Flowserve
Flowserve is one of Holland's market leaders in the production of industrial pumps, valves and seals. Flowserve uses its products to pump - what are often dangerous fluids through the petrochemical and power industry's pipelines. "Flowserve can be important wherever fluids flow," according to Corien Koolen, ICT Manager of the Flowserve Shared Service Center (FSSC). An internationally listed, American-headquartered company, the organisation has over 13,000 employees, based in 56 countries, with an annual turnover of some 2.4 billion dollars (2003).
“Flowserve Shared Service Center improves IT performance after internal review with the assistance of SCC.”
The Flowserve Shared Service Center (FSSC) is responsible for central IT management for the EMEA region, involving over 3000 users in 65 branches speaking 11 different languages. It also handles purchasing and the distribution of PCs for the whole of the EMEA region.
Mergers and acquisitions have accelerated growth at Flowserve, with the last major deal involving over 5,000 new employees with a significant knock on effect for the FCCS. At this point, Flowserve recognised it needed a streamlined IT distribution model.
Flowserve Shared Service Center improves IT performance after internal review with the assistance of SCC.
Because the Flowserve organization was growing, the number of users, platforms and brands in the IT environment was also expanding, making the IT environment increasingly complex, whilst the number of FSSC employees actually remained the same.
As a result, user dissatisfaction was growing and costs were rising. The purchase of PCs was managed manually with the consequential impact of human error affecting efficiency. Having received individual PCs, the FSSC installed a basic application package before the PC was sent on to its final destination. At this point, software-specific applications were added to the PC making it user-ready.
Flowserve wanted to streamline its logistics and IT management model in order to both reduce costs and improve user satisfaction with minimum investment. It was agreed that three processes could be significantly improved: purchasing, the logistics model and the central software distribution. The result of doing this enabled the FSSC to improve its service levels and remove manual processes.
Today, the 65 EMEA branches order their PCs direct from SCC, choosing from a pre-agreed portfolio using the webtool ‘Info'Shop'. A basic image is added to the PC by SCC, before it is delivered to its final location. When connected to the Flowserve network, the PC is automatically identified by its serial number. SCC's software distribution server sends additional regional-specific software to the PC for a fully automated installation and the PC is further adapted locally, if required.
Flowserve has saved time and money on purchasing, logistics and central software distribution. The new imaging process alone will result in savings of over 500,000 euros during the next three years.
"Now the logistics process has been properly implemented we are able to comply with our internal service level agreements for the delivery of workstations. Our current PC resources are being distributed efficiently and effectively, the IT environment is easier to manage and each individual PC has relevant user-ready content on it."
"The number of erroneous orders placed has decreased, completion time is faster and more reliable, whilst delivery time and stock management has significantly improved. In the near future, we will transfer to the webtool ‘Lifecycle Online'. We will then be able to create real time reports, measuring our result".
Corien Koolen, ICT Mananger.
“Streamlining our procurement and distribution model with SCC's assistance has maximised the value of our IT assets, whilst minimising maintenance costs. It's a highly successful model that is also expected to be rolled out in the US. ”ICT Manager, Flowserve
