On its website, A.Hakpark describes itself as ‘a world of connections. From man-sized pipelines through the desert to the water pipes in your house. From transport and distribution of oil and gas to the generation of sustainable energy. From the construction of high voltage cables to the connection in your meter box. And from robust equipment for the petrochemical industry to elegant masts for public lighting and data traffic and telecommunications.’ A.Hakpark, a leader in its field at the national and international level, in particular in the field of large pipelines, has approximately 3,000 employees, 2,250 of which in full-time employment, has branches throughout the Netherlands, and also in Europe, North and South America, Africa, and the Middle and Far East. 4PS Construct went live at A.Hak Infranet on 1 January of this year. Infranet can be considered the most complex offshoot of the A.Hakpark business family due to the large variety of work processes. Naturally, this impacts the ERP implementation. The implementation of 4PS Construct was part of a broader change project intended to optimise processes. At the A.Hakpark headquarters surrounded by orchards in Tricht in the Betuwe, we asked three prominent members of the responsible steering committee about their experiences: Catrinus van der Leest, ICT manager at A.Hak, Wessel Klompsma, Senior Application Manager/ICT Project Manager at A.Hak Infranet, and, last but not least, Piet Vermeule, Finance Director of A.Hak Infranet.
‘4PS CONSTRuCT IS AN IDEAL PRELuDE TO CHANgE MANAgEMENT’
A.HAk InfrAnet Implements erp solutIon 4ps
Laying water mains
New water mains network for Vitens in Wierden
Combined installation of cables and pipes
Laying of cables and pipes for water, gas, electricity, cable television, and telecom
you should not use it as a way to change
processes. That would be a back-to-front
world!’
ROADSHOW
The steering committee took on change
management in a broad way. A number
of roadshows were organised where the
Infranet management travelled the country
during the implementation to clearly
inform all branches once again about
what changes would be made and why.
Van der Leest: ‘We used a presentation
that communicated the same message
at all locations in which we explained
clearly what the different layers were in
the Infranet organisation, what would
change in the work methodology of their
organisation, and its goal for us.’
The rest of the employees were kept up
to date about the progress of the change
project via a newsletter. The last edition
was recently distributed.
How did staff receive the announced
changes? Klompsma: ‘We really showed
how we would set up our processes in the
future, so people were truly able to
picture this. This often led to enthusiastic
responses such as: “We should have done
that 15 years ago!”’
When there were questions, these were
mostly about plant management.
Vermeule: ‘This is probably because a
large change was introduced. From
now on, plant will be charged through
weekly whereas these were previously
processed in the general costs.’ Van der
Leest clarifies: ‘This is because of the new
desired
situation. Previously, each branch had
its own plant service. Plant management
is now handled by an umbrella plant
service for all of the Infranet group.’
HAND IN gLOVE
Although the ERP solution of 4PS and
Microsoft was favoured as the preferred
solution, it still had to be prove itself by
means of a pilot. The automatisation
steering committee of A.Hakpark saw
the ideal case in A.Hak Drillcon for a
pilot study using 4PS Construct. Drillcon
is a subsidiary that specialises in the
design and construction of all types of
drills for ‘underground’ infrastructure.
An accelerated pilot study was carried
out at Drillcon in October 2012 using
the IST-SOLL model and succeeded
with flying colours. Van der Leest: ‘The
implementation at Drillcon highlighted
its complexity, certainly as a pilot study,
but was relatively simple with respect to
Infranet. After all, it is only one company.
In any case, during the pilot it was clear
that the branch solution that 4PS provided
with Microsoft Dynamics NAV aligned
perfectly with our business. In other words:
it fit hand in glove.’
Based on the positive outcome of the
pilot study, the A.Hakpark automatisation
steering committee decided to roll out the
4PS solution through the entire enterprise
where this was possible. The first company
was A.Hak Infranet because, as we said,
it is the most complex part of A.Hakpark.
Klompsma explains: ‘Infranet consists of
Infranet has a specific place in the large
A.Hakpark group, says Piet Vermeule:
‘We work on the “smaller diameters”
and cables. In particular, we carry out
work for network companies and public
utilities throughout the entire country at
unit prices. For example, connections for
homes and installation of water meters.
