CURRENTA
nicetec netinsight - Per software solution for efficient cost allocation
CURRENTA manages and operates one of the largest chemical sites in Europe.
As a modern service company, the service provider creates optimal research and production conditions for the 70 or so companies at the CHEMPARK. CURRENTA's range of services extends from material and energy supply, analytical services and environmental management to comprehensive infrastructure services and safety concepts.
CHEMPARK operator CURRENTA consolidates heterogeneous billing data with netinsight
The chemical industry is one of the most important branches of industry in Germany: more than 460,000 people work in German chemical and pharmaceutical companies - around 50,000 of them at CHEMPARK in North Rhine-Westphalia. With sites in Leverkusen, Dormagen and Krefeld-Uerdingen, the 11 square kilometer industrial site is one of the largest chemical parks in Europe. A third of all chemical production in North Rhine-Westphalia takes place here, and the trend is rising. The best indicator of this is the continuously increasing investment volume of the 70 or so companies based at the CHEMPARK. Most recently, they invested a total of around 1.5 billion euros (2019) in expansion and maintenance. "We can clearly say that the CHEMPARK sites are very stable and economically sound," emphasizes CHEMPARK Director Lars Friedrich. "This means we remain one of the most successful chemical sites in Europe. "
All services from a single source
This is not least due to the good work of the operating company CURRENTA.
It manages the entire infrastructure, maintains around 1,800 buildings, more than 100 kilometers of plant roads, the almost 650 kilometer-long sewer network, quays, tracks and pipe bridges.
"We ensure that our customers' production operations at the Leverkusen, Dormagen and Krefeld-Uerdingen sites can run smoothly at all times," says CURRENTA CEO Frank Hyldmar, summing up the company concept.
In addition to pure space and facility management, CURRENTA's service portfolio includes a wide range of other services.
These include holistic supply, disposal and safety concepts, training programs and plant and analytics services.
"This allows the CHEMPARK companies to concentrate fully on their core business," explains Hyldmar.
CURRENTA relies on the netinsight service charging platform from nicetec to ensure that it does not lose track of the billing of its numerous services.
"Many of the services we provide cannot be easily mapped via our SAP systems," explains Frank Baaske.
In CURRENTA's Information & Organization department, he ensures that the entire order processing process runs smoothly, from ordering to invoicing.
And he has his hands full: after all, in the energy business alone, millions are billed every month in the mid double-digit range.
"That would hardly be possible without nicetec's technology," he says.
Data hub ensures high billing quality
The platform, known internally as Universal Data Collector or UDC for short, brings together billing information from various upstream systems, checks and processes it and then transfers the results to the SAP system fully automatically. This not only speeds up service billing, but also paves the way for efficient reporting and highly transparent billing processes. The system also contributes to high billing quality. "The UDC takes the data relevant to the billing processes from the various sources, such as our customers' SAP systems, and automatically compares it with our cost centers," explains Baaske. Any discrepancies are detected at an early stage. Subsequent invoice corrections due to incorrect data are therefore a rarity at CURRENTA.
Exploit design options in a targeted manner
Another advantage of the platform is the seamless integration of processes from ordering a service through to billing. This is because CURRENTA customers can order desired services, such as additional disposal work or special analytical services, by simply specifying the relevant cost center with the click of a mouse. Once the service has been performed, the UDC then automatically initiates the billing process. "The platform runs smoothly and is very stable. We are more than satisfied with the nicetec solution," says Baaske.
This was already the case when CURRENTA was still part of the Bayer Group and obtained the solution as a managed service from Bayer's internal IT service provider. In 2019, CURRENTA was sold by Bayer to the infrastructure investor Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (Mira). "It was clear to us that the UDC would continue to be of great importance to us. We were therefore pleased that we were able to take over the solution from Bayer Business Services in spring 2020," recalls the IT expert. A decision that the CHEMPARK operator didn't have to think about for a second. "We had already been using the nicetec platform for many years and knew from our own experience what it could do," says Baaske.
The change from pure user to owner of the solution was the logical consequence for CURRENTA - especially as CURRENTA can now adapt the platform even better to its individual requirements. "The current solution no longer has much to do with the original Bayer Business Services version," emphasizes nicetec Managing Director Ralf Meyer. In close coordination with CURRENTA and the IT service provider Tata Consulting (TCS), the new UDC platform was adapted to CURRENTA's billing processes and integrated with the upstream systems so that data transfer continues to be seamless and fully automatic. An immense feat due to the high level of complexity.
After all, CURRENTA first had to build up the necessary expertise in-house from scratch. On the other hand, it had to find out which systems were supplying data and where new interfaces were needed. After all, CURRENTA now provides very different services. In the past, IT services in particular were billed via the UDC. Today, it also has to process green space pruning, waste disposal services or occupational health services, for example.
First-class support when adopting and developing the solution
"Thanks to the excellent support of the nicetec employees, we were able to successfully manage the highly complex transfer of the UDC into the CURRENTA world," says Baaske, referring to the enormous commitment and high level of technical and professional expertise of the nicetec consultants. The manufacturer can also be relied on during ongoing operations: "If we have any questions about the UDC, nicetec usually has an answer ready within a very short time," he praises. CURRENTA can also count on the manufacturer when it comes to further developing the solution. "Together with nicetec, we have already identified some interesting starting points," says Baaske. The best prerequisites for tapping further potential of the solution step by step.
CURRENTA manages and operates one of the largest chemical sites in Europe. As a modern service company, the service provider creates optimum research and production conditions for the 70 or so companies at the CHEMPARK. CURRENTA's range of services extends from material and energy supply, analytical services and environmental management to comprehensive infrastructure services and safety concepts.
