Digital transformation
02.

Digital transformation

The strategic focus for 2020

The pandemic produced by COVID-19 accelerated the digital transformation of the companies. At GEB, we found new ways to carry out the processes with better results.
TGI smiles from workstation with five desktop computers.

We transformed our processes to become more competitive. TGI employee at control station

Why is it important?

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The digital transformation is the opportunity we have as a Corporate Group to innovate and address present and future challenges. For this reason, it is one of our central objectives, which we defined in 2019, to which end we have in place a 2019-2025 Information Technology Strategic Plan.

In 2020, the pandemic became an opportunity to mobilize and accelerate our digital transformation in two key areas:

  • Maintaining the operation of our services with high efficiency levels.
  • Advise and provide information to our employees to carry out the work outside the offices, given that most of them began to work at home.

We made positive progress in this organizational change, in which the people, the processes and the Business Model are leveraged by technology as a tool that has an impact on the trends of the electricity and gas sector, and which creates value for consumers, employees and stakeholders.

Gradually we all begin to speak the same language of technology, with topics such as innovation in processes, use of collaborative tools, greater processing and interconnectivity capabilities, robotics and artificial intelligence, security and cybersecurity, among others.

How we manage it

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When the pandemic arrived, we designed and activated the protocols required to quickly adopt the new technologies in our processes, and also we transformed our support services to respond to inquiries and deploy assistance through remote channels.

We also equipped employees’ homes with screens and other tools to improve their ergonomics, and provided advice to enable them to perform their duties with no inconveniences and with safety.

During 2020, we changed our Service Model through outsourcing, which also had to adapt to the new normality of work, and we received direct support from our software suppliers, including Microsoft, SAP and Oracle, to manage the projects.

During 2020, there were no significant delays in projects, such as the implementation of SAP S4Hana, which was the most relevant, or in any of the other projects of the program.

We also measured our performance in managing the digital transformation in terms of the implementation of the projects that are part of the NIDO program (Innovation, Integration, Digital Development and Optimization, for the Spanish original), a set of solutions that leverage digital thinking to find new ways of carrying out our processes and achieve better results, with the highest international standards.

A significant increase was also reported on the indicators of use of collaborative tools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which required distance working. An example is the use of Microsoft Teams, which increased from 14,102 collaborative meetings in February 2020 to 91,242 in June 2020.

We held webinars, virtual conferences and other events to promote the activities with employees and their families: there were over 700 participants in these sessions.

Our affiliates also took big strides in their technological innovations. Cálidda, for example, implemented the RPA technology to automate 30 manual processes, launched the portal to record supplier invoices and the portal for Non-Bank Financing for non-regulated businesses.

Our achievements in 2020

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We have an information security and cybersecurity model, as part of GEB’s management system, that applies to the affiliates.

  • We assisted our employees in the transition from physical presence to virtual work without affecting business operations.

  • We strengthened and transferred our security controls to a virtual work environment, and ensured the continuity of business activities thanks to the adoption of the Policy and Model of information security and cybersecurity, which are mandatory for GEB, the Transmission branch and all controlled subsidiaries.

  • We made progress in the implementation of projects that are part of the NIDO program at all Group affiliates, as follows:

    1. Strategic sourcing management, SAP Ariba: GEB and TGI.

    2. Human talent management, SAP Success Factor: GEB, TGI, Cálidda, Contugas and Trecsa.

    3. Travel management, SAP Concur: GEB.

    4. Property, operations and maintenance, environmental and social management: GEB.

    5. Definition of the documentation management model: All group companies.

    6. SAP S4Hana: Launch of phase IV of the Maturing and Value Creation Model, and re-implementation of the ERP system at all Group affiliates, plus the industry vertical - ISU, for the affiliates in Peru: Cálidda and Contugas.

  • In July, we implemented an electronic signature system (DocuSign), which has legal validity, and which enabled us to use digital signatures in documents and contracts. The use of this system has a direct effect on reducing the use of paper, and consequently, on environmental impact indicators, given that our objective is to become a paperless office.

  • We reinforced all aspects related to information security and cybersecurity in the transmission networks to prevent the risk of attacks and cyber-attacks, which enabled us to detect a single attempt at Cálidda and avoid any effects on the operation.

Theme groups vs. Maturity stage
Gráfica Grupos temáticos vs. Etapas de madurez

Click on the image to expand it

Our challenges for 2021

We will continue to strengthen digital thinking among employees, because the following stages of the digital transformation process focus on digital people.

  • Assess the use of artificial intelligence tools to monitor the health of our employees and to ensure their physical distancing and to monitor the biosafety protocols.

  • Continue to move forward in the development of the activities and projects of the 2019-2025 Information Technology Strategic Plan (PETI, for the Spanish original), defined and adopted by GEB, as follows:

    1. Strategic sourcing management, SAP Ariba: Cálidda, Contugas, Trecsa and Electro Dunas in 2021- 2022

    2. Human talent management, SAP Success Factor: Electro Dunas In 2021.

    3. SAP S4Hana: Consolidation of the ERP system plus the ISU vertical in all Group affiliates.

  • Perform and fulfill our roadmap of IT programs by the scheduled dates: data governance, datalab, automation and transformation of the operation, journey to cloud, information security and cybersecurity and strengthening of technological capabilities.