We make sure that everyone has gas,
water, and light in their homes. We carry
out all kinds of reconstruction work, e.g.
the laying of pipes at new roundabouts.
We also handle all possible forms of
cable work such as the laying of wires
for public lighting, e.g. at sports fields
and along footpaths. We also install and
manage district heating. Regardless of
whether we install these resources, once
put into commission, we will take care of
certain fault-clearing services to safeguard
continuity.’
TRANSPARENT, EFFICIENT,
AND MANAgEABLE
What internal process preceded the
implementation of 4PS Construct?
Catrinus van der Leest: ‘Our old ERP
software was excellent and from a
financial perspective it was reliable for us
to work with. However, as the years went
on, so much customisation was added
that upgrading to newer versions was no
longer possible. The continued absence of
these essential upgrades meant that the
continuity of the package was increasingly
in danger and with it a significant part of
our business operations.
On the other hand, we wanted our choice
of new ERP solution to also implement
changes in our work processes. So, we
made our central goal clear: we wanted
the primary process to be transparent,
efficient, and manageable. For example, if
you look at the Infranet work activities that
Piet just mentioned, it is crucial to rigidly
manage our costs. Because where do you
easily slide off track? It’s when you deploy
your staff, your materials, and especially
your plant! This is why we wanted more
uniformity at A.Hak Infranet. That is,
uniformity of work method and reporting
as well as respect for the autonomy of the
five different companies within Infranet.’
4PS CONSTRuCT AS STEPPINg STONE FOR
CHANgE MANAgEMENT
The necessary change process was
undertaken seriously and energetically.
Wessel Klompsma: ‘We commissioned a
consultancy to map out the existing and
desired business aspects using the IST-SOLL
model (i.e. “existing-desired” model). We
began with interview sessions to inventory
the existing work processes within the
different parts of the Infranet company
(i.e. the existing situation). Then, in one-
day strategy sessions in February of 2013,
with the different regional and company
managers and Infranet management,
we arrived at an unambiguous, uniform
standard work process for all companies
within Infranet (i.e. the desired situation).
Obviously, our new ERP solution had to
align with this vision.’
In the first stage, people at the company
level had already expressed their
preference for 4PS’s ERP solution.
This is why 4PS was involved in the entire
IST-SOLL project.
In addition, 4PS Construct was also used
as a sort of underlying template. Or, as
Wessel Klompsma put it: ‘4PS Construct
on the one hand served to illustrate the
ERP concept, and, on the other hand,
functioned as a sort of stepping stone to
align everyone on the same path. Because
if you really embrace the ERP concept
then it can’t be the case that everyone
continues to work in their own fashion.’
Van der Leest: ‘That’s it exactly. You first
have to level up all of your processes
before you can even start to think about
implementation! This is why the entire
path, “existing-situation to desired-
situation and then implementation”, will
be carried out after we have rolled out
4PS Construct across the group. Why?
We want people to first be aware of what
they do each day and then think about
possible improvements before we deploy
the ERP. Because although ERP can be a
useful guideline in change management,
ThaT WouLd be a baCk-To-froNT WorLd!
We haNdLe The ‘smaLLer diameTers’ aNd CabLes
Laying gas mains
Traffic control system
Catrinus van der Leest
Wessel klompsma
Piet Vermeule
multiple companies that work on short-
term repeating projects and long-running
projects that can sometimes last for
months. This makes the Infranet situation
quite complex.’
‘There was also the utmost urgency at
Infranet,’ adds Piet Vermeule. ‘A great
deal of information was being maintained
in Excel lists and that situation was
increasingly inconvenient. And there were
all sorts of different work methods. It really
was necessary to introduce uniformity to
our work practices.’
FINE-TuNINg AND IRONINg OuT
WRINKLES
In the months of April and May last year,
different work groups, assisted by 4PS,
drew up work instructions and then the
actual implementation was initiated at the
end of May. At Infranet’s request, some
modifications were made to 4PS Construct,
says Piet Vermeule: ‘Certain aspects of
Infranet activities could not be handled
by any ERP package in any way and that
included the 4PS solution. For example,
Infranet works for about 80 percent of the
time with unit prices where amounts are
charged against units. We looked for and
found a solution together with 4PS.’
