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What is the digitalisation challenge?
The waste management industry is under pressure to innovate. Digitalisation and data optimisation are key. The industry needs to modernise customer solutions and business systems, making good use of high-quality data and delivering robust and secure infrastructure.
But digitalisation must involve people. Culture and capability are critical to project success.
The waste management industry of Central Norway saw an opportunity to collaborate in digitalisation. This is how ReIT was born.
The aim of ReIT is to strengthen the digital competence and capacity in the Norwegian waste management industry, so that digital solutions can be jointly developed, providing added value for owners, customers and employees. ReIT is designed to be a catalyst
for developing and gaining access to the necessary expertise, and contribute to developing a customer- and data-driven culture at the partner companies.
"The waste industry must keep up with developments and follow new requirements for recycling and circular value chains. With Sopra Steria on the team, we have put in place a common strategy, a solid collaboration model and come a long way," Frode Erlandsen, Chairman of the board of ReIT AS and Chair of the steering group of ReIT Innovation
Value for the customer
"ReIT helps to increase partner companies' ability to innovate and adapt. We have succeeded in establishing good collaboration arenas, working towards common goals and making improvements together. Together, we achieve more than we can do individually.
This is, among other things, about gathering expertise and resources, and building up a system that increases competence and reduces vulnerability," says Frode Erlandsen, Chairman of the board of ReIT AS and Chair of the steering group of ReIT Innovation.
The project portfolio in ReIT is continuing to expand. Work is being done on solutions across customer interface, business systems, data flow and data modelling, data platform and infrastructure.
"All the good work that is now being done also puts us in a better position to meet the Government's digitalisation strategy. Specifically, this means that the establishment of the integration platform is a solid basis for smooth exchange of data exchange
with the owners of ReIT," Torbjørn Evjen, Head of the Customer and Technology Committee at ReIT
A key focus area is on putting in place common standards and a common digital business model. Through innovation collaboration, a need has emerged for a robust and secure infrastructure, with the creation of a company that will deliver the operation and
development of a common cloud-based infrastructure solution.
"Our core activity is logistics, and good data capture is important to be able to optimise processes and deliveries. We are now establishing a customer and data-driven culture that supports this," adds Torbjørn Evjen.
Professional groups within ReIT are gathering resources from partner companies that bring different expertise. These groups are an important forum for sharing experience and knowledge across companies, and for identifying and solving common needs.
"We achieve more and become better together, both in terms of developing people, setting common standards, improving processes and using new technology," continues Torbjørn Evjen.
"This is about culture and that the people have to be involved! We are on our way to setting a new standard for the waste management industry in our region, and perhaps also across Norway in the slightly longer term.”
How Sopra Steria contributed: Expertise and resources
As a new collaboration, ReIT needed extra power, and this is where Sopra Steria came in. Ever since the strategy foundation and collaboration model were established, we have provided expertise and resources in line with the needs as the work progresses.
"Sopra Steria has a dedicated team that works with ReIT on a daily basis. The team works with strategy development and realisation, daily management, process support, program management and project management. This ensures continuity and execution power.
In addition, we bring in other subject matter experts when needed. In this way, Sopra Steria can be a strategic partner that pushes and supports the ReIT companies through a comprehensive digital transformation," Eli Ystad, Director Advisory, Sopra Steria
We have also assisted with specialist expertise in areas such as public procurement, digital transformation, digital technology, IT security and IT infrastructure.
"Sopra Steria has played a crucial role as a strategic partner in ReIT's transformation into an efficient and targeted project organisation. They have been a driving force in giving us clear direction and increasing our speed in realising our ambitions.
It would not have been the same without Sopra Steria," says Frode Erlandsen, Chairman of the Board of ReIT
About ReIT
The collaboration started with a joint strategy process in the autumn of 2020. On the basis of this, ReIT Innovation was established in 2021. ReIT AS was recently established to take care of the partner waste management companies' internal IT operations.
ReIT AS also hosts ReIT Innovation.
The collaboration covers almost 500,000 inhabitants and has a total turnover of just over one billion kroner. The partners are:
- Søndre Helgeland Miljøverk IKS
- Midtre Namdal Avfallsselskap IKS Innherred Renovasjon IKS
- ReMidt IKS
- Romsdalshalvøya Interkommunale Renovasjonsselskap IKS
- Attvin AS