At IVBO, the Bruges waste intermunicipal company, the organisation is at a tipping point. Where they were once the classic waste processor, they have evolved into a manager of material flows and sustainable solutions. In that changing landscape, digitalisation plays a crucial role. Together with Sofatech, IVBO is building a flexible, secure and future-oriented IT environment.
From waste treatment to materials management
‘We are in full transition,’ Jan explains. "We are moving from processing waste to managing materials. Circularity, reuse, energy production via residual flows: these are all themes that are radically changing our work.
Our facilities and processes must become smarter, our data must be used more richly and our employees must grow in that story."
IT is a necessary pillar in this. "The continuity of our services, from collection to processing, must be guaranteed. IT is no longer purely supportive."
ondersteunend.”
The need for a robust and flexible environment
At IVBO, it was clear: their existing IT infrastructure needed revamping. ‘We had outdated systems, applications scattered in too many places and there was not enough scalability,’ says Jan. ‘That's why we switched to a whole new environment together with Sofatech.’
The benefits of the switch were quickly felt, but also remain an ongoing process in a fast-changing world. Work was and is being done
to scalability, to adding capacity when the need arises. Availability remains assured, even in the event of maintenance or an incident. General security and cybersecurity will be monitored more strictly, partly in function of the NIS2 directive.
And costs were also optimised without sacrificing quality and control.
The basic software was upgraded and unified: IVBO now works with Microsoft 365, Teams and SharePoint, among others, tools that not only enable technological innovation but are equally important for a change in the overall corporate culture.
Train and take away
New technology also requires new skills.
‘We don't want to just implement tools,’ says Jan. "Our people have to really use them ánd understand why we made those choices. That is why we put a lot of effort into training and adoption programmes to get to know the new features and embrace them. SharePoint is a good example of this:
we guide teams step by step in digital collaboration."
This focus on change management is essential, according to Jan: "Technology is only as strong as the people who work with it. Our employees are the key to success."
Smart data for better decisions
Data is playing an increasing role within IVBO. ‘We not only want to measure what we do, but also to be able to predict things and steer ourselves better,’ explains Jan.
‘Data from plants, sorting lines, recycling parks ... everything has to be integrated and usable.’
Sofatech helps there too. "Together we are building a data platform that provides insights: where are the peaks, where can we optimise processes, how do we make our installations smarter? That is crucial information to realise our strategic goals.
"The continuity of our services, from collection to processing, must be guaranteed. IT is no longer purely supportive."
Sustainability and innovation go hand in hand
IVBO invests heavily in sustainable projects to continuously improve themselves as well as their services.
There will be solar panels on the roofs and a large battery so as not to overload the grid itself. IVBO continues to produce energy from processing waste streams. People continue to look out for innovative sorting and recycling techniques and explore new possibilities around circular economy.
‘All those projects generate new data flows, new needs and new opportunities,’ says Jan. ‘Without a flexible IT environment and a reliable partner strong in IT, we would never be able to handle that speed and scale.’
Confidence in Sofatech
Jan describes working with Sofatech as a true partnership. "Sofatech knows our organisation, understands our challenges and thinks along proactively. They don't just bring technology to us. They look at our processes, our ambitions, our people and respond precisely to that."
What Jan particularly appreciates? "Honesty and commitment. Sofatech is not only there when everything goes smoothly, but also when things get difficult. That makes them a reliable long-term partner
for us with whom we are eager to tackle the challenges of the future."