We went live on 1 January 2014, which
was just a few weeks ago. Is there
anything to say yet about how it is
working out? Klompsma: ‘We started out
cold. We’ve experienced some start-up
problems, which was to be expected,
but nothing crucial. We also had to get
used to each other. We are sober
pragmatists, solution-oriented, and
very direct. “Keep going” is our motto.
We don’t need the change protocols
as such; well, yes, for the really drastic
modifications. But we got through it all
right. 4PS staff are now working on fine-
tuning and ironing out the wrinkles.’
‘There’s nothing else to say at the
moment,’ explains Piet Vermeule: ‘We still
working on closing 2013’s administration.
It’s only after we’re finished with this task
that we will be able to seriously get going
with 4PS Construct. We are currently in
a sort of transitional phase, a preliminary
project where everyone is getting started,
inputting projects, running projects, and
so on.’
At the same time as the implementation
for A.Hak Infranet, there was also an
implementation of 4PS Construct at
A.Hak materials exploitation in Veendam.
This is the plant service of A.Hak Leiding-
bouw (Pipeline Construction) and A.Hak
International.
FACTS IN A NuTSHELL
COMPANY
A.Hak Infranet
ACTIVITIES
Design, construction, management, and
maintenance of infrastructure, in parti-
cular for Dutch utility companies.
MODuLES
ERP
NuMBER OF SIMuLTANEOuS uSERS
125
OPERATINg SYSTEM
Windows Server 2012
COMPANY PROFILE
A.Hak is part of A.Hakpark, a business
family that provides total solutions
for transport and distribution of
oil, gas, water, electricity, data and
telecommunication traffic, lighting,
and sustainable energy. The companies
operate nationally and internationally
in different sectors: engineering,
construction, commissioning,
management, inspection, maintenance
and dismantling of underground and
above-ground pipe and cable networks.
Other activities include all types of drills,
well-point drainage and coating of
conduits, as well as supplying complete
systems for heat and cold storage.
For this purpose, A.Hakpark also
manufactures the required installations,
machinery, masts, and portals. The
group is an international leader in the
field of large pipelines (up to 2m ø),
has 3,000 employees of which 2,250
are in full-time employment, and has
branches across the globe. Subsidiary
A.Hak Infranet handles the ‘smaller
diameters’ and cable work, in particular
for the Dutch network and utility
companies.
This company also went live with
4PS Construct on 6 January and the
implementation went well without any
problems worth mentioning. The big
difference with A.Hak Infranet was that
the processes were already in place
and change management was limited
to having a different application with
different screens.
PHASED ExPANSION
In addition to the 4PS Construct
implementation, many more improvements
were carried out in the ICT area,
including the optimisation of the entire
ICT infrastructure. According to Catrinus
van der Leest, one thing is clear as day:
‘Incorporating change management
throughout the entire process was an
excellent move. We repeatedly asked the
same questions: What is the situation
now? Why do we do it this way? Can
it be improved? This worked out really
positively. Not least because of how
unbelievably well we were supported in
this task by all of management.’
What are the next steps? Van der Leest:
‘Once we have implemented Infranet, we
will actually have covered all aspects of our
construction process: unit prices, contract
price, work preparation, and purchasing.
I’m not saying that the rest doesn’t matter,
just that it will be a lot simpler. In any
case, the A.Hak companies Electron and
Tjaden will be rolled out in 2014. And
this year we will upgrade the 4PS Projects
Portal to include Document Management
and Invoice Scanning. I’m convinced this
last item especially will bring about an
enormous efficiency win.’
Piet Vermeule also mentioned the
implementation of 4PS Mobile, for which
the entire infrastructure is now in place
and which will be up and running in the
coming months. But it will not be hurried:
‘Of course it has to be manageable, so we
will upgrade in phases and at a sensible
pace.’
We Looked for aNd fouNd soLuTioNs TogeTher WiTh 4Ps
WhaT are The NexT sTePs?
underground cables – maasvlakte
Welding on the district heating