April 4, 2023
(press release)
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A Shared Business Service Center (BSC) can offer a number of benefits to a company. The core promise is that it will increase efficiency and reduce costs by consolidating support services and expertise like accounting, human resources, IT, procurement, and so on. An effective BSC can also provide improved controls, data-driven insights, and efficient standard processes. In order words, lots of business potential. These are all benefits that make business sense, but they will remain benefits in theory only unless they are unlocked through well planned execution. When Trivium was formed through a merger in late 2019, a BSC was an important part of the company’s strategy to excel administratively. Late 2019 was also when COVID-19 hit. Merging two global manufacturing companies can be challenging enough. Adding a global pandemic raises the bar even further. Deciding to create an BSC from scratch at the same time, may seem like madness, but the objective was clear: we were building the leader in metal packaging and creating an effective and efficient administrative backbone was critical. There was no time to wait. Budapest in Hungary was chosen as the location for Trivium’s BSC. Hungary is a well-established player when it comes to BSCs employing around 64,000 people making the industry one of the top if not the number one employer in the country. The obvious challenge was COVID-19. The pandemic did not just affect Trivium as all businesses had to figure out how to make work work in this new reality. With quarantines and social distancing in effect, we had to build a team, create trust, communicate well, and deliver in a virtual environment. In addition, we were faced with a market where competition for talent was significant. Hungary is a desirable location for Shared Business Service Centers, and Trivium was competing with big brand names. We had to offer something unique and something beyond just financial remuneration to attract talent. We also faced internal challenges. As mentioned, Trivium had just been formed and was starting its overall transformation. That meant the foundation in terms of common tools, processes, and culture was being built as we were creating the Shared Business Service Center. As a result, new legacy ways-of-working were discovered almost every day that forced us to adapt tactical plans quickly. If that wasn’t enough, we also experienced a serious cyber security attack in early 2021 which shifted the short-term priorities for the entire company for a number of weeks. I could be tempted to say that we managed to build a BSC despite these challenges, but I prefer to say that we succeeded because of the challenges. When faced with a constantly shifting environment, you simply have to focus on what you can control. Leadership commitment gave the creation of the BSC the right strategic focus. The objective and role of the services were clear and how we fit into the business strategy made sense. This gave the project a strong mandate and a clear north star from the start. The ambition level was high from the beginning, and everybody saw the potential that an effective BSC could bring. The temptation to over-reach was ever present, but we decided to move at a phased and deliberate pace. Simply put – we slowed down to go fast. In 2022 we had successfully completed more than ten administration processes for 5 countries covering Finance and Procurement from accounts receivables and billing activities to cash collection and credit management. A strong focus on creating a good work environment was key to succeeding in a competitive employment market. We keep our colleagues informed and involved through townhalls, roundtable discussions, and Floor Walks where the different functions present their work. Members of our C-suite are regular visitors and participate in the communication forums. We ensure we stay close to the business by arranging factory visits, and our office in Budapest is an eco-friendly office with furniture made from the same materials that we use for our products. We have a Recognition and Award program that acknowledges individuals and teams based on our core values of Passion, Teamwork, and Excellence, and a robust Inclusion & Diversity program helps keep diversity top of mind. It’s also important that we demonstrate that we are part of the communities in our area, so we support local kindergartens and schools. Employee Resource Groups have been key to establishing employee involvement as the norm. These groups are run by our employees and help arrange volunteering opportunities and social events from quiz-nights to yoga mornings. These groups have been instrumental in creating a healthy work environment and helps keep a finger on the pulse so we can address employee concerns early. These efforts are proving effective as our employee turnover is less than 5%, our employee satisfaction is in the top quartile, and we’ve been recognised with several industry awards since our formation. We were also able to turn the 2021 cyber security attack into a unifying event. Although the team in Budapest was in its infancy, we were able to roll up our sleeves along our global colleagues to speed up the recovery. Our journey towards administrative excellence is well under way. Today we have 197 employees from 10 different countries speaking 15 different languages. The average age is 36 and 92% hold a university degree. Diversity has been an important factor from the beginning, and the split between men and women is fairly even. We are currently focusing on 4 main service areas: Finance, Procurement, IT, and Human Resources. Even though we’ve come along way, we still have a lot of work to do. It will also be important to focus on continuous training for our colleagues in the BSC to make sure we build expertise and do not stagnate. The goal is to make sure Trivium’s administration becomes a commercial advantage which means continuous development is key. The last 3 years have given us more challenges than anyone could have predicted. That is unlikely to change. We are facing a new reality. To ensure we roll with the punches, we need to stay agile and responsive. The key will be to standardise how to manage fast and unexpected changes in a predictable and quick way.
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