TPG and Tietotalo implement successful project management solution at chemicals firm Kemira

Microsoft Project Server 2010 and SAP integration using TPG PSLink saves project managers up to one day per month

Munich, Germany. July 12, 2011 – TPG The Project Group and Tietotalo, its partner in Finland, announced today that they have implemented a project management solution at Kemira Oyj, a global chemicals group based in Finland. The new project management system, based on Microsoft Project Server 2010, saves project managers in the R&D department up to one day a month as it replaces the individual planning solutions they were using previously. In addition, the new system is integrated with Kemira’s SAP installation using TPG PSLink, the world’s leading interface between SAP and Microsoft Project that is certified by SAP. The combination of a standardized project management environment and automatic data synchronization with the ERP system enables Kemira staff to produce reports at the click of a mouse, quickly compare project costs, and efficiently manage resources. TPG has also produced a detailed case study on the Kemira implementation that can be viewed on TPG’s website (http://www.theprojectgroup.com/en/references/customer-case-studies/kemira.html)

In March 2010 Kemira announced its new corporate mission: the Finland-based chemicals group was aiming to become the world’s largest water chemistry firm. With a view to achieving this goal, the company is working on hundreds of research and development projects at 100 locations in 40 countries. It decided that it needed to install an enterprise-wide, standardized project management system to manage all these projects more efficiently.

“Each project manager had his or her own way of managing projects,” says Jani Saarinen, Senior Manager and Head of Processes and external Relations in R&D at Kemira. “And the reporting was horrible!” When working on quarterly reports, it often took Saarinen himself several days to find and collate countless pieces of information from multiple departments.

For Jani Saarinen there were two main criteria for the choice of the enterprise-wide project management system. First, it had to help staff save time in their everyday project work; and second, the entire system had to be easy to use.

The solution put in place by TPG The Project Group and its partner Tietotalo, based in Helsinki, Finland, meets both of these criteria. Project managers and staff now work with Microsoft Project Professional and the Microsoft WebApp in a system based on Microsoft SharePoint and Project Server 2010. “I’m able to use Project Server 2010, even though my background is in economic history, not IT,” says Jani Saarinen, clearly pleased with the user-friendly Microsoft solution.

The new solution saves Kemira’s R&D project managers a lot of time, especially in the creation of reports. With the TPG PSLink interface running in the background, project-related data are constantly synchronized between SAP and Microsoft Project Server 2010 and kept up to date. Adds Saarinen: “The system saves our project managers up to one day a month, because they now have cost control data at their fingertips via TPG PSLink.”

In addition, all staff worldwide can now use Microsoft WebApp to enter their actual hours and retrieve relevant project data. “That alone saves them about two hours per month,” comments Jani Saarinen. “Previously, they had to enter the data twice – once in an Excel spreadsheet, then again for control purposes in SAP.”

The implementation began in June 2010, managed by TPG and Tietotalo, both Microsoft Gold Certified Partners. Kemira had reviewed solution providers by having them respond to a set of scenarios and selected Tietotalo based on its execution during the review. Kemira was also impressed of the solution and references provided by TPG of integrating Microsoft Project Server to SAP.

“The co-operation with our parner TPG was seamless and working with TPG’s knowledgeable staff was a real pleasure. Together we were able to meet all the deadlines defined in the original project plan ” says Ville Vakkilainen, Director of the Business Unit at Tietotalo.

A detailed case study about the implementation at Kemira is available on TPG’s website at: http://www.theprojectgroup.com/en/references/customer-case-studies/kemira.html

About Kemira
Kemira, based in Finland, is a global two billion euro chemicals company that is focused on serving customers in water-intensive industries. The company offers water quality and quantity management that improves customers’ energy, water, and raw material efficiency. Kemira’s goal is to be a leading water chemistry company. More information: www.kemira.com

About Tietotalo
Based in Espoo outside Helsinki in Finland, Tietotalo Infocenter Oy is a leading IT services company specializing in project and portfolio management, e-business and digital communication solutions based on Microsoft EPM and SharePoint technologies, InfoWeb (CMS), EPiServer (CMS), InfoGate (reservations system) and InfoMessenger (a tool for email marketing). The company has customers in multiple sectors, including financial services, manufacturing, R&D, retail and government. www.tietotalo.fi

About TPG The Project Group
TPG The Project Group GmbH, based in Munich, Germany, is an international full service provider for enterprise-wide project management. The company is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner whose services include consulting, implementation, hosting, products and training on project management and Microsoft Project. TPG’s comprehensive and leading product portfolio is built on the significant implementation experience the company has acquired since it was founded in 1998. TPG PSLink® is the world’s leading and SAP certified product for integrating Microsoft Project with SAP. TPG’s range of products and services is complemented by public seminars on Microsoft Project for users and administrators and on PMI methodology (Project Management Institute). TPG increases the maturity level of its customers’ project management, making a significant contribution to their business success. It sells its products and services via its offices in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, USA, Canada and UK, as well as through an international network of authorized partners. TPG’s customers are large and midsized companies in all industries, including AOL, Audi, Bosch, BAE Systems, BSH, E.ON, GE, Irish Rail, SAP, Siemens and Vaillant.

Press contact: Mr. Achim Schmidt-Sibeth
Email: AchimS@theprojectgroup.com
Phone: +49 (89) 61 55 93 51
Fax: +49 (89) 61 55 93 40

TPG The Project Group
Destouchesstr. 68
80796 Munich, Germany

This release was published on openPR.