What’s it like to run a business that spans the globe? For Siemens Smart Infrastructure, it’s just another day at the office. With teams in over 20 countries and a workforce of nearly 300,000, the company is behind some of the most innovative projects in industries like energy, infrastructure, and healthcare.
But managing engineers, project managers, contractors, and even third-party vendors across different time zones isn’t no easy feat. Siemens knew it needed something powerful to keep teams connected and projects on track. That’s why it turned to the most powerful workflow management software that brings global teams together in one place: Wrike.
More tools, more problems
Managing large-scale infrastructure projects comes with unique challenges. Hannes Leitner, Process Owner for Project Execution, shared: “Our main challenge is not only the execution of vast projects. We also execute many small projects around $50-100,000, and our challenge is to be margin efficient with those projects. The quantity and diversity of projects is challenging.”
Each project involves a web of teams, from engineering and procurement to quality management, as well as external contractors. Communication, data sharing, and process consistency can quickly become chaotic with so many moving parts. And there’s more. Teams were using different tools for different tasks. Some weren’t secure, and others didn’t integrate well.
“Previously, people used a variety of input tools with differing standards, reliability, and data security. We knew we needed to find a better way to drive efficiency and reach our operational goals,” explained Hannes.
The Siemens team had their work cut out for them.
- How do you connect dozens of teams working in silos?
- What happens when critical information gets lost in the shuffle?
- What’s the solution when tools are mismatched and unreliable?
- How do you handle sensitive data without compromising security?
- How do you keep track of progress when everyone uses different systems?
Luckily, the team found a tool that could handle it all.
Bringing it all together in Wrike
Since adopting Wrike, Siemens has seen incredible improvements. One of the most impressive outcomes is a 10% boost in productivity across its 14,000 users.
Global Product Manager Christina Fischer shared how Wrike became an integral tool for day-to-day operations: “Wrike offers some helpful, out-of-the-box features that are essential for enterprise use. We set up the dashboards so collaboration and task management work best across functional teams in branches.”
The introduction of dashboards, Gantt charts, and resource management tools allowed Siemens to quickly spot risks, adjust timelines, and ensure every task stayed on track.
Take the SAP integration, for example. “We use an integration with our SAP system. Once a project is booked, the project is automatically created in Wrike with the right project template and filled with data,” explained Christina. This simple automation saved countless hours and ensured nothing slipped through the cracks.
With Wrike, Siemens can now:
- Standardise workflows across 20+ countries while allowing local flexibility
- Automate project creation through SAP integration
- Boost productivity with custom dashboards and real-time insights
- Safely store sensitive data, meeting strict enterprise security standards
- Enable mobile collaboration for engineers and teams in the field
- Track progress and risks visually with tools like Gantt charts
Read the full story on how Siemens implemented Wrike here.
Are your manufacturing teams still stuck with too many tools that don’t work together? Try Wrike for free today.
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