,” Donati says. “In order to align ourselves, we held a workshop with people from our operations in New-Calédonia, Gabon, Senegal, Norway, Paris — you name it. We sat down with everyone and worked together to define our vision for Eramet 4.0 using three axes.”

SAFETY In locations with environmental threats, Eramet is using IoT and drones to check equipment and monitor operations with e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

165

ERAMET GROUP

166

1880

Year founded

more accuracy and speed. “In New Caledonia, cyclones are quite common, and you need to run regular checks to make sure equipment hasn’t been

€3.825mn

damaged,” says Donati. “Previously, we’d send a car with two people in it to

Revenue in euros

check and hear back in three to four

12,705

to three hours.” The company has also

Number of employees

FEBRUARY 2020

days if everything was ok. Now, with a drone, we can reduce that down to two begun implementing AI-powered collision avoidance technology in its truck fleet, as well as overseer software to prevent fatigue-based accidents.

OPTIMISATION

says Donati. “With all this data, we’re

In addition to reducing fuel consump-

actually building a digital twin of the mine

tion across its entire operation, Eramet

in New Caledonia, so we will soon have

is using AI-powered data analytics to

the possibility to run different scenarios

manage its fleet and process topo-

based on, for example, fluctuations

graphical modeling data gathered by

in the price of nickel.”

drone surveyors. “We’re using drones to do these topographical measure-

REMOTE EXPERTISE

ments and, in 2019, we mapped more

As a way of solving the problem

than 300,000 acres, which is about 100

of changing skill needs, Eramet is

times more than the previous year,”

investing heavily in an operational

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

167

Ludovic Donati Ludovic Donati has been the Chief Digital Officer of the Eramet Group since its beginning in 2017. Eramet is a global mining and metallurgical group employing about 13,000 collaborators with a presence in 20 countries. Since 2018, Ludovic has been the Digital Correspondent of the French Mining and Mellurgy Sector and a board member of the Afnet association. A normalien with a PhD in chemistry, Ludovic joined the Eramet group in 2011, where he held various positions in R&D, investor relations and strategy (CEO’s office).

Ludovic was appointed Group Chief Digital Officer at Eramet in 2017 in order to provide the company with a strong, coherent and sustainable vision for digital transformation and to launch concrete achievements from proof of concept to industrialisation in the fields of Mine 4.0 and Plant 4.0. He was nominated for the Next Leader Awards of Les Echos French newspaper in 2018 and won the “Grand Prix de l’Acélération Digitale BFM Business” for Eramet in 2019.

e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

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Empowering safer, more sustainable mining As energy costs fluctuate, high-grade ores become scarcer, and profit margins tighten, productive mines recognize that technology is essential to their success. Companies must be smarter, safer, and quicker to respond to change. Their future depends on it.

Hexagon recognizes that the competitive edge of its customers depends on empowering an autonomous future by integrating, automating, and optimizing critical workflows.

This means smart mines that are efficient to operate, maximize safety and minimally impact the environment.

hexagonmining.com

“ If you’re a miner or a geologist today, tomorrow you’re also going to need to be data scientist and drone pilot” — Ludovic Donati, CDO, Eramet

70 people, 50 of whom are focused on data science and engineering and now we’re working on AI, data sci-

transformation of the way it delivers

ence and ML projects. Our algorithms

expertise to remote locations. “We’re

implemented in our ferronickel or sili-

using remote expertise powered

comanganese furnaces are learning

by AR,” explains Donati. “It’s very

and, every day, they’re becoming more

important for our operations to be

and more accurate.” At the end of a

connected, in real time, to our experts.

successful year of small-scale imple-

We’re collecting all the data from our

mentations and proof of concept tests,

mines and plants and in 2020 we will

Eramet is at a tipping point. Looking

implement remote operations centres

to the future, Donati acknowledges

across our operations.” This, Donati

that the coming year will be one of

explains, allows the company powerful

monumental change for Eramet. “We

insight into the processes of its facili-

did a great job in 2018, running proof

ties, helping to drive efficiency on

of concepts and tests. This year, we

a global scale and enabling Eramet to be

industrialised and deployed a lot of pro-

more reactive to changes in the market.

prietary solutions,” he says. “Next year, in 2020, we will be aiming for full scale

THE FUTURE

deployment.”

