Competence Management within the business was previously carried out using paper-based assessment processes that were extremely resource-intensive.  Competence levels were recorded using Excel and scanned documents.  Harsco Rail realised that this process was old-fashioned and open to potential human error.

The challenges surrounding the intensive use of resources were inhibiting the business’s growth, limiting the scope of operational safety, and making internal system management processes both procedural and transactional.  Assessments were extremely limited, and there were challenges around the continuous analysis and management of the assessments. Continuous improvement was restricted due to the excessive time restraints required to record assessments and capture feedback.

As a business, Harsco Rail is focused on leading the industry in terms of best practices and wanted to overhaul this element of their processes to eliminate these inefficiencies. They engaged with AssessTech to help them create an electronic competence management approach.

Harsco Rail reviewed the three main providers in the marketplace.  They knew AssessTech from previous projects and were impressed with their capabilities and characteristics. They felt that ACMS offered them value for money and the capabilities they required, making them the optimum choice for Harsco Rail.

AssessTech digitalised the current competence management processes and standards of Harsco Rail and, through ACMS, created an electronic CMS. Enhancements were made to the platform that allowed it to accommodate their variable engineering and maintenance staff capabilities.

ACMS has now become a key component of everyday life at Harsco Rail.  It provides several core benefits to the organisation, including;