How ArcelorMittal gave supervisors the qualification and training oversight to act independently

Five systems duct-taped together

ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks Gent produces laser-welded steel blanks for the automotive industry. Managing the training and qualification records for its staff meant pulling data from SAP, an e-learning system, and multiple Excel spreadsheets simultaneously, then hoping the picture that emerged was accurate.

“We used to have to lash four or five systems together to extract any semblance of an overview,” said Wouter De Smet, Training Coordinator at ArcelorMittal.

Supervisors had no meaningful way to retrieve information from SAP. De Smet gave them lists, but the lists were so long they were effectively useless, and planning suffered as a result.

A user manual nobody needed

De Smet wrote a user manual for the AG5 rollout. Nobody used it – not because they ignored it, but because the system was so easy to use that it wasn’t necessary.

“The migration went very smoothly, even for the end users,” he said. “AG5’s system is just so intuitive and extremely easy to use. You can explain it to someone in just a few minutes.”

The only concern going in was data continuity, specifically, what would happen to skills records if AG5 ceased to operate. De Smet had that eventuality covered contractually before going live.

I’ve noticed that my work as a training coordinator has changed. I can now delegate greater responsibility to our supervisors because they have the insights and overview they need to act independently.

Wouter De Smet

Training Coordinator, ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks Gent

Audit-ready down to the individual

ArcelorMittal holds ISO certification for QHSE. When auditors arrive, they work from the top of the organisation down, checking that senior managers and individual staff members tell a consistent story about training structure and qualifications.

“Staff can see that they need to fulfil, say, 60 or 80 requirements and that they still have a way to go,” De Smet said. “Now they can approach their managers to discuss options for their continued professional development.”

AG5 also provides protection in a more serious scenario. In the event of an industrial accident, the platform gives ArcelorMittal the ability to demonstrate to authorities exactly what training the employee involved had completed for the task they were performing.

It was no problem for me to enter all our training requirements into AG5. Statutory training courses, in-house courses, holding company e-learning programs. You name it, it’s all there.

Wouter De Smet

Training Coordinator, ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks Gent

A role that changed

Skills matrix access has expanded from De Smet alone to include supervisors and line managers throughout the organization. The planning conversations now happen independently, driven by people who can see the data themselves.

“I used to direct them as to who needed which training courses. Now the supervisors organise training,” he said.