Hedin IT - Retrospect 2023
As 2022 was an amazing year for Hedin IT, 2023 was no different!
We moved into our new HQ early 2023 and it’s probably the best office in Sweden.
We've acquired a lot of great talent during the year. Joining us as our new CTO is Mats Iremark who will lead our software engineering teams towards new improvements and challenges.
Magnus Eriksson has come aboard as our new CIO and will drive the efficiency within our support teams and service delivery.
The teams have written a few words to give you a short look into the mirror of 2023. Happy holidays!
Web
The year kicked off with the introduction of the sleek and functional Hedin Mobility Group website, setting a standard for sophisticated design and information delivery. This achievement was made possible through the design expertise of Eric Ellersten , Norneby Kai and a dedicated team of developers, reflecting our commitment to excellence and enriching the user experience.
Mid-year saw the Hedin Group website undergo a simultaneous revamp alongside updates to Klintberg & Way. September marked the grand reveal of Hedin Supercharge, a preview of ongoing innovations set to unfold. November expanded our digital presence with the launch of Carstore EU, fortifying our stance in the online automotive market and paving the way for further growth. The year concluded triumphantly with the December relaunch of Hedin IT, contributing another success to our growing portfolio.
A notable highlight in 2023 was the successful launch of BYD's new configurator on their website, showcasing our team's exceptional proficiency in delivering seamless and complex solutions. Dhan Lomander , in particular, has played a pivotal role in the configurator's success with his outstanding contributions. As we look ahead, we are excited about the prospect of additional developments and the incorporation of new brands into our expanding repertoire.
Looking ahead to 2024, our team is poised for greater challenges. We aim to enhance website performance, streamline processes through CMS migration, and embark on a comprehensive redesign of our proprietary B2B solution for car auctions.
PIM
Kristoffer M?rdén is now our Head Of PIM and we are thrilled to introduce "Polaris", our innovative new tool designed to simplify the way car ads are created online, regardless of marketplace. The tool's intuitive interface and advanced features are tailored to meet the dynamic needs of the automotive market, ensuring that your ads stand out in a competitive digital landscape.
Polaris had its first release on the 28th of August. There was also a significant release to support all companies on the 13th of November, but it was only internal. Jens Malm, who is new to the PIM team, has been delivering impressive results since day one. He has done a fantastic job with the launch for Hedin Bil & Carstore.
Logistics
In Q3 we started our new business area, Logistics. Peter Warnfalk is in charge of this business area. The department will focus on the Parts distribution within HMG, building up the internal knowledge at IT for the business and focus on developing the system platforms to support the businesses within the group.
Starting by implementing for us a new ERP platform in Microsoft Dynamics FO, a platform with enterprise capacity and aligned with the group strategic choice of technology.
In 2024 we will continue to increase the area expertise and together with the business find synergies to increase the development pace to align with the group strategy.
Service Desk
Many new technicians has joined the service desk during the year who now are supporting the whole group. We are extra happy to have our colleagues in Amsterdam with us, supping on Dutch/Flemish. The team has also been strengthened with support managers for First Line, Pontus Hagebratt , Second Line, Kristoffer Wass and Telephony, Camilla Dolietis . They will lead their respective teams forward. Overall, the Support team has been expanded by 23 employees since the beginning of the year, WOW!
During this year, we have put a lot of emphasis on documentation. We have reviewed our knowledge base articles and clarified our routine for periodic updates. We have also decided on a new knowledge base structure to have our documentation more accessible. Special thanks to Emelie Magnusson , IT-Coordinator, taking lead on this and documenting our processes in the best possible way.
We are continuously working on improving our service and one thing that enhances that is the new live agent chat.? It is an easy way for the employees to get in contact with the Hedin IT Support for prompt assistance. It will be fully available to all Group employees in 2024.
As we enter 2024, we are handling 1 500 cases on a rolling-seven day cycle, an increase of 30% from last year.
Operations
Robin Rosenstr?m (Johansson) is new to the position of Head of IT Operations since late 2023. The complexity of migration projects undertaken presented significant challenges, yet the team navigated them with exceptional skill and determination.
The success of these migration projects not only showcases the operations team technical expertise but also highlights the team ability to collaborate seamlessly across teams. The commitment to ensuring a smooth and efficient migration process has undoubtedly positioned our organization for enhanced operational capabilities and improved efficiency.
In Q4 the IT Operations team have started several initiatives to improve the delivery, secure our platform and extend our possibilities.
We want to express gratitude for the countless hours, late nights, and unwavering dedication you have demonstrated. Your hard work has not only resolved technical challenges but has also contributed significantly to the overall success of our organization in 2023.
Site Support
The site support team has solved around 800 incidents and 1200 requests during 2023. A lot of new sites has been migrated into Hedin. On the list we have sites from Netherlands, England, Finland, Belgium, Schweiz, Norway and Sweden.
