Hot Market
The company focuses on customers within both the offshore and process industries. The market is currently very hot on the offshore side, where Grenland offers engineering, fabrication, installation and maintenance. In many ways, the company is similar to a “mini Aker Kværner”, although nobody at Grenland Group would use that exact expression. “We believe there is room in the offshore industry for medium-sized players and we have huge ambitions for growth. In future, growth in itself will not be the only important factor. We are also investing in increased technology and engineering content in our deliveries, which will provide us with higher value creation and better margins. The control options in IFS Applications will also better equip us to compete for larger integrated contracts,” says Brekka. Possible examples include EPCI contracts (Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation).
Industry Knowledge
During late fall 2005, Grenland Group focused seriously on the need for a comprehensive new business system. After having evaluated twelve different ERP suppliers, Grenland Group finally signed a contract with IFS just before Christmas 2005. “We placed a strong emphasis on IFS’ industry knowledge. IFS has completed several deliveries to companies similar to Grenland Group. The company’s financial stability and long history in the market also played a part,” says Børre Frisch.
Common Standards
Grenland Group has chosen to run standard solutions in IFS Applications. “We had several different, fragmented systems due to growth and takeovers. Therefore, we wanted a new, common standard, building our common procedures around these,” says Frisch. Brekka adds: “Overall within the group, projects form the core of our activities. By making the processes as uniform as possible, we lay the groundwork for good management of resources and resource optimization. At the same time, we get aggregated information at a group level regarding financial development, including, for example, liquidity tied to individual projects.”
Phased Implementation
The company plans to introduce IFS Applications in three phases. Phase one consists of the finance module and associated modules, such as projects, purchasing, warehousing and hours. Phase two includes engineering, human resource maangement and CRM, whereas phase three focuses on fabrication, logistics and process flow. “We are planning for up to 40–70 employees to have full versions, whereas the others will use portal solutions. Once the project is complete in autumn 2007, 400–450 employees will probably be daily users.” Grenland Group has also set concrete goals linked to the introduction of IFS Applications. “Our aim is for the investment to provide us with savings, generated through synergies in administration, individual procedures, reuse of data, etc. But the most important thing is that the business system will provide us with a reliable framework for making decisions—and that the system will support us in our continued growth,” says Magnar Brekka.
About Greenland Group
Grenland Group is a full-service engineering, procurement and construction company aiming to strengthen the business of its clients. Grenland Group has clients in the global market within the oil and gas industry, as well as within the landbased industry. Grenland Group has approximately 950 employees working with the development of their products and services.
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