Digital transformation at HTM
HTM Personenvervoer NV (HTM), responsible for transporting more than 800,000 passengers in and around The Hague, is at the heart of a sector that is under constant pressure from changing regulations and high customer expectations. With a consistent customer rating of 7.9 in the 2024 Public Transport Customer Barometer, HTM has confirmed its status as the best-performing urban transport operator in the Netherlands since 2018. This strong passenger rating underlines HTM's ambition to continuously improve not only its services, but also the way the organisation operates internally.
To prepare for a future of increasing regulation and changing passenger expectations, HTM launched a large-scale IT transformation in 2021. This reorientation focused on analysing internal processes, renewing infrastructure and modernising the application landscape.
Business Challenges
Within the new digital transformation process, it quickly became clear that the existing IT structure was insufficiently future-proof. For years, the application landscape had been shaped by a “buy-over-build” strategy, resulting in countless separate SaaS solutions operating side by side. The lack of central control led to confusing processes, limited integration options and risks in terms of security and compliance. At the same time, outdated development methods using technologies such as C# and Visual Basic significantly slowed down the turnaround time for new software, leading to a growing IT backlog. As a result, departments started to deploy digital tools themselves, without consulting IT. This led to duplicate systems, higher costs and fragmented management. In addition, collaboration between IT and business became fragmented, resulting in employees receiving insufficient support in their daily work.
To change this, Marco Stevens, Manager Business IT Platforms, spearheaded a new DevOps approach. Eight multidisciplinary teams were given responsibility for both vehicle infrastructure and essential back-office systems. To explore the potential of low-code, three proof-of-concepts were launched with Mendix. One of these initiatives focused on a recognisable bottleneck: in the event of disruptions, field staff only received information after passengers had already been informed via digital channels. This situation highlighted the lack of internal information provision. Employees were dependent on manual updates via notice boards or SharePoint, which resulted in delayed and sometimes incomplete communication. The urgency was clear.
Keys to success
Under the leadership of its new CIO, Paul van den Heuvel, HTM initiated a strategic transformation focused on agility, innovation, and technological renewal. As part of this strategy, the organisation switched to agile working and implemented modern DevOps standards. To accelerate processes and develop more efficiently, HTM opted for a low-code approach.
After thorough market research, HTM selected the Mendix platform based on criteria such as scalability, cost efficiency, advanced integration capabilities, and strategic alignment with the Siemens ecosystem. To implement and secure this new approach, a strategic partnership with Emixa was chosen.
As an experienced Mendix partner, Emixa made an integral contribution to the successful adoption of the platform. The collaboration focused on designing a future-proof architecture, training and guiding internal development teams, and embedding software quality through reusable components and proven development standards. This structured approach enabled HTM to scale up its low-code capacity while maintaining control, technical stability, and knowledge within its own organisation.
Results
The first applications were implemented in a short period of time and formed the basis for a broader transformation. One of the first successful projects was the development of MyHTM, an internal platform for employees, which is now used daily by almost all 2,400 employees. This application grew into a central hub with nearly thirty modules for things like internal communication, HR information, workplace reservations, and incident registration. This eliminated the need for manual processes and external systems, resulting in significant time savings and an improved user experience.
HTM saves more than £200,000 annually in maintenance costs thanks to the switch to Mendix and has now developed more than 15 applications with the platform. These applications support a wide range of processes, from communication and complaint handling to real-time vehicle monitoring. The flexible deployment of Mendix enabled HTM to respond quickly to the introduction of OVPay, the national digital payment system for public transport. In a short period of time, the team developed a service portal and an engine that processes millions of API requests, fully orchestrated via Mendix.
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Our PLM practice powers industry innovation through design, simulation, manufacturing, and effective project management in the manufacturing industry.
Enterprise Resource Planning
Our ERP practice leverages SAP solutions to enhance efficiency, streamline supply chains, and improve resource management in the manufacturing industry.
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Our specialist practice for the manufacturing industry creates tailored solutions to drive innovation and streamline operations using Mendix-based applications.
Integrations
Our specialist practice uses Boomi integrations to ensure smooth connectivity and data integration for improved operations in the manufacturing industry.