We've put a lot of energy to enhance the onboarding process for new computers. Soon we are ready to centralize the installations and configurations of almost all new computers. We will then be able send a full prepared computer directly to the end user. In this way we can use our valuable time more wisely and give our business more proactive support.
A new secure print solution has been rolled out, Printix. Hedin HQ was the first office to evaluate this solution with great results.? We're now successfully rolling out the new follow me print solution group wide.
Site support contract signed with an external partner to help out with onsite IT support in UK for 4 sites in London.
We welcome 4 new teammates for this year. Jimmy Bolin Kovacevic and William Gordon in Sweden and Sjamir Ibrahim and Tolga Arslan in the Netherlands.
Dealer Management System (DMS)
Our DMS projects expanded beyond borders with invaluable support from colleagues in other countries. Notably, the Incadea support for Norway demonstrated the strength of our international network. Most notably Frank Vogel achievements not only provided technical assistance but also worked on-site to enhance user experiences, improve on system performance for our Norwegian counterparts.
The synergy between Belgium and the Netherlands was evident in our Autoline projects. Collaborations between the two countries led to successful implementations, emphasizing the power of teamwork and shared expertise in driving project success.
One of the standout achievements of the year was the development of a stand-alone workshop planner application in-house. Faced with challenges in the Norwegian operations, our teams collaborated extensively. Both the Development and the DMS team played a pivotal role in defining requirements, developing functional solutions, and providing support during the roll-out.
This extensive project not only addressed the immediate need for a high-performance scheduler, but also laid the foundation for continuous improvements in functionality. The application's versatility not only allows Incadea to work within its current environment, but also in its potential to connect with other DMS systems, opening up opportunities for future developments.
Importer Management Systems (IMS)
As the year comes to an end, we look back on 2023 as a period of substantial growth and development for our IMS Department. This year has been pivotal in advancing our ARC IMS product and expanding its reach within the Hedin Mobility Group.
Our journey this year began with the successful implementation of ARC IMS across various importers in the Hedin Mobility Group. This initiative, set to continue into 2024, has been a testament to our team's dedication and skill.
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A notable highlight of the year was our venture into the spare part business for Hedin MG Sweden and Hedin US Motor. Collaborating with Hedin Parts as our 3PL partner, we managed to bring the parts process in-house, enhancing our operational capabilities and service quality through automatization. An exceptional contribution by Jonas Olsson and Markus B. This move, while challenging, has been rewarding and marks a step forward in our operational strategy.
As the year wound down, we achieved another milestone with the smooth transition of Hedin Motor Company to our ARC IMS, replacing their previous Pinewood system. This transition not only improved our operational efficiency and minimizing costs, but also led to ARC IMS receiving recognition as a Ford certified system. This accomplishment, while not the only measure of our success, is a clear indicator of the quality and reliability of our work which was made possible by the hard work of Niklas Wannebring , Peter Gustafsson and Philip Rystr?m .
In addition to these implementations, 2023 saw us release several new functionalities, such as improved product and price data management enhancing control and flexibility and a revamped process for pre-registrations lead by our talented lead developer Oskar Holmberg . We also released a completely redesigned Dealer Portal. The new dealer portal with its modern interface and enhanced features, has been well-received by users, demonstrating our commitment to continuous improvement and user experience. The collaborative effort creating the new Dealer Portal led by Eric Ellersten and Albin Pettersson has been crucial in bringing together our internal departments to work harmoniously towards common goals.
Here's to a year filled with growth, collaboration, and success, and to the exciting projects that await us in the new year.
ERP
It has been another exciting and busy year for the ERP-department. We kicked of 2023 with implementing Microsoft Business Central and ExFlow within our own business at Hedin IT. During the year the team has more than doubled its size, as needed to meet the demands from our group companies.
The 1st of December we launched Microsoft Business Central and ExFlow for Hedin Automotive OY, Hedin Automotive Finland OY and Bavaria Finland OY. The implementation was made possible because of the hard work and dedication of Roya Skaloud our developers Kalle S?vbrink and Dan L. and a close cooperation with our Integrations department.
The ERP department is still a given participant in all ARC IMS implementations and our talented finance specialist Malin Dahlquist has been key in the success of implementing ARC IMS for Hedin Motor Company 1st of December.
We are looking forward to 2024 with all upcoming projects such as new ERP implementations, introducing electronic invoicing and much more
Service Automation
After its first year of active development, ServiceNow has already been through major upgrades and changes. What started off as a concept, has already begun to flourish new ideas from all parts of the organization. On the backs of our talented developers, Gustav A. and Dashti Bahadin , we have managed to create a multitude of processes that bring Hedin Mobility Group into a consolidated environment for all digitalized procedures.
