Customer story:

IKM Group Increases Quality and Efficiency with XaitPorter

IKM Group, the largest, most complete and competitive service provider in the energy sector, includes two subsidiaries, IKM Ocean Design and IKM Subsea. IKM Design is the leading Norwegian company within development and design of subsea fields, and IKM Subsea is an innovative ROV operator. They have streamlined their tender process, as well as their product sheets and studies processes. Today, instead of double work, they have improved collaboration and accelerated their complex document development.

Business outcomes

  • Seamless global collaboration
  • Greater productivity and focus
  • Seamless global collaboration
  • Greater productivity and focus
IKM-Ocean-Design-logo

Region
Global

Company size
250

Industry
Oil and Gas

Solution
XaitPorter

 

Tedious and Difficult File-based Documents

Producing bids and proposals can be a challenging task with a lot of moving parts, and multiple contributors literally scattered across the globe. Creating a multi-million dollar bid with a file-based solution can be a tedious and difficult task.

Especially with expertise dispersed across multiple locations, some of which are international. Between their two collaborating subsidiaries, IKM Ocean Design and IKM Subsea, personnel are located in Trondheim, Stavanger, Oslo, Byrne, Norway, Singapore, Malaysia, and Aberdeen.

Based on the initial dialogue, the team identified some challenge areas. This allowed Xait to pinpoint some key focus areas based on their challenges working in a serial process with a file-based solution.

  • Enforce a parallel work process to reduce time spent on tendering.
  • Enable the teams to collaborate more efficiently between the different office locations.
  • Improve branding consistency of the tenders.
  • Increase productivity in the tendering teams.
  • Make it easier for bid managers to manage and organize the tender schedules.
  • Enable the two organizations to collaborate on larger projects.

About IKM Ocean Design

IKM Group provides oil and gas field equipment and services. The Company offers condition monitoring, drilling, pipe line, rental equipment, operations and maintenance, field development, fabrication and installation, and inspection services. IKM Gruppen conducts its business worldwide.

“The people haven't changed, and the content hasn't changed, but the consistency, productivity and focus have. That is why we have such great success with XaitPorter.”

– Espen Gilbu, Sales and Marketing Manager at IKM Ocean Design

Espen-Kilbu-IKM-portrait-579x579

“A Wise Investment in a Tough Market”

Their pilot program started in September 2014 with two divisions, IKM Ocean Design and IKM Subsea. The pilot allowed them to make a decision based on a 3-month test of XaitPorter within the departments on actual tenders.

Feedback from the pilot phase was very good. Both IKM subsidiaries reported an increase in quality and efficiency in their tender creation. Toward the end of 2014, the markets started feeling the pressure of the sinking oil prices and less work on the horizon. However, both IKM groups decided to push forward from the pilot.

  • Co-authoring. This parallel writing and reviewing process reduces time spent on tendering, increasing productivity in the tendering teams.
  • Real-time Collaboration. Enables teams to collaborate more efficiently between different office locations, enabling the two organizations to collaborate on larger projects.
  • Predefined Templates. Layout templates eliminate compilation and reformatting tasks, improving branding consistency of tenders.
  • Automated Workflow. Makes it easier for bid managers to manage and organize tender schedules.

 

XaitPorter screen mockup with logo

“To be able to compete in what has to be one of the toughest competitive marketplaces in the world, we need to be innovative in all our endeavors, both subsea and in the office.”

– Hans Fjellanger, Business Development Manager at IKM Subsea

Success in a Tough Market

Today, IKM Group has been using XaitPorter for 10 years. Usage has spread outside of tendering and is now even used for product sheets and studies. The fact that they now can compete in several parallel tenders utilizing the power of the database puts them at the head of the class. Without having to do double the work.

  • Greater Efficiency. Both IKM subsidiaries reported an increase in quality and efficiency in their tender creation.
  • Greater Productivity. “The people haven't changed, and the content hasn't
  • changed, but the consistency, productivity and focus have.” 
  • Better Use of Time. The fact that they now can compete in several parallel tenders utilizing the power of the database puts them at the head of the class.
  • Return on Investment (RIO). By March 2015, only six months from the start of the Pilot, they had already won several large contracts between the two subsidiaries using XaitPorter.

“XaitPorter has been a wise investment in a tough market.””

– Peder Hoås, CEO of IKM Ocean Design

With XaitPorter, IKM Group has improved their tender process, as well as product sheet and studies processes. This efficiency has reclaimed significant time resulting in more consistent, high-quality content.

With the right document co-authoring and automation tool, IKM Group competes on parallel tenders utilizing the power of the database, which puts them at the head of the class.

That’s a good thing considering their solid foundation for future growth, and recent Inclusion Company of the Year 2024 at Fabelaktig Fredag.

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