This transformation has been defined by its speed and scale. “A year and a half ago, we had no competencies in data science, cloud, analytics etc.,” recalls Donati. “Since then, we’ve built a digital transformation team of about e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

169

170

TWINT: PAYMENTS, JUST BETTER

FEBRUARY 2020

171

WRITTEN BY

AMBER DONOVAN-STEVENS PRODUCED BY

JAMES PEPPER

e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

TWINT

Markus Kilb, CEO of Twint, details how the twinting phenomenon is sweeping across Switzerland

S

ince its creation in 2017, Twint has unified Switzerland through its comprehensive digital cash solutions. Now with over 2

million customers, more than a quarter of the

172

Swiss population are twinting, and this number is only set to accelerate. Championing the success of Twint is CEO, Markus Kilb, who has held the role for a little over a year, citing its unique business model as his original draw to the company. “For me it is an absolute honour and a thrilling experience to lead Twint and shape the future of the payments world,” he says. “Twint is the most complete and compelling value proposition from both a client and bank perspective that I have seen in the Western hemisphere and I knew I had to be part of it.” Kilb has led the company to become not only an integral part of digital payments in Switzerland, but an exciting one, as it remains the fastest growing provider in the region,region with a nearly four-fold increase to transactions from the previous year. Kilb explains that the reason for Twint’s FEBRUARY 2020

173

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TWINT

“Twint’s software is agnostic of operating systems, allowing a full range of peer-topeer payments”

success is that the platform is comprehensive and “trendsetting.”

Twint is unique as it integrates peer-to-peer platforms in a way not previously done. “Twint is modified to be used for both Android and iOS and while other platforms are not interoperable, Twint’s software is agnostic of operating systems, allowing a full range of peer-to-peer

— Markus Kilb, CEO, Twint

payments,” and this goes beyond the two platforms. The integration of over 100,000 merchants allows for users to pay for products, book

174

travel and cinema tickets as well

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘TWINING WHEN PARKING AND NEVER PAYING TOO MUCH AGAIN’ 175 as store reward points, all through

professionally. “We have a con-

Twint. Loyalty schemes are a key

tinuous improvement program,” he

part of Swiss commercial culture

explains. “We constantly review our

and Twint has ensured that this is

processes to be sure that we are

as deeply integrated into the app

operating in the most efficient and

as it is culturally. Kilb notes that one

intelligent manner possible. We have

particularly popular loyalty card is

also been using a cloud solution from

the “Coop Supercard” from Coop

Swisscom for all of our IT.”

Group, one of the leading retail com-

In addition to e-commerce and

panies in Switzerland. “This deep

physical point of sale, Twint also har-

integration allows everything to work

nesses QR technology, whether it’s for

from one single platform,” explains

users to pay for one of Switzerland’s

Kilb, “and that’s just perfect.” Kilb’s

100,000 parking spaces, or to pay for

responsibility is to ensure that this

a selection of vegetables from a self

service is upscaled seamlessly and

pay stand outside a farm. This simple e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

Over 40 payment methods worldwide and free choice of acquirer.

More than 4'400 customers worldwide, and the best time-to-market make us one of Europe’s leading payment service providers. Advanced payment solutions and secure payment technologies - made in Switzerland. Are you looking for a payment solution that thinks ahead? Talk to us!

Datatrans Ltd. +41 44 256 81 91 info@datatrans.ch www.datatrans.ch

but effective solution eliminates the

“It is an absolute honour and a thrilling experience to lead Twint and shape the future of the payments world”

need for cash or offline payment terminals, creating real benefits for a customer by solving day-to-day issues. Another exciting advancement is that Twint is beginning to print its QR codes on other companies’ product packaging. “If a customer is coming to the end of a product that they have ordered before, all they

— Markus Kilb, CEO, Twint

need to do is scan the QR code on the wrapping with Twint and they are immediately linked into the ordering system of this company. Customers

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TWINT

178

FEBRUARY 2020

2017

Year founded

HQ

ZĂźrich Switzerland

70

Number of employees

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179

Create added value with data Data becomes an important raw material for a company – and the skilful handling of it is a decisive competitive factor.

How data-driven is your business?

Do the check and find out

www.swisscom.ch/datadriven

will then receive a final confirmation request before processing the pay-

“We want to position Twint as the preferred means of payment for all people in Switzerland”

ment and shipment of the product.”

Twint’s exponential growth is also accredited to its key shareholders and partners, which besides SIX Group and Worldline, largely comprise Swiss banks: Postfinance, UBS, Zürcher Kantonalbank, Credit Suisse, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise and Raiffeisen.

— Markus Kilb, CEO, Twint

“Twint works with direct access to bank accounts, which is pretty unique for Switzerland,” Kilb adds. In addition to this, there is also an additional

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Markus Kilb Markus Kilb is the CEO of Twint AG, and has held the role since November 2018. Kilb’s career started with BMW, as project manager of the Financial Services Division from 1992 to 1996. He worked with Advance Bank from 1996 until 2000, where he was Product Manager for all cards and accounts products. In 2000, he moved to Citibank in order to oversee the credit card business. He has held a number of various executive positions, most notably in 2009, when he became General Manager of Unicredit’s product factory for loans and cards business in Germany.

