Honorable Mention at the SAP Innovation Awards 2021 for Marelli’s Global HR Transformation Project

Marelli, one of the leading independent players on the world automotive stage, is working to transform the future of mobility to create a safer, greener, better connected world. The company was formed in 2019, bringing together