SAP is the new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) package that is being installed among numerous Damen companies. Damen Yachting received it first on 1 July 2021. Damen Naval implemented SAP on 1 May 2022. Integrated Project Planner Yvana Halajdenko (in Vlissingen) and IT Project Manager Han Coenraad (in Gorinchem) answer some of the key questions about the impact of SAP at Damen Naval.

ERP systems can be described as ‘the central nervous system of a company’. What do they mean to Damen Naval?
Han: For the team at Damen Naval, an ERP system supports the core business processes throughout the company. Namely, finance, logistics, work preparation, production, and procurement. Coupling these activities with the project planning.

SAP is the new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) package that is being installed among numerous Damen companies. SAP is the new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) package that is being installed among numerous Damen companies.

And SAP is Damen Naval’s new ERP. What was wrong with the old system?
Han: BAAN was the old system, and this was coming to the end of life and therefore had to be replaced. The most important reason that we chose SAP as the new system is that we have to be prepared for future projects such as the ASWF and F126. To this end, SAP makes Damen Naval’s application landscape future-proof.

Integrated Project Planner Yvana Halajdenko. Integrated Project Planner Yvana Halajdenko.

What are the advantages SAP brings Damen Naval?
Yvana: SAP will give us here in Vlissingen greater control of our supply chain. We used to work with several different and separate software packages – some teams were even using Excel – but now we have secured the whole supply chain in one system. This is much more efficient than having to consult different sources for your data. There are some short-term disadvantages – for example, we all have to learn how to use a new system – but in the long-term, SAP will give us more control over building and delivering our ships because it works between departments but also within departments. This is a positive development.

SAP went live on 1 May. What is the current status?
Han: We are still in the ‘hypercare’ phase of the implementation. This means we are sorting out teething problems and solving issues that people are having. The hypercare phase will end soon after the summer holidays when we transfer SAP from implementation to the continuing support and improvement phase.

And what about training of the team in Vlissingen?
Yvana: These have been provided by the so-called key users; there are about 20 of them in Vlissingen. They have worked really hard during the implementation phase as they have been the first line of support. This has included giving trainings for their colleagues within their departments.

It’s been almost three months since the ‘go live’ date. Has the implementation of SAP been a success?
Yvana: Overall, I think it has been a success. And according to the project consultants, they have never had such a stress-free ‘go live’ of SAP. Before the implementation of SAP at Damen Naval, we compiled a template in collaboration with Damen Yachting of how SAP should be implemented – not just here in Vlissingen, but also in the other Damen companies too. By using this template, as much as 80 per cent of our business processes were already included in the package; there wasn’t a huge amount of reworking to do. One of the biggest challenges we faced was the migration of data from our existing projects like the MLU and the CSS. We had to achieve that as accurately as possible.

IT Project Manager Han Coenraad. IT Project Manager Han Coenraad.

Han: Let’s be honest; people will never be cheering in the hallways about the joys of working with SAP, but I think it has all gone as smooth as possible. Having a team from Damen Naval present during the implementation of SAP at Damen Yachting helped with this. We gained a number of important ‘lessons learned’ from Damen Yachting which we applied at Damen Naval.

And what is next for SAP?
Han: The next rollout is at Damen Services, where we will be taking the lessons we have learned from the team in Vlissingen to make that process even smoother. Finding the right people to be key users is an important aspect, for instance, giving them enough time to help their teams.

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