At ERDINGER, sam® simplifies many processes

Mr. Goschenhofer, how did you get started with sam® and which employees (across the entire company or limited to specific departments) use the system?

“From the very first step, the entire workforce at the Erding site and in the field was involved throughout Europe. At the same time, sam® was implemented for external company management.”

In which areas and how does the secova EHS system support your day-to-day work?

“sam® provides support in the areas of risk assessment, training and instruction, hazardous substance management, mapping of occupational health precautions (precautionary file), external company registration (training and attendance documentation) and, in a stand-alone system, “pick-up driver instruction” in logistics. In the latter system, for example, several 10,000 truck drivers are instructed in 15 different languages about rules of conduct on the company premises.

Internally, the system has simplified many processes. The more topics are managed and mapped in a central system, the less effort is required for decentralized “island systems” that have to be maintained separately. Supervisors can gain a complete overview of the training status of their employees with just a few evaluations and react accordingly. And during internal and external audits, the training and instruction status of the workforce can be presented very easily and quickly.”

They are a traditional company with many loyal employees, some of whom have been with the company for many years. How was and is their acceptance of this modern online solution?

“We focused on the question of acceptance at the start of the project. We carried out several tests with a representative test group. There were no reservations. Our employees are used to working with data acquisition systems, process control systems and other IT applications. The response from the test group was correspondingly positive.”

And what do you think about usability – how easy is it to use?

“The system can be used by any employee without any problems. It can be described as barrier-free for users who want to carry out training courses, view their risk assessments or safety data sheets and operating instructions for machines and hazardous substances.

The complexity is naturally higher for administrators and managers with higher authorization levels. For example, sam® offers a wide range of options for making adjustments to the respective requirements via the system and module settings. However, as the system is basically very logically structured, this is not a major problem.”

In addition to the EHS basic system for instruction and risk assessment, you also use the module for external company management. What are the advantages for you and your visitors?

“For ERDINGER, one advantage is the simplified registration of external companies as soon as they arrive at the gate. Persons already recorded in the system can be quickly checked for a valid instruction status and checked in as present. By recording the presence of external persons, such as tradesmen and fitters, an overview of the persons present can be generated very easily and quickly, e.g. in the event of an emergency, to control an evacuation.

Another very helpful tool is visitor pre-registration or registration. This function can be used to inform the gate who is expected and who in the building should be informed. This saves queries and waiting times. Any necessary instructions for external companies can be initiated directly by the gate staff. For visitors, this also means faster processing on arrival.”

How have you reacted to the numerous corona-related restrictions in your company (keywords: home office, contact minimization, social distancing) and how was sam® able to support you?

“The past 2 1⁄2 “corona years” have also presented us with major challenges. One really big advantage for us was the sam® system that had been established in the company up to that point. The ability to use an online system to inform and instruct employees very quickly and effectively about changes to company guidelines has paid off. We have also taken advantage of the opportunity to reach employees working from home and in the field effectively and contactlessly and to provide them with documented instructions.”

Mr. Goschenhofer, thank you for the interview!

Private brewery ERDINGER Weißbräu

ERDINGER Weißbräu – a private brewery since 1886 – stands for quality, joie de vivre, tradition and cosmopolitanism. The passion for the Bavarian art of brewing is the origin of our wheat beer specialties. Thanks to the consistent quality philosophy and straightforward brand policy of owner Werner Brombach, ERDINGER has become the world market leader. In 2020, the brewery achieved total sales of 1.5 million hectoliters, and more than 90 percent of all Germans know ERDINGER wheat beer. Many of the approximately 530 employees have been contributing to the brewery’s success for 15 years or more.