Centric enables end-to-end HR SAP processes at SwissP Defence AG

SwissP Defence AG is the successor organization of RUAG Ammotec AG, a division of the Swiss technology group RUAG Ammotec, which was taken over by the Italian Beretta Holding in 2022. Until then, the company used the full range of RUAG Holding’s IT systems. After the sale, a reorientation was necessary. Swiss P Defence had to acquire its own systems, including an electronic employee file. Based on the excellent experiences enjoyed by its one-time sister company in Germany – RUAG Ammotec GmbH, which now operates under the name RWS GmbH – and its own market research, Swiss P Defence opted for Centric Employee File.

In SAP terms, the weapons manufacturer’s HR department is currently still working in hybrid mode: It’s partly using the old SAP HCM (payroll and time management) and partly working with SAP SuccessFactors. This doesn’t affect Centric Employee File, which is at home in both worlds.

Centric licensing model: The subscription model is perfect for SME

Even the first business impression of Centric Employee File was convincing. The company saw it as very SME friendly: It offered a much better cost-effectiveness ratio than the previous system and, above all, it offered a subscription model, with monthly fees and no need for a large initial investment. Specifically, for the Chief HR Officer of SwissP Defence AG this means: “The solution is simple and easy to understand, and we don’t have to spend a few thousand francs a year on it.” The team obtained valuable advice from RWS GmbH on implementing and using Employee File – they were able to go live very quickly.

During the implementation process, Centric and SwissP Defence’s IT department exactly replicated the register structure of the old files in the new employee files. “During the implementation process, we had very good cooperation with Centric, and the data transfer process went off without a hitch,” reports the Chief HR Officer.

The seven HR department staff members work in different buildings, with many also working from home. One major advantage of the electronic employee file is that documents can be accessed from anywhere. The HR team find the new system easy and intuitive to use; there was no need for lengthy training courses.

Implementation of Centric solutions: Speed is a clear advantage

ESS and MSS scenarios are not currently anticipated; at the moment, only HR staff have access. In general, there is a noticeable speed effect: It’s no problem to quickly view an employee document, be it in the office, at home, or in a meeting.

Digitalization to simplify HR processes for SMEs

The company’s HR department still uses plenty of paper, and many outgoing documents are still printed out, especially when signatures are required. “This is where an end-to-end system like Centric Employee File is very helpful, which makes it particularly interesting for SMEs,” says the Chief HR Officer. The reason is that it allows printed documents to be automatically entered into the corresponding employee dossier or register via a barcode. “This saves us unnecessary steps – a digitalization effect that simplifies our HR processes immensely.”

As with companies in other sectors, SwissP Defence is subject to the usual data protection regulations when it comes to the safety and integrity of personal data. According to the Chief HR Officer, an employee file solution for the defense sector thus does not need to have any special features.

The company is not yet using Centric’s HR Workflows, although it would certainly have great potential according to the Chief HR Officer. However, until electronic signatures are fully recognized in Switzerland, he’ll have to keep his foot on the brake. He is already in intensive discussions about it with the legal department. But the need for physical signatures is less of an obstacle at SwissP Defence than in multi-site organizations because all employees are based at one location. And, as mentioned above, paper documents can be digitized and added to the file extremely quickly thanks to barcodes.

Working with Word as usual: Document Builder automatically generates all standard documents

Swiss P has also introduced Centric Document Builder and already started to create document types. Thanks to its deep SAP integration, this tool for process-supported document creation supports automation and workflows. The text modules and integration of master data from SAP HCM and SAP SuccessFactors lighten the load for staff members, while they can continue to work in Microsoft Word as usual.

The Chief HR Officer can see the tool’s advantages: “We can automatically generate all standard documents based on the employee data from SuccessFactors. It works well; we’ve set up all the standardized documents in it. After training from Centric, we can also upload our own documents and populate them.” Nowadays, from the moment an employee is hired, their entire life cycle, from starting a new job to professional development to leaving the company, is handled using ready-made documents. In combination with the electronic Employee File, this is a model set-up for modern HR work at an innovative medium-sized company in Switzerland.