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Methanex: System Solutions supports users
In order to provide quality assistance to its’ thirty internal users, within the utmost satisfaction policy of internal and external customers, Methanex Europe has hired System Solutions. This support is based on a stringent SLA (service level agreements) and a proactive service desk with a users’ satisfaction rate of about 97%. World leader in the production and distribution of methanol, Methanex Corporation owns manufacture sites all over the world. Methanol is an important component in numerous industrial and consumer products. It’s used in lots of chemical compositions and its’ spin-offs products are abundantly used to elaborate numerous products of paints, resins, pharmaceutical products and synthetic perfumes. Methanol is an alternative fuel with a significant positive impact on the future environment (already used in new vessels, certain vehicles and transformed in DME in trucks for freight transport in certain regions).
When the group decided a few years ago to reorganize its’ IT Department, the decision to externalize the IT is taken and to hire an external partner for these missions. Besides, an audit made by the head office shows that the IT partner isn’t satisfactory anymore.
After an analysis of the market, Methanex chooses System Solutions as its’ IT provider. System Solutions manages the global infrastructure on hardware and software level and provides users’ support. “We have found the same young, dynamic culture and open-mindness as we have at Methanex”, explains Nicolas Vander Beken, IT Marketing Advisor of Methanex. “System Solutions has proven its’ professionalism and the capacity to listen and to respond to the needs of our internal users”.
System Solutions is now responsible for the management of the current platform and the users, with a strict service level agreement. “We dispose of a technical expert who comes on site every 2 weeks as well as a helpdesk 24/7 through a ticketing system”, details Nicolas Vander Beken. Even though this kind of service is described in the contract “we negotiated we may call Systems Solutions whenever this is necessary. We have given priority to pragmatism instead of a rigid contract in order to have a maximum of flexibility”. The contract includes strict SLA’s while KPI (key performance indicators) have been put in place so the System Solutions reactivity can be measured as well as the satisfaction of the users. “The user satisfaction is situated between 95 and 99%” says Caroline Guns, Account Manager of System Solutions.
In order to provide the best support, System Solutions has integrated its’ service desk platform in the infrastructure of the group Methanex at Vancouver in Canada so they can respond in the best way to the user needs and deliver the best delays for the service intervention in accordance to the global strategy of the company. System Solutions doesn’t take satisfaction with a reactive attitude towards the solving of problems, but works in a proactive way with the local teams and the head office to anticipate possible incidents and problems. “We meet every month to analyze the situation and to suggest adjustments or improvements for the different processes that have been put in place”. Finally, Methanex congratulates the stability of the teams at Systems Solutions, with technical persons who perfectly understand the company’s environment and the evolution of its’ technologies.
“Methanex has a strong excellence culture since its’ start and we have found the same spirit at System Solutions with the same quality demands” entrusts Nicolas Vander Beken. “Methanex accords a huge importance to the users’ satisfaction and we can only congratulate System Solutions for the service delivered”. Besides all users have not only been implicated with the partners’ selection, but also with the evolution of the contract. Moreover, Methanex insists on the importance of the communication and open-mindedness of its’ partner. “The System Solutions teams can communicate with us in full transparency to address all questions and to suggest an adjustment or improvement of the service”.
Finally, Nicolas Vander Beken emphasizes that Methanex (in Belgium) and System Solutions are both mid-sized companies and geographically close (although this argument hasn’t been decisive), which guarantees a direct and open contact. “Methanex is conscious that quality service has a price”, concludes the IT Marketing Advisor. “Because even though the group culture is very structured, the place of the human being is principal”.
Methanex Corporation is a Canadian company based in Vancouver, and delivers, distributes and runs factories in Chili, New-Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Egypt, United States and Canada. These factories offer a production capacity all together of over 11 million tons of methanol per year.
It’s the most important producer and supplier of methanol for the principal international markets in Northern America, Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America. The group has also marketing subsidiaries in Belgium, Chili, China, Egypt, Korea, Japan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and The United States. Although there isn’t a production unit in Europe, Methanex has put in place a network of stock terminals with a capacity of about 220.000 tons of methanol that serves 8 countries in Europe.
The marketing and logistic office in Waterloo is in charge of the management and administration of the sales and logistic subsidiaries of Methanex in Europe. Besides the logistic management and the supply of methanol to European customers, the subsidiary of Waterloo also ensures the customers service, the “Responsible Care”, ISO, finance and accountancy, as well as Human Resources. The group employs about 1.150 persons.