– Where was the last co-developed IT system implemented and what were the lessons learned from the process? Who is the partner and what is worth knowing about them?

J.P.: We implemented the system at our company Agromix in Mátészalka – they went live with a complex production, logistics and financial solution. The company is a pillar of our northern region, with close links to our blenders in Slovakia and Romania.

The most family-owned company in the group set a challenge for the implementation team. In the project, which was launched in the last phase of Covid, we needed to use our IT tools more efficiently. The on-site days used in our previous launches have been replaced by virtual training. The processes of the new system restructured the previous task assignments, the new things, the acceptance of the change required more attention from the project members, the managers.

– Why was the new system needed?

J.P.: Our previous system did not fully support their manufacturing and logistics processes. The advantage of our business management software is that we work with common master data, effectively facilitating our processes and each other’s work, and providing reports at management level to support decisions. The common system makes it easier to control the capacity of our production units, easier and more efficient to shift production and allocate stocks, and our system has the same benefits in many areas of business management. The common system will support the closing and analysis work of controlling more effectively. The strategy is consistent also at the process level across all members of our group.

– What are the future plans and objectives regarding the IT platform?

J.P.: The group is currently running several projects. At our Austrian trading company (Agrar Gmbh) we have just implemented our system and are in the post go live phase. We are constantly checking and monitoring our own processes, looking for opportunities, to see which of our work phases can be speeded up or automated. On the financial side, we are constantly working to speed up our monthly closing processes.

– What other innovative solutions are currently being developed?

J.P.: In one of our companies, we are in the testing phase with our solution ‘Automated weighing – call-in system’. When the cars arrive, the drivers register, identify themselves and the order stock in the software developed for this purpose, and then, at the signal of a call-in system, they can drive to the production site and start the measurement processes themselves. After checking the documentation and samples, the supply or delivery process continues. At the end of the weighing process, the system automatically prints the corresponding vouchers for the transaction.

– How does the concept of the ‘smart office’ manifest itself in practice at UBM?

J.P.: I think that the challenges generated by Covid have been excellently met by the UBM Group. With the hard work of our IT team, we made a smooth transition to work digitally. We have eliminated our paper-based processes and introduced digital solutions and system-driven system procedures. A good example of this is that our supplier invoices are automatically entered into our system using character recognition software, and the system-driven processes from confirmation to payment support the work of our colleagues.