Ready for growth – that’s Hanab Germany. We spoke with Maarten van Eijzeren, its Finance Director. What opportunities does Hanab see in Germany? How is it keeping up with rapid growth? And how has it built a solid foundation with a new ERP system?
Hanab was formed last year through the merger of six construction and installation companies working in the fields of energy, technology, and connectivity. As Hanab puts it: a new company with 150 years of history. With a strong base in the Netherlands and an international scope, it is the partner of choice in a world that is constantly evolving. Hanab is working towards a sustainable future. Hanab Germany, the German branch of the company, is a fast-growing and promising division with 140 employees working on connectivity in Germany.
What does that mean? Maarten explains: “Connectivity covers everything: from laying fibre-optic networks, monitoring them and resolving outages on behalf of telecom companies, to providing mobile networks.”
He continues: “Did you know that in Germany only 40% of households have a good internet connection? In the Netherlands, that figure is 85%. This shows there is still a lot of work to be done. Important work too, because the German economy is eager to accelerate digitalisation to drive further innovation.”
That is exactly what Hanab Germany brings to the table: using the experience already gained in the Netherlands, it can offer smart solutions in Germany. Maarten: “For example, the steps we’ve taken in the Netherlands with proactive telecoms network monitoring – instead of reactively fixing faults – we apply straight away in Germany. That sets us apart.”
Still, the Dutch approach cannot be copied one-to-one to Germany. A fibre-optic roll-out project works quite differently there. Maarten adds, “The permit process in Germany takes much longer. What’s more, it all has to be done on paper, as very little is digital with German authorities.”
All the more reason to push hard for digitalisation.
Maarten goes on: “There are also cultural differences you need to take into account to work together successfully. Think of the well-known hierarchy and formal ways of addressing people; as a Dutch person, that takes some getting used to. It’s important that we adapt.”
That’s why Hanab opened an office in Oberhausen, Maarten explains: “We’ve hired many German colleagues. The working language is German, even for Dutch team members. That works very well. Another language and culture also make the job more enjoyable and challenging.”
To keep up with fast growth, it’s important to have business processes under control.
Maarten sums it up neatly: “When I’m driving on the motorway, I don’t want to rely only on my rear-view mirror. I want to look ahead. It’s the same with managing the business.”
It was high time for a modern ERP system. Other Hanab divisions had recently implemented the cloud-based ERP system 4PS. Maarten: “When it turned out that 4PS could also handle German laws and regulations, the choice was quickly made. Emixa soon came into the picture as our implementation partner, having already successfully guided five other Hanab companies.”
This enabled Hanab Germany to make big strides quickly. Processes and system setups from other divisions were used as best practices. The company was able to make quick decisions on processes, the system, and organisation. Maarten: “These best practices provided a good guideline. That freed up time for us to focus on complying with German laws and regulations.”
In addition to the knowledge and expertise that Emixa brought in, the consultants’ mindset was also valued. Maarten: “You understood that we are a project-based organisation and that our projects for clients always come first, especially within a relatively small team like ours. Sometimes that meant giving priority to a project and delaying decisions. And sometimes it meant working late and ordering pizzas. It really felt like we tackled this together.”
In line with Emixa’s shoulder-to-shoulder approach, Hanab Germany’s key users delivered the training to the 80 colleagues who would be working with the new system. An important step, since peer-to-peer training boosts the adoption of a new system. Maarten: “The key users were supported by Emixa’s team, which coordinated all training sessions and delivered a train-the-trainer programme. Why do you need to start with a proper introduction? How do you stand confidently in front of a group?”
Maarten continues: “Our people deserve huge credit. They stepped outside their comfort zones and, alongside their regular work, dedicated many hours and a lot of effort to this project.”
In May – after just 6 months – Hanab Germany went live: a record. The company now has complete insight into its projects: from project initiation to hours worked, and from final costing to material costs. This information is valuable not only for the finance department but especially for project managers. Maarten: “Whereas they used to have a monthly meeting with finance, project managers now have a dashboard with real-time insight into their projects. This should result in smarter use of our people, better control of material costs, and sharper project costings.”
In short, Hanab Germany is ready to make strides and accelerate digital transformation in Germany.
“It’s great to hear how Maarten experienced this project and that he’s already seeing so many positive results so soon after go-live. For our team, it was certainly a challenging journey, also because not everyone spoke German fluently at the start. Luckily, everyone saw that as an opportunity to learn and grow. That makes me proud!”