Stadtwerke München

Successful QM in practice: Stadtwerke München

Integrated management system for supply and technology in the state capital: For many years, Stadtwerke München (SWM) has been synonymous with the secure supply of energy and drinking water to private and business customers. It operates a top-rated public transport system and 18 indoor and leisure pools. With more than 7,000 employees, they are one of the major employers in the city with over a million inhabitants. For more than a decade, the Utilities and Technology Division, which covers water production, power generation and distribution systems for gas, electricity, drinking water and district heating, has been using an integrated quality, environment and occupational safety management system (SHEQ). As this has grown steadily since then, those responsible decided around five years ago to reorganise their system in technical and organisational terms.  They relied on the know-how of ConSense GmbH.

SWM's wish list for the reorganisation was long. “We wanted to make the processes that apply to each employee visible at the click of a mouse in order to increase system acceptance in the long term. In addition, our requirements for the new system included higher process transparency, audit-proof documentation and process control as well as optimised compliance, i.e. the best possible proof of organisational security. We also attached importance to the smooth transfer of existing documents," explains Peter Kandlbinder, who accompanied the implementation as project manager.  Around 3,500 SWM employees now work with ConSense IMS and appreciate the noticeable improvements in their daily business.  The new software compactly maps the regulations and processes relevant to each corporate division.  If there are changes, automatic notifications are sent to the relevant area of application.  ConSense IMS' systematic search function, among other things, has proven its worth in everyday work.  It facilitates daily routine and ensures that the documents and templates managed in the system are actually used in practice. For certification according to ISO 9001, it is absolutely necessary to map and describe all processes that take place in the company. This would hardly be possible in many areas without the interactive possibilities offered by ConSense IMS. The new system also provides support when commissioning external service providers, such as those who lay house connections for supply lines. The system allows for the rapid compilation of all required documents and a quick response to queries from contractors. 

Five years after the start of the project, Bernhard Ritzenhoff, who is in overall charge of the management system in supply engineering, draws a positive balance: “The introduction of ConSense IMS was a complete success. All employees accepted the system because the design of the processes is so simple and user-friendly, that we were able to achieve a great gain in transparency. In addition, the audit and action modules introduced in the last two years ensure that database-oriented secure processes are also implemented.  In the near future, we plan to introduce workflows using ConSense FORMS and are investigating to what extent the training system can be integrated into the system, for example, for legally required mandatory training and instruction".