Siemens Healthineers, a worldwide leader and innovator in healthcare, enhance the product lifecycle of mobile devices for its 70,000 employees across 75 countries. By implementing a globally scalable Mobile-as-a-Service (MaaS) solution, devices are delivered more quickly, replaced at the end of their lifecycle and downtime is significantly reduced.
Managing devices in a multinational corporation with 70,000 employees is extremely complex and impacts various teams, each facing unique challenges.
Modern Workplace leaders faced common ‘legacy issues’, where the focus on optimising hardware costs frequently overshadowed considerations of usability.
The COVID pandemic has led to the widespread adoption of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) within the company, creating security concerns for the IT and CSO departments. The challenges related to effective portfolio management and the upkeep of a global equipment inventory impeded precise demand forecasting and total cost of ownership (TCO) assessments. Furthermore, buyers encountered issues arising from disrupted supply chains.
Siemens Healthineers aimed to provide an outstanding user experience through Mobile-as-a-Service. Economically, the aim was to convert capital expenditure (CAPEX) for hardware into operating expenses (OPEX) to enable more predictable cost management. Furthermore, there was a focus on reducing litigation costs. Environmentally, the goal was to improve sustainability through efficient lifecycle management.
From individual solution to standardised process
To accomplish these objectives, solution integrator Insight customised its global Device-as-a-Service (DaaS) solution to address the intricate requirements of Siemens Healthineers. ‘Flex for Devices’ is a DaaS model that combines product-related services at transparent monthly costs per device. Customers have the option to purchase, finance or lease primary equipment from their chosen manufacturers. Insight enhances these offerings with services that encompass the entire lifecycle of the devices, from sourcing to disposal.
For Siemens Healthineers, Insight’s assistance commenced with the selection of mobile devices. Acting as a vendor-neutral advisor, Insight guided the decision-making process that resulted in Apple devices becoming the primary product line, complemented by accessories from various OEMs. This standardisation represented a significant step toward implementing effective portfolio management, which is essential for precise forecasting and budgeting practice.
Real-time inventory availability reporting became possible. In collaboration with the project stakeholders from Siemens Healthineers, Insight created a stockpiling strategy to ensure optimal availability while minimising risks. Through its sales and integration centres, along with its partners, Insight is capable of delivering the necessary multinational coverage.
“Out of our 70,000 employees across 75 countries, over 95% are expected to benefit from our new lifecycle management. The global scope of the solution is truly remarkable,” said Dr Stefan Henkel, CIO Siemens Healthineers.
“With Insight’s DaaS model, we have effectively reduced hardware delivery times for employees globally from weeks or even months to just a few days, while also decreasing process costs. The fulfilment rate for our Service Level Agreements concerning Delivery Performance and Response Time for Service Requests stands at 99.5%,” added Dr Henkel.
Simultaneously, specialists from both parties collaborated to link the Insight and Siemens Healthineers systems through ServiceNow connectors. This integration streamlined the ordering and approval processes at Siemens Healthineers, minimised repetitive tasks for purchasing teams, ensured order accuracy, and enhanced order fulfilment efficiency, thereby greatly improving the employee user experience.
Product-related services enhance productivity
Insight applies a protective film to all Apple iPhones to reduce damage. As a result, the rate of defective devices has been lowered to less than 0.5%. This reduction in damage not only decreases transportation costs and emissions but also enhances productivity and improves the user experience for employees.
Bundling plays a crucial role in sustainability. With equipment and accessories readily available, Insight can deliver all components to the employee’s home or branch office in one package. This reduction in the number of shipments directly helps decrease Siemens Healthineers’ carbon footprint.
Repairing defective devices prolongs their lifecycle. Outdated devices are reintegrated into the product cycle as refurbished hardware. This approach is beneficial for both budgets and resources.
In collaboration with Insight, Siemens Healthineers has implemented a new refresh process. This updated procedure ensures proper tracking of devices. The refresh process is seamlessly integrated into the device lifecycle, allowing users to automatically receive a new device when their previous one reaches End of Life (EOL) status. Each shipment of new devices includes a return label for the EOL device, streamlining the return process. Prior to resale or recycling, the returned hardware undergoes a certified data erasure procedure. Controlled returns ensures that end-of-life (EOL) devices do not pose safety risks or are improperly disposed of, preventing the company from losing the residual value of the device.
Quantifiable results demonstrate success
Siemens Healthineers and Insight first introduced the model in Germany before extending it to EMEA, the US and Asia. Real-time results were continuously assessed against the targeted KPIs, leading to refined common objectives. It quickly became evident that the outcomes surpassed initial expectations. After 18 months of the project, Siemens Healthineers can highlight several significant achievements:
Innovation: The quality of equipment and services for Siemens Healthineers employees has improved. There are now user-friendly, traceable and dependable processes in place for all stakeholders. Hardware updates are performed automatically, ensuring the use of the latest device generations.
Resilience: Effective break-and-fix protocols facilitate rapid equipment repairs, thereby enhancing user satisfaction and at the same time lowering process costs. Additionally, the utilisation of local or regional warehouses streamlines logistical processes.
Efficiency: By implementing optimised global portfolio management, Siemens Healthineers enhances control, sustainability performance, audit and privacy security, compliance and user satisfaction. Insight achieves a 99.5% SLA performance and response time target on a worldwide scale. Furthermore, financial efficiency is expected to improve with the introduction of an OPEX model.
Dr Henkel said: “Our objectives were ambitious, and our requirements were both high and complex. With the new solution, we have effectively managed this complexity.”
