ORTEC Case INFRABEL
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Infrabel, the Belgian rail infrastructure manager, sought a new workforce scheduling solution due to complex regulations and an aging workforce. By implementing Ortec Workforce Scheduling, Infrabel improved workload distribution, reduced scheduling errors, and integrated employee preferences alongside regulatory compliance. The new system has enhanced productivity and employee satisfaction while providing better insights into workforce management.
ORTEC Case INFRABEL
- 1. Complex regulations and an aging workforce led Infrabel, the owner and overseer of Belgium’s rail infrastructure, to look for a new planning and scheduling solution. The optimal scheduling and assignment of personnel was a vital necessity which could not be attainted using the company’s former tools and process. Infrabel chose to implement ORTEC Workforce Scheduling and was able to allocate the workload more evenly for over 3,500 traffic control employees stationed in signalling boxes and traffic control centers. Casesheet Challenges in the world of Infrabel The schedule of 3,500 employees stationed in 340 signalling boxes was drawn up by hand by 52 planners working from 13 locations. This situation was no longer tenable, as complex labor regulations inevitably caused mistakes resulting in sub-optimal planning. Sixty per cent of the company’s personnel will reach retirement age in the next ten years and will leave the company in the near future. Planners had to form blended teams in order to ensure that the knowledge and experience at each work location could be shared. All of the relevant knowledge was stored in planners’ heads. A tool was needed to keep schedules more accessible, clear and manageable for everyone. A number of complex health and safety regulations must be taken into consideration when drawing up schedules. Social requirements stipulate that the workload has to be evenly distributed over all employees. Infrabel also wanted to introduce the principle of ‘healthy scheduling – healthy employees.’ How Infrabel aimed to optimize its world With ORTEC Workforce Scheduling, Infrabel purposely chose a system that was not only capable of taking complex regulations into consideration, but could also cater to employee preferences. Scheduling, time recording and cost allocation is now an integrated process at Infrabel. On the one hand, employee master data with relevant training information and safety requirements, is automatically updated in ORTEC Workforce Scheduling using an integration with Infrabel’s SAP ERP system. On the other, ORTEC Workforce Scheduling calculates costs per cost center and automatically transfers them to SAP for payroll and review purposes. The company uses our solution’s Budget & Control and Employee Self-service modules. Industry Professional and public services About Infrabel Infrabel is the Belgian rail infra- structure administrator. Total number of employees: 12,564 177 signalling boxes Signal and traffic control staff work in shifts of 3 times 8 hours, 7 days on and 7 days off Infrabel Insights shown by this tool can mean so much for your company “This tool can do so much more than you think” Lucien De Keersmaeker
- 2. The solution ORTEC Workforce Scheduling The results + Optimal distribution of the work load + Less scheduling errors + Better implementation and monitoring of the complex HR regulations + More efficient scheduling process + Increased productivity + Increased customer and stakeholder satisfaction + Improved insight into the schedule + Ability to track who attended which training courses and when + Policy making is supported by improved access to information + Balanced teams of experienced and less experienced employees Scheduling structure ORTEC Workforce Scheduling takes workload constraints, as well as organizational and staffing needs into account to build a shift schedule per location. After the tasks have been performed and recorded in the solution, the model determining staffing levels can be adjusted as needed to improve the overall plan. Infrabel Manager Lucien De Keersmaeker says: “Thanks to ORTEC, we can constantly improve our schedule. Now, supply and demand are optimally balanced.” Objective scheduling With the introduction of ORTEC Workforce Scheduling, Infrabel can not only create optimal work schedules, but also accommodate employee preferences. “We now have a wonderful tool to support planners and to make their work much easier”, De Keersmaeker states. The company is very pleased with the system. “It’s great that we can optimally assign our personnel and increase our productivity. But one of the most important reasons driving this change has been to improve our employees’ satisfaction. ORTEC Workforce Scheduling does not only take very complex regulations into consideration; it also accounts for employees’ preferences and distributes the workload evenly. We can adequately react to ad hoc disruptions with the insight that we now have into our staff’s schedule. In addition, ORTEC Workforce Scheduling enables us to draw up an objective schedule.” Safety and Situational Knowledge Lucien De Keersmaeker adds: “ORTEC Workforce Scheduling truly offers the right support to planners to help them draw up a schedule and adjust it to deal with unexpected disruptions. It is immediately apparent who is available and who has the right competencies (and has completed the right training) with the new system, which is extremely important to Infrabel.” Management analyses “This tool can do so much more than you think”, says Lucien De Keersmaeker. “It allows for management analysis, gives us more insight, and makes corrections along the way as it analyzes trends.’ Want to learn more about our solutions? Contact us at: info@ortec.com www.ortec.com