Some of our highlights include:
Along with new processes, we are also making sure to provide the best tools possible for our IT functions. In the works currently is updating the project management tool and the newly introduced Live Agent Chat, to simplify our processes and making quality of life improvements for our users.
The word of ServiceNow is spreading quickly with more demands getting introduced every week - and with lessons-learned from 2023, we are determined to put in a new gear toward automation and making sure to deliver premium functionality to every single employee.
Project Management Office (PMO)
This year, the Project Management team at Hedin IT has seen significant growth, with the arrival of Markus Johansson as the new Head of Project Management. Demonstrating notable efficiency and skill, the team successfully closed 63 diverse projects. Among these were high-impact initiatives like the "Webbokning project", the "Reach South" migration, and the establishment of Hedin's new headquarters (to name a few).?
Additionally, they are nearing the completion of our largest migration so far and have accelerated the migration projects for acquired companies around Europe.
The team's expertise extends to managing multiple new and altered sites across Europe, showcasing their adaptability and wide-ranging capabilities.
Concurrently, they have initiated the process of enhancing our ServiceNow project platform, tailoring it to better meet the complex business needs. This strategic move is poised to elevate their project delivery to even higher standards, reinforcing Hedin IT's position as a leader in project management innovation.
Fleet
We launched our Unified Mileage Claim Telematics Service (UMCTS) that replaced multiple IoT flows, which both optimizes and declutters this central service. Customer Portal 2.0 was developed as a much-improved fleet management service for Unifleet’s company clients. This was also part of multiple Angular to Blazor migrations in our services.??
An automated order/application flow for Unifleet’s company clients is soon ready to launch. This will make it possible automate hours of manual work per month, which we all love!?
Massive performance improvements in multiple areas in our Admin system, especially in regard to saving time when it comes to finance admin functions. We introduced extended technical ownership over our telematics hardware via a new hire.?
There were also extremely important process & tools Improvements:
CRM
Head of CRM, Anders Tj?rnlund , has during the year built a strong team to deliver Dynamics 365 CE for Hedin Mobility Group. Together with, among others, solution architect Linus Persson and tech lead Yazan Ghafir , the group has delivered a solution for lead management and follow-up for five of the distribution companies and for parts of the Swedish facilities. Currently, there are approximately 250 users in Sweden who use the system on a daily basis.
The Dutch part of the team, Jack Nicholson , has creditably developed and maintained the solution for the Dutch market with around 400 users.
During 2024, the group will continue to grow and the work to implement Dynamics 365 EC for the entire Hedin Mobility Group will continue.
BI
Power BI is the new BI tool for our end users, during 2023 the team has rolled out the new BI Solution to all distribution companies, where the data now flows through the new lake house in azure and with all reports in Power BI, serving closer to 400 employees by now, the team John Sandqvist , Jehona Murati and the newcomer Andreas Heverius has formed a Distribution team for the future.
The new Lake house is based on our Head Of BI Claudia Wallin 's vision, which the Back-end team is turning into reality and continuously evolving with Marinett Stridbeck , Jonas H. , Andreas Bengtsson and Arash Khadjavi driving the development forward. The lake house is utilizing the best suitable technology in Azure to create a modern version of a data warehouse.
Our retail team has welcomed 2 new people during the year, Malin J?xvik and Anna Bovin , both are already contributing heavily to the team, together with Marcus Skog and Sandra St?hlbr?st they develop the new Retail set up for all our retail business in all markets. During the past year, the development of the current BI tool has been minimized and the focus and development of the new set up in Power BI has been the main focus.
Integrations
The Integrations team has undergone significant growth over the past year, dedicating their efforts to the development of an entirely new integrations platform, Hedin Transaction Gateway (HTG). This expansion has also ushered in the adoption of more contemporary work methodologies. Our recently deployed platform, crafted with the latest technologies and methodologies, positions us strategically for the impending year and the challenges it may bring.
Throughout the year, the team has successfully executed numerous integrations for diverse systems. A notable portion of these endeavors involved collaboration with our ERP team, providing crucial support for our ERP migrations projects, as well as catering to the requirements of our parts and logistics division. Legacy integrations are systematically consolidated and migrated to our innovative platform.
Continuing from the previous year, we sustained our focus on Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) data integrations, a vital component of our core business operations. Additionally, a new platform for data distribution has been established to address the demand for uniform data across various business sectors. This represents a substantial stride towards ensuring the timely delivery of pertinent data to the appropriate stakeholders.
Our Robotic Process Automation (RPA) department has experienced significant expansion, accompanied by the development of several automated processes designed to streamline repetitive tasks within our organization, ultimately delivering enhanced value to our clients. Concurrently, we navigated a challenging transition from an on-premises solution to the cloud. This migration, albeit demanding, positions us strategically to amplify the business value derived from our RPA processes as we move forward into 2024.
A big thankyou goes out to all our partners and vendors for 2023, see you in 2024!