Port of Antwerp-Bruges launches centralized HR platform

Port of Antwerp-Bruges (POAB) has a bold vision: to be the ‘Port of the Future’. To achieve that, the port embraces the most diverse forms of innovation and digitalization: drones, electric patrol vessels, … and even the world’s first hydrogen tug. Just as important to safeguard the future, POAB introduced their brand-new, centralized MyPort HR platform.

SAP Success Factors Port of Antwerp Bruges

Every day, 1,800 people ensure the smooth and safe operation of Port of Antwerp-Bruges. Tugboat captains, dock workers, marine engineers, IT staff: they all have a role to play. Managing all those different people and profiles, however, is a complex and time-intensive undertaking. For years, POAB had been relying on SAP HR to support payroll and learning, yet all other HR processes were still manual and paper-intensive. On top of that, every department tackled HR operations differently. In 2020, the port decided to change course.

Christien Van Vaerenberg

Doing nothing was simply not an option. It had become crystal-clear that we had to reimagine HR, from an administration function to a service-driven team.

Christien Van Vaerenberg - CHRO at Port of Antwerp-Bruges

3 reasons to centralize HR processes

Port of Antwerp understood that they had to eliminate paper and manual work, and instead automate, standardize and centralize their HR processes, if they wanted to be fit for the future.

Their ambition was threefold:

  1. improve efficiencies and insights, across teams, departments and subsidiaries;
  2. empower the workforce and increase satisfaction by connecting to all the employees;
  3. become a modern place to work, in order to attract new, young employees and win in today’s war for talent.
Erwin Verstraelen

Retention, empowerment and appreciation have become more important than ever. As a result, the HR value chain and responsibilities need to change. To achieve that new mindset and culture, we absolutely need to embrace the opportunities of digitalization.

Erwin Verstraelen - Chief Digital & Innovation Officer at Port of Antwerp-Bruges

Rich features, smooth integration

POAB assessed their existing HR approach, mapped their strategic objectives and requirements, and translated these into a clear roadmap. Determined to completely rebuild and optimize the HR experience, they then scoured the market to find the best-fit HR solution and implementation partner.

SAP SuccessFactors and Flexso came out tops, as they best met POAB’s requirements:

  • Intuitive HR platform with rich functionalities;
  • Large range of self-service capabilities;
  • Accessible to everyone, even employees with limited access to PCs;
  • Integration with existing payroll and training solution in SAP HR;
  • Integration with existing third-party solutions, like ticketing and mobile expense system;
  • Smooth implementation without any disruption of existing HR processes.

Find out more about SAP SuccessFactors

Port of Antwerp Bruges SAP Success Factors

Making the lives of the HR team easier

Flexso implemented SAP SuccessFactors in a step-by-step approach and integrated it with the existing SAP ERP system. By the end of 2022, the MyPort platform was up and running, including the modules Recruiting and Onboarding, Learning, Performance Management and Succession and Development.

With MyPort POAB moved from a mostly manual to a fully digital, unified HR operation. The team is now more connected and has achieved significant performance and efficiency gains. Moreover, integrating the external jobsite to SAP SuccessFactors has made the life of the recruiters much easier, while it improves the candidate experience – and, as such, POAB’s employer branding.

The power of SuccessFactors extensions, made by Flexso

On top of the standard SuccessFactors modules, POAB embraced smart SuccessFactors extensions to further support HR operations. While Flexso’s Competency Matrix provides a handy overview of every employee’s skills, certifications and training attendance, the Training Request Manager helps HR to easily track and approve training courses. The Contingent Workforce Registration extension, for its part, makes it simple to manage external hires.

Want a deep dive into our extensions? Find out more

Employee engagement and empowerment

The employees at POAB experience the benefits too. Thanks to the HR self-services and easy-to-use, off-the-shelf digital tools, they can easily find – and edit – information about payroll, time management, leave, trainings, etc. Moreover, the link between the Intranet and SuccessFactors ensures they get all the latest information on new job vacancies, training courses, leave and more HR-related topics in just one click.

Last but not least, the management is delighted to get a real-time, single source of truth for all employee-related data, so they can take well-founded decisions fast.

Full speed ahead

With myPort, Port of Antwerp-Bruges has laid a solid foundation for further digitalization. While the entire company enjoys the benefits of the new HR platform, they continue finetuning and optimizing the solution, with the help of trusted Flexso experts.

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Written by

Stijn Verschueren

Stijn Verschueren

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