Low costs, higher data quality and better security with new HR masterdata system

Wallenius Wilhelmsen used to have a complicated and costly employee data solution. Poor data quality, security failings and an inadequate basis for decision making meant that replacing the employee data system came high on management’s agenda.

With IT tools from CatalystOne, the company had already implemented support for various HR processes. CatalystOne HR Masterdata, which already met Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s requirements specification, was therefore the natural choice.

When Wallenius Wilhelmsen implemented more modern IT tools from CatalystOne to manage its strategic HR processes, important core data was imported from a large, global personnel data system.

“It became too costly and inefficient to operate and maintain systems from multiple vendors, and we didn’t need the complicated solution we used to use,” explains Terje Bakken, Manager of Global HR Systems and Processes.

“HR Masterdata from CatalystOne has given us a less costly and more user-friendly system”, says Terje Bakken, Manager of Global HR Systems and Processes at Wallenius Wilhelmsen.

“At the outset, this initiative was IT and cost driven, but with a good partnership between IT and HR both centrally and locally, we succeeded in delivering what the organisation expected.”

Strengthened important strategic processes

It was natural for Wallenius Wilhelmsen to approach CatalystOne to help it integrate additional HR processes and create a more cost-effective solution.

“We had already developed a constructive and worthwhile collaboration with CatalystOne in connection with our “People Performance” project,” Bakken explains.

“Implementing IT tools which support our performance management and talent development processes was key to our efforts to strengthen the company’s performance culture.”

Simpler HR – major benefits

Wallenius Wilhelmsen took a systematic approach to defining its requirements for a new employee data system that would be implemented throughout the entire organisation. In the course of four months, all the information was transferred to the new system from CatalystOne. Wallenius Wilhelmsen is a leading international logistics company, and derives major benefits from having well-organised and standardised logistics processes.

The major benefits:

• high data quality – saves time, keeps users satisfied and reduces risk
• lower costs – fewer systems, as well as lower licence costs
• high level of security – better licence and access controls
• good opportunities for analysis – basis for decision making, saves manual work
• extremely flexible – self-adjusting, saves on expensive consultants

Integration platform

“We have now got a system with a simple and recognisable user interface, where each employee can maintain his or her own personal data. At the same time, it is less costly and easier for the system administrator to make changes,” Bakken points out.

“Maintenance is also easy, and we find that there are fewer sources of error. The quality of the data is quite simply better. CatalystOne’s solution is also an integration platform for employee data,” he says.

“Employees, managers and HR staff all use a simple and intuitive system, where everyone can update basic personal details, which are then automatically transferred to other systems. HRIS has now become our ‘single source of entry’ for employee data. In other words, we have established a simple, practical solution for HR master data.”