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Case study

The challenge

Royal Vopak is a leading independent tank storage company with 400 years of experience in storage and transshipment. The company provides clients with safe storage facilities for bulk liquid products and gases across 71 terminals in 23 countries, but it lacked a modern and centralized system that streamlined its business processes. Vopak envisioned a singular, global way of working across five continents. To help realize this vision, Vopak turned to Cognizant for our expertise in global scalability, business process optimization, technology and organizational change management.

Our approach

Vopak’s transformation journey began with a series of consultations, starting with a big-picture assessment of its business goals, including eliminating non-value-adding activities. After an in-depth analysis, the company selected the software-as-a-service-based Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Cloud. As part of our strategic Oracle ERP Cloud implementation we created a rollout scheme that groups and sequences countries logically, and the resulting time-saving insights apply to future rollouts.

We also reinforced country-by-country adoption with a Lean change management approach and end-user training, including standardized modules for impact assessment, stakeholder engagement, a change agent network, communication and locally adaptable training materials. When COVID-19 regulations posed a unique set of challenges mid-implementation due to varied government responses to the pandemic, Vopak trusted Cognizant’s guidance and boldly committed to the launch schedules and we were able to deliver the first phase of implementations on time. To maximize our blended learning approach developed before the pandemic, we combined e-learning, webinars and virtual classrooms to alleviate the challenges COVID-19 posed.

Sound strategy accommodates business priorities amid uncertainty

Cognizant’s strategic planning process helped Vopak benefit from digital transformation quickly. This change management methodology has proven practical in empowering Vopak staff to embrace digitization: 90% of trained employees say they use the new skills and processes. Our blended learning approach helps prevent rollout delays, supporting on-time delivery for Australia and Singapore, and ensures error-free data migration. While digital transformation helped advance Vopak’s immediate goals, it also ensures enduring success, reduces operational costs, generates business insights and valuable service opportunities, and  identifies and removes operational inefficiencies.

Up to 20% savings

on back office functions

90% of trained employees

use the new skills and processes

11 terminals

operations were optimized