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TWINT

T W I N T A P P B A N KS

• APPKB (Appenzeller Kantonalbank) • BCV(Banque Cantonale Vaudeoise) • BCGE (Banque Cantonale de Genève) • CS (Credit Suisse) 182

• NAB (Neue Aargauer Bank) • OKB (Obwaldner Kantonalbank) • Postfinance • Raiffeisen • SGKB (St. Galler Kantonalbank) • UBS • BCVS/WKB (Banque Cantonale du Valais)

nine, non-shareholder banks and federation banks that work with Twint.

“All of these banks are united by the belief in creating a strong customer value for its customers,” says Kilb, and these partnerships allow for Twint to maintain bank-grade security, as they retain a majority of sensitive data,

• ZGKB (Zuger Kantonalbank)

together forming the cybersecurity

• ZKB (Zuercher Kantonalbank)

for each of the shareholder banks,

hub in Switzerland. Twint has an app available in both an iOS and Android operating system, in order to provide

FEBRUARY 2020

an acquirer for some of the largest merchants in Switzerland such as Coop Group, Datatrans is a proven and essential partner in processing our transactions.”

As the payment app continues to accelerate growth, Kilb shares that it is Twint’s clear aim to reach 4 million customers by the end of 2021. Twint has recently brought on new major merchants such as Swiss Rail SBB, that will help the payment provider continue its high standard of professionalism, as well as reaching its midterm goal of conducting 500 million transactions each year. “We want to position Twint as the preferred means of paythe most tailored experience for each

ment for all people in Switzerland. At

bank’s customers. To assist with

the same time we want to expand

creating this bespoke service, Twint

on international cooperation via the

is partnered with Swisscom, which

EMPSA (European Mobile Payment

Kilb describes as “the centrepiece

Association), enabling our customers

of Twint’s value chain” as it not only

to start twinting not only in Switzerland

customises Twint’s services to suit

but across Europe and beyond.”

issuer banks, but is an outsourcing partner for its data centre. Kilb goes on: “Next to Swisscom, the company Datatrans AG is one of the major PSPs in Switzerland and is a key partner for us at Twint. As Twint also operates as e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

183

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FEBRUARY 2020

EMBRACING DIGITAL IN THE BANKING SECTOR

185

WRITTEN BY

SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY

JAMES PEPPER

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BRD - GROUPE SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE

Florin Boldescu, Chief Digital Officer, and Eric Ruiz, Chief Information Officer at BRD, discuss the importance of operating with an Agile approach and leveraging technology at their company

A

s one of the leading banks in Romania, BRD - Groupe Société Générale is in the midst of a significant digital transforma-

tion. Technology is considered the lifeblood of the 186

company and is central to operations.

BRD is the Romanian affiliate of Groupe Société Générale and operates under its wider umbrella.

“It’s a flexible relationship,” explains Florin Boldescu, Chief Digital Officer at the firm. “There’s many banks from different countries all working together and it provides a great opportunity to discuss new ideas and learn from each other. It’s an open banking environment where all banks can work together towards a common goal.”

BRD’s digital transformation ambitions are focused on several key areas, such as: evolving towards digital ready architecture (decoupling, API, services), embracing Agility to deliver faster, be better aligned with business teams, leverage a DevOps approach (automation, software factory, cloud) and provide a flexible workplace to employees.

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187

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BRD - GROUPE SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE

“ We were one of the first banks to launch a mobile banking app over a decade ago. It’s great to look back on and we’re proud that we have brought our contribution” Florin Boldescu, Chief Digital Officer, BRD

188

FEBRUARY 2020

CLICK TO WATCH : ‘BRD. THE FUTURE IS YOU’ 189 Both Boldescu and Eric Ruiz, Chief Information Officer at BRD, believes in the importance of embracing change

you make decisions. This led to the creation of the Digital Hub.” BRD’s Digital Hub has been devel-

amidst a major shift in culture. “We

oped to allow for better interaction

were one of the first banks to launch

with customers and is a key part of its

a mobile banking app over a decade

strategy to cover several channels

ago. It’s great to look back on and

and better meet individual customer

we’re proud that we have brought our

demands. “Over the past year, the

contribution,” says Boldescu. “The entire

market has shifted in a unique way,”

banking industry is an open and highly

explains Boldescu. “Although change

dynamic environment and in order to

is great, we can’t afford to leave people

meet these challenges, it requires a

behind. We have to ensure we migrate

change in culture. Sometimes you need

the older generation smoothly and

to overhaul the business in order to

make the transition as easy as possible.”

