The HAI Group
Hammerer Aluminium Industries employs 2,100 people. Founded in 2007, the company is headquartered in Ranshofen, Upper Austria, with eight other locations in Germany, Romania, Poland, and South Korea. The high-quality aluminum solutions of the HAI Group can be found in the construction sector as well as in automotive and transport technology, electrical engineering and mechanical and plant engineering.
Digital HAIway: Aluminum Expert Invests in Digital Processes Along the Value Chain
In 2022, Hammerer Aluminium Industries launched a large-scale digitalization initiative, investing around €20 million in processes across the entire value chain.
“We see digitalization as an opportunity to maintain product quality and processes at an excellent level. On the other hand, we are focused on reducing the workload for our employees—digital processes offer great potential in creating attractive workplaces. However, people are at the heart of all digital projects and digitalization should serve them,” explains CEO Rob van Gils, outlining HAI’s motivations.
“We see digitalization as an opportunity to maintain product quality and processes at an excellent level.”
Rob van Gils, CEO Hammerer Aluminium Industries
Multi-Project Management: A Fast Pace is Required in a Highly Dynamic Industry
“Our digitalisation offensive is intended to enable even more targeted, better work in all areas. We are driving the project modules forward with this mission,” adds CDO Hermann Kaineder.
The goal is to have everything on track within just four years from the project start. The parallel introduction of extensive system solutions, affecting all business areas from data analysis to production, must be coordinated and aligned. Overall, the digitalization program consists of over 70 projects, some of which are to be implemented in stages, while others are rolled out simultaneously across different locations.
HAI-Level Upgrade: Ensuring Unified Processes for the Entire Corporate Group
“The transition of our ERP system to the latest SAP version, S/4Hana, alone will be completed in 20 sub-projects,” explains Barbara Kohlbacher, Program Officer for the Digital HAIway. “In addition to our headquarters in Ranshofen, Austria, there are eight other locations in Germany, Romania, Poland, and South Korea. Before the new SAP version can be rolled out, all locations must first be brought to the same level. This harmonization measure involves aligning and optimizing most of the company’s SAP processes and workflows.”
Whoever is in the driver’s seat for such an initiative needs a clear head and a good overview. “We were looking for a tool that would enable us to manage all these projects simultaneously. And we found it with Projectworx.”
Requirements Engineering: Structured Implementation of SIGNAVIO Processes
In designing the new business processes, HAI follows SAP-recommended best practices. “In an internationally operating company like ours, which has grown since 2007, these recommendations can’t simply be adopted one-to-one. Since each adjustment, each change request, involves additional expenses that are not always covered by the standard budget, this also requires an organized process,” explains Kohlbacher.
Shortly after the introduction of Projectworx in July 2023, the project management software proved to be a fortunate choice. “We continue to discover use cases beyond regular project work and benefit from excellent consulting,” says Kohlbacher. “We use Projectworx’s task management not only for collaboration and project execution but also for requirements engineering, among other things.”
Change Requests: Simplified Specification of RICEFW Requirements
The acronym RICEFW is used in the introduction of enterprise software—specifically in relation to requirements that can’t simply be achieved through configuration but must be separately specified or even developed. It ensures that no important aspect is forgotten across the categories of Reports – Interfaces – Conversions – Enhancements – Forms – Workflow.
“The tremendous adaptability of Projectworx benefited us here,” reveals Kohlbacher. “We manage RICEFWs entirely through task management, including multiple approval stages. Thanks to a simple workflow, the task is passed on – always to the right person.”
The RICEFW Workflow at HAI
- The categorization of the RICEFW requirement is done via customized fields in the respective task. All relevant information, such as cost estimates and effort in person-days, is documented.
- After justification of the requirement and a rough estimate of the effort involved, the first approval stage takes place
- If the RICEFW is approved for specification, sub-tasks are created to ensure process flows. The responsible editors of the individual sub-tasks are tied to the status. Depending on the status, the system automatically switches the editor for the respective sub-tasks, which change status again upon completion. The task continues this way until the specification is complete.
- The RICEFW is then submitted for management approval. Every decision is documented with automatically generated notes. Who approved the change request at what time with what effort estimate? If the task is downgraded or rejected, a justification must also be provided.
Custom Fields for Each Task Type
By selecting the task type “RICEFW,” all necessary description and categorization fields are immediately available when creating the task. HAI also works with graduated editing rights for individual fields. This ensures that descriptions of certain tasks cannot be edited or deleted.
Role Change Linked to Status
Each status in the “RICEFW” task type is standardly linked to a project role, through which the task is automatically assigned to the appropriate handler in the current project.
Documented Decisions & Approvals
In the first approval stage, consent for the detailed specification is obtained. Once the status is changed to “to be approved for spec.,” the task appears on the decision maker’s dashboard. Every decision is automatically recorded in the task’s comments, including the effort estimate. If the task is rejected or postponed, a justification must also be provided.
Automated creation of sub-tasks for specification.
When the task is approved for specification, two sub-tasks for functional and technical specifications are immediately created and assigned to the respective handlers according to their roles. Once the sub-tasks are marked as completed, a notification is sent to the project manager. The project manager then decides whether all information is complete and updates the status to “spec. finalized.” In the management dashboard, all tasks awaiting approval for implementation are collected.
“We appreciate the 100% solution-oriented approach of our contact persons at Projectworx. The ‘can-do’ mentality not only enabled the rapid implementation of the software but also the customization of the tool to meet our individual needs. We skipped the storming and norming phases and went straight into performing.”
Barbara Kohlbacher, Program Officer for the Digital HAIway, Hammerer Aluminium Industries
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