deugro group: Raising QHSES Performance to New Levels

Case study at-a-glance

Digital Transformation: Raising logistics QHSES performance to new levels. Going from paper-driven manual processes to a modern SAI360 EHS&S platform

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BACKGROUND

The deugro group comprises four independent companies focused on project freight forwarding, ocean transportation of heavy-lift and project cargo, transport and marine engineering, and heavy haulage equipment management. deugro group originates from deugro, which was the name of the first company founded in 1924 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Today, deugro group continues to be a family-owned enterprise with a strong financial foundation and a global, flexible and diversified network with local knowledge and experience redefining industry standards.

deugro group, headquartered in Pfäffikon, Switzerland, operates in over 40 countries and 70 offices worldwide and trains and operates according to the Highest Quality, Safety, Environmental, and Security (QHSES) and compliance standards. The group’s philosophy is to exceed clients’ specific needs with unique solutions and deliver with the highest standards.

THE CHALLENGE

deugro group’s top priority is delivering first-class services safely to clients and stakeholders worldwide by integrating the highest standards in quality, health, safety, environment, security and compliance in their operations. However, with such complex global operations and high operating standards, managing the environment, health, and safety risk and complying with country-specific regulations with a manual risk-based approach was challenging and impacted performance.

Many organizations across sectors face the challenge of meeting clients’ high expectations with the task of using paper-based manual processes or an inflexible system built in-house. Daniel Arndt, deugro group’s Head of Global QHSES, recalls the key reason for searching out a digital solution. “We were still very paper-driven,” said Arndt.

Managing incidents in a high-hazard environment illustrates the cumbersome nature of using manual and paper-driven processes to report incidents. For deugro group, the person reporting the incident would first track down the correct form, fill it out, and sign it. Then, someone else enters the incident report into a manual paper system and stores the information on a server for review.

Working with a paper-driven manual process can be challenging for a small company. However, with a global company such as deugro group, it is nearly impossible and certainly not sustainable over time.

Management searched for new approaches and turned to digitalization to unlock new levels of QHSES delivery while creating additional business value for the organization. As a result, deugro group conducted a search to modernize their QHSES processes and chose SAI360’s Smart EHS, Sustainability and ESG Software with a universal native mobile app. The configurability of the SAI360 solutions matched deugro group’s strategic objective and business processes roadmap. The configuration option allows organizations to take a phased approach by starting with the most immediate needs and scale up as the business grows.

THE SOLUTION

SAI360’s software solution is highly flexible with over 25+ pre-configured modules that are configurable and can be expanded as the business grows and matures. It is simple to use and easy to access anytime, anywhere, for maximum participation in all EHS, ESG and Sustainability programs.

The system’s configurability allowed deugro group to scale with ease and take control of their QHSES processes, goals and outcomes by deploying only the needed modules, enabling flexibility to expand later as required. deugro group currently utilizes four SAI360 EHS and Sustainability (EHS&S) modules: Incident Management, Audit Management, Metrics Management, and Obligations Management.

THE RESULTS

SAI360’s EHS&S modules transformed deugro group’s QHSES operations. They experienced a 66 percent reduction in the time it took to report an incident and cut it down to only five minutes per case. It also eliminated redundant double data entry from the procedural aspects of managing an incident, conducting an audit, managing obligations and performance reporting.

On the audit management system side, digital technology enabled increased visibility globally into the QHSES processes. This made it easier for everyone, including external auditors, to inspect. According to Arndt, one of the most remarkable aspects of using SAI360 is visibility.

“Our audits are now easily viewable by internal auditors, external auditors, business stakeholders, or anyone provided with access to view. Before, stakeholders managed audits in different silos with a lot of disconnects.”

– Daniel Arndt, deugro group’s Head of Global QHSES

The self-service data analytics capability of the SAI360 EHS&S platform allows different users from every department of deugro group to examine the information in a way that works for them. For example, the Quality Manager can visualize the data one way, while the Health and Safety Manager views performance data from their perspective. In addition, thanks to personalized views and permission-based roles, employees can use the software for individual needs or collaborative tasks.

DEUGRO GROUP STREAMLINES AUDIT PROCESS

Audits require a global effort at deugro group. Audits are first recorded to a central database. They’re tracked for non-conformances and on-the-go data capture across worldwide operations. Audits are used for compliance, while findings aid performance improvements.

INCIDENT MANAGEMENT

Automates the process of capturing, tracking, and reporting of incidents and near misses. Both can be documented online or offline using a native mobile app. Incident Management integrates with Injuries, Investigation, Root Cause Analysis and Lessons Learned elements.

AUDIT MANAGEMENT

Supports the Plan-Do-Check-Act methodology that ensures early identification of operational risk. Assess compliance and monitor performance against management, policies, obligations, and regulations. Track nonconformance and on-the-go data capture with Roam.

OBLIGATION MANAGEMENT

Ensure regulatory compliance to avoid penalties and fines. Automate and simplify the compliance process. Assign owners and action plans with triggers such as emails, escalations, and reports to ensure that compliance stays on track and deadlines are met.

METRICS MANAGEMENT

Manage data collection, reporting, and analysis required for environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance metrics. Capture disparate data points across operations. Validate collected data for accuracy and record to a centralized system. Disclose ESG and sustainability numbers with confidence.

DEUGRO GROUP FOCUSES ON ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND IS AN ISO 14001-CERTIFIED ORGANIZATION.

To comply with this standard, deugro group uses SAI360’s Metrics Management module to maximize regulatory reporting efficiency and minimize environmental impact. Our Metrics Management module also enables deugro group to streamline data collection report on scope 1 and 2
carbon emissions goals, and improve the performance of key metrics such as energy consumption, heating and cooling, and waste management.

SAI360 AND DEUGRO GROUP, AN IDEAL PARTNERSHIP
Arndt believes in the partnership between deugro group and SAI360. He is proud of the progress made and sees SAI360 as the ideal partner for where the company wants to go.

That strategic objective is all about the triple bottom line: people, profits, and the planet. The goal is to ensure
employees and stakeholders return home safe and sound. SAI360 EHS&S modules streamline processes, empower users, and enable every incident, audit, and metric to be measurable and accountable.

Efficiencies free up staff time and resources to focus on projects that help the company achieve its goals, which include progress toward reducing scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions.

“…when we looked around and compared different solutions, SAI360’s comprehensive modular system approach and solution configurability were precisely what we needed as we continued to grow and mature as a business, which gave us a lot of confidence in SAI360. The modular approach was going to make it possible for us to do a phased approach by starting only with our most immediate needs and adding on later or stripping off what we do not need but keeping the core running.”

-Danile Arndt on why deugro group chose SAI360.

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