change your perception and the way

With the Romanian market experiencing e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

BRD - GROUPE SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE

190

FEBRUARY 2020

“ We value innovation and want to provide its value to our customers�

Eric Ruiz, Chief Information Officer, BRD

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191

17 over

YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

Let’s talk Digital

Smart Fintech Customer Digital Experience Identity Access Management Service Oriented Architecture

www.itsmartsystems.eu letstalk@itsmartsystems.eu

1923

high levels of growth over the past few years, BRD has established a more seamless, omnichannel approach in a bid to improve its user experience. “We still have customers that like to come into a branch to do their banking but in Romania, digital is becoming increasingly prominent,” says Ruiz. “There’s

Year founded

$25mn+ Revenue in euros (2017)

substantial competition and some of our competitors might have great ideas so we can’t stand still.” Due to the acceleration of digitalisation in the banking

6,800

industry, Ruiz adds Agile software development (Agile) has become a key

Number of employees

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Florin Boldescu Boldescu has over 20 years’ experience in the telecom and banking industries, in areas including: customer service, product management, business management and digital transformation. He is passionate about people using technology, innovation, enterprise transformation and software delivery models. Recently, he has focused on digital strategy and transformation; currently he oversees the execution of a digital agenda, retail and corporate, with the support of a Digital Hub. The most important product built here is an omnichannel platform, which is going to manage the access to the bank’s services for more than two million customers. e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

193

BRD - GROUPE SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE

component of BRD’s transformation.

194

In a bid to drive operations, BRD

“In order to implement Agile, we first had

has established several strategic

to determine exactly what it is and what

partnerships such as IT Smart Systems

we wanted it to achieve. To accom-

and Backbase. “Our partner, IT Smart

plish this, establishing a step-by-step

Systems (ITSS), has made an impor-

approach was essential,” explains Ruiz.

tant contribution to our digital

“Agile is a new way of working and we’ve

transformation journey and continues

trained our people and paired them with

to show a strong commitment to meet

an Agile coach. It’s a great way to make

our common objectives inside the

processes more efficient and drive real

omnichannel and OpenBanking &

value for our business.”

PSD2 programmes,” explains Ruiz.

E X ECU T I VE P RO FI LE

Eric Ruiz Eric has managed IT at BRD Romania for more than two years, with the ambition of transforming the way IT provides value to the business in its digitalisation and automation objectives.

Previously, Eric was dep CIO and global CTO for Russia SG entities, supporting 15.000 employees over 11 time zones. Prior to that, he was CIO and business process improvement manager for the Russian consumer finance subsidiary of SG, enabling it to become number one in car loans in Russia. He also held the position of COO of SG Ukrainian subsidiary, and was responsible for IT/back-office, and the acceptance and administration departments. He was also global middleware manager in New York investment bank subsidiary of SG.

FEBRUARY 2020

“ITSS already helped BRD to digitalise its corporate trade finance business and also set up the PSD2 APIs.” “With proven senior expertise on Backbase Digital Banking, Forgerock Digital Identity and digital transformation in general, IT Smart Systems’ team of professionals work with us in the Hub to help create that omnichannel hyper-personalised yet secure user experience for our customers and employees,” adds Boldescu.

“We will continue to strengthen our partnership with IT Smart Systems as a trusted and valuable partner for BRD.” The banking world is showing no signs of slowing down. Due to the significant level of technology at financial institutions, companies now more than ever, are seeking to digitalise their offerings and streamline services for their customers.

However, although the acceleration of digital is primarily considered a good thing, it also brings with it the issue of cybercrime. To combat this, Ruiz places considerable value on his firm’s cybersecurity approach. “Every solution we put on e uro pe .busi ne ssc hief. com

BRD - GROUPE SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE

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FEBRUARY 2020

“ Over the past year, the market has shifted in a unique way” Florin Boldescu, Chief Digital Officer, BRD

the market is controlled by a security team and each has its own security file.

It undergoes a penetration test, and if there’s any issues that flag up, we address it,” he explains. “We also conduct a regular vulnerability scanning, internally and externally to ensure our security is where it needs to be.”

With the future in mind, both men harbour clear objectives for the next few years. “Our idea for the future is digital and especially mobile-first. We value innovation and want to provide its value to our customers,” summarises Ruiz. “Our ambition is to completely digitalise the customer experience — that’s the plan.”

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