Five years after implementing SAP system with BCC support, the foundry in Śrem won the most prestigious IT competition organized by the Computerworld weekly, titled ”Recognition of achievements made thanks to IT technologies.”
Odlewnia Żeliwa Śrem (Iron Foundry) SA is a leading plant in metallurgy and one of the biggest iron foundries in Poland. It produces about 50,000 tons of castings yearly (mainly engine castings for shipbuilding, automotive industry and agriculture). About half of the production is exported (Germany, Holland, Italy, France, Great Britain, Scandinavia).
The Computerworld wrote: ”The large and complicated SAP system implementation in the foundry, in spite of difficulties, or maybe thanks to them and their skillful solution, has become a model for numerous subsequent implementations of integrated systems in inudstry.”
Stefan Włodarczyk, the foundry chairman, estimates: ”A few years after the implementation we can say: it was worth investing our time and money. Nowadays practically every planning decision is taken on the basis of the data taken from SAP. The system helps in everyday work and defining strategic directions of company development.
Michał Michalski, during the SAP implementation manager of work team for production planning, and now manager of production planning department, points out: ”The value of an IT solution is defined by the manner of its use in business. We work on the best use of SAP not only during the implementation, but also during other business projects, conducted later also in cooperation with BCC. Thus we have worked out an efficient procedure of taking decisions concerning what and when to produce, whom to sell and at what price”.
Danuta Glanc, the foundry’s financial director, marks: ”The new system was started thanks to a big effort of some dozens people from the foundry and deep commitment of BCC employees. SAP implementation was technological innovation which marked a new stage in management practice, and working on maintenance and increasing sales profitability has become part of our organizational culture. Thanks to that we can make corrections quicker, immediately when we notice a negative signal.”
The manager of 1st stage of SAP implementation for BCC was Bartłomiej Buszczak, now BCC managing director. ”Due to the scale and scope of the project, the implementation in the foundry was one of the most difficult in BCC history. Its success shows why an ERP system is implemented and what can be achieved with it. The employees of Odlewnia Śrem, thanks to their determination and consistency in using SAP system, made the foundry a model for others to follow.”
The title of an IT leader of 2005 is a next prize granted to the foundry in Śrem for SAP implementation. In January 2004, in a competition organized among industrial analysts (ex. from IDC Group and DiS remarket search group) and IT experts by the Nowy Przemysł monthly, the project was considered to be one of the most innovative projects of this type in Polish industry in recent years.