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Ferrovial lays the tracks for rapid international expansion with SAP and IBM
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
Applicable Industries
- Construction & Infrastructure
Applicable Functions
- Discrete Manufacturing
- Business Operation
Use Cases
- Manufacturing System Automation
- Remote Collaboration
Services
- Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
The Challenge
Ferrovial, a leading infrastructure operator based in Madrid, Spain, was keen to expand its construction business internationally. However, the company's existing systems were inflexible, non-scalable, and highly customized, making it difficult to adapt to the diverse requirements of operating in multiple countries. The company lacked online integration, centralization, a shared and corporate-wide view of business information, and the capability to adjust to challenging requirements coming from multiple locations. Employees performed manual calculations that were slow and error-prone, and did not offer an accurate view of the business. This decentralized way of working and the use of obsolete technology prevented Ferrovial from growing faster and joining forces with suppliers and subsidiaries when embarking on international construction projects.
About The Customer
Ferrovial is a leading infrastructure operator headquartered in Madrid, Spain. The company manages four key business lines: offering urban and environmental services, operating motorways, constructing civil engineering and industrial structures, and building airports. In total, the company employs approximately 69,000 people and operates in more than 25 countries. Ferrovial is keen to grow its construction business internationally to boost revenues, pursue new commercial opportunities and sharpen its competitive advantage. However, the company found that expanding into new geographies presented a fresh set of challenges. To grow its business internationally, Ferrovial must be able to adjust rapidly to the different requirements – whether they be legal, fiscal or environmental – as well as consider the cultural and linguistic diversity of each country in which it operates.
The Solution
Ferrovial teamed up with IBM Global Business Services to implement inSite, a bespoke, highly innovative business process management solution based on SAP applications. The new solution is based almost entirely on SAP ERP software – with modules for sales and distribution, material management, financial accounting and controlling, project system, human resources, and SAP NetWeaver technology. It allows approximately 1,300 users at Ferrovial – including high-profile executives – to manage a complex and diversified landscape of operations, from finance and human resources to procurement, budgeting and planning. The IBM project teams also used SAP Web Dynpro technology to develop the front end of the inSite solution, which needed to be flexible and user-friendly in order for site managers to be able to easily leverage the system.
Operational Impact
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