More than 150 years of innovation: How Unisys became a global tech leader
More than 150 years of innovation: How Unisys became a global tech
Christopher Darabant, Ph.D., Procurement Director at Unisys, on the company’s journey of learning and transformation within its operations
Global technology solutions company Unisys has been pushing the boundaries of what’s possible since 1873, when its forebear E. Remington and Sons created the first commercially viable typewriter.
oday, Unisys applies specialised expertise and advanced technologies to strengthen teams and transform existing processes. It helps clients act upon new opportunities through a range of solutions powered by emerging technologies.
Joining us today to discuss the company’s approach to innovating its own operations and building valued partnerships is Unisys’ Procurement Director, Christopher Darabant, who has a doctorate in philosophy and
organisational leadership. His Unisys experience spans more than 30 years.
To begin, Christopher explores the company’s future-focused approach to understanding the marketplace.
“Operational excellence for Unisys means looking ahead to what future deliverables may be demanded by the marketplace while continuing to advance and expand our current suite of services,” says Christopher.
“It’s all about agility, one of our core behaviours. By streamlining our delivery and adapting our offerings,
we improve internal efficiency and reduce costs, not just for us but for our clients as well which gives us a competitive advantage.”
As the company looks to the future, it’s keeping a constant eye on opportunities for transformation.
“At Unisys, transformation is the standard,” says Christopher. We encourage associates to be curious, to explore and experiment with new ways of working as core behaviours that are part of our Winning Culture.
“We view transformation from three angles: work streams where we focus on ensuring the correct training is available for employees; processes where we optimise our supplier onboarding; and technology work streams where we focus on how we use technology to increase productivity.”
Deciding what specific innovations to deploy can sometimes be a challenge – particularly for a global organisation such as Unisys. Christopher stresses the importance of being aware of your user base when developing new systems.
“Active listening is crucial when it comes to operational excellence, and it plays a key role in Unisys’ strategy,” says Christopher. “We value our clients’ feedback and look for ways to apply it to the way we work, advance our solutions and serve future clients. Who better to know how a programme is working than our clients? By meeting our clients where they are, Unisys can provide a more tailored experience based on business needs. Knowledge is power, and it’s a learning experience for us too.”
But the importance of listening extends beyond clients – building valued
relationships with suppliers has been pivotal for the company’s long-term growth.
“When innovating within the supply chain, it’s important to establish preferred suppliers,” says Christopher.
“By having specific suppliers that we always go to for certain deliverables, we’re able to establish a sense of partnership between ourselves and the supplier.
“When a supplier knows that they’re a valued partner, they’re more likely to provide a quality product or service and closely collaborate with us –
ultimately delivering us a greater level of support. We want to source our products ethically and be agile in our operations, and we’re lucky to have a strong supplier base that meets those priorities.”
Internally, the company is committed to the career growth of its associates and offers professional development and continuous learning opportunities through the Unisys University, mentoring and other educational resources. One specific way Unisys is supporting employee growth is through a programme called Procurement Academy, which Christopher developed in 2020.
“Our functions, our stakeholders and the company itself all work alongside one another seamlessly, and we always get to where we need to be”
Christopher Darabant, Ph.D., Procurement Director at Unisys
“I created Procurement Academy four years ago with three phases in mind,” says Christopher. “The first phase is course content provided by Percipio, a company that supplies Unisys with internal learning materials. There are some courses that are mandated for our employees to take, but my team and I pulled out more procurementrelated courses and formed a syllabus for each of them based on the time it takes, the anticipated outcome and the expectations.
“Once employees have completed this first phase, they move on to external training, which we hold once a year with a company called Positive Purchasing. The final phase is something we call Near Peer training, where you link up with another Unisys employee within the procurement group, and they coach you through new initiatives and projects you might not be familiar with.
“For instance, there may be someone working in market intelligence who wants to be a Category Manager, but they don’t know how to achieve that goal. In that case, they might enter a near-peer relationship with someone who is familiar with being a Category Manager, and they can be coached into taking on that role. Joining Procurement Academy can be either leader- or employee-initiated. Our goal is to drive growth opportunities within our teams.
“We’ve also used Procurement Academy as a model and a platform for external training with guest speakers. So, if we have a new mandate for compliance and ethics from the legal team, we might bring a legal expert to give a short lecture. We’ll record this lecture and put it in our Procurement Academy library, which is a learning repository for procurement white papers and training recordings. We put this together to help teach and coach future procurement professionals.”
However, while Procurement Academy is providing ample opportunities for growth within the company, Christopher credits Unisys’ close relationships with its partners as helping the company learn and discover new strategies for success across the global market.
“A key example is the strategic partnership we’ve developed with Sims. Our procurement team has used Sims’ services for decades”
“We have internal and external partners,” says Christopher. “Our internal partners really are our stakeholders and an important component to our success. I see the relationship as a symbiotic one – our stakeholders rely on procurement to establish back-office procedures that allow certain initiatives to succeed, and our stakeholders give us the opportunity to educate ourselves on new strategies and initiatives to pursue.
“There’s always an opportunity for both sides to learn and succeed together. Working so closely with our stakeholders affords us a sense of understanding to anticipate what our stakeholders will need, increasing efficiency and streamlining the process.”
But the company’s external partners are just as important when maintaining operational efficiency.
“A strong and reliable supplier base is the beginning stage of a successful purchasing initiative,” explains Christopher. “You need these relationships built on trust and mutual benefits so you have a network you can reach out to during a crucial period of an initiative. We treat our suppliers as partners and as members of our team.
“A key example is the strategic partnership we’ve developed with Sims. Our procurement team has used Sims’ services for decades, initially working with them for the recycling and disposal of large technology projects such as server racks and outdated desktop machines. Sims would then break down the boards within those old desktops and reclaim precious metals. Today, our relationship with them has changed.
“About ten years ago, I led an effort to not only recycle obsolete equipment
From decommissioning to data destruction, Sims Lifecycle Services (SLS) simplifies IT asset disposition (ITAD), data centre decommissioning and e-waste recycling. We ensure secure, compliant and sustainable solutions every step of the way.
Data Centre Equipment
• Decommissioning
• On-site media sanitisation
• Resale
• Recycle
• Reverse logistics
• Resale
• Recycle
• On-site media sanitisation
Global Reach
“We have worked with SLS for decades. They are a trusted partner in helping Unisys and our clients repurpose IT assets removed from their offices and data centres across the globe.”
Christopher Darabant Procurement Director, Unisys
Partner with SLS for seamless ITAD solutions.
with Sims but also remarket equipment that still had value on the secondary market. So, when one of our clients has a tech refresh, we’ll send the laptops directly to Sims, who will repair them, replace bad components and sell them to the secondary market.”
As a global leader in technology and client solutions, Unisys will always prioritise innovation as the market continues to grow, between client offerings and associate support, providing up-to-date training on the latest processes and technologies. Current and future developments would not be possible without an efficient and streamlined procurement function.
“One of the great things about Unisys is how global procurement works so efficiently across many different functions and geographies,” says Christopher. “We’re all able to come together to accomplish a common initiative – whether that’s an internal task or a client-related deliverable. Our functions, our stakeholders and the company itself all work alongside one another seamlessly, and we always get to where we need to be.”
Learn more about Unisys here.
“I’m an FAA-licensed pilot,” says Christopher. “I love flying, but when I can’t fly real aeroplanes I enjoy putting model aeroplanes together. I’ve been doing this since the late 1970s, and I’ve found that there’s a real level of satisfaction when you take a box of raw wood and toothpicks, and you create something that can fly and go 80 miles per hour. I also love history, and I’m an avid metal detectorist. I’ve found old coins and artefacts dating back over a hundred years.”
Transforming plastic recycling
“I’m looking forward to the new environmental, social governance (ESG) initiative I’m working on with Sims,” says Christopher. “They’ve developed a new, innovative way of recycling certain plastics, and I’ll be going to Nashville soon to have a look at this new programme and see how it works. There’s a lot of plastic on laptops and similar equipment, so instead of that ending in a landfill we can be more sustainable.”
Connect with Christopher
www.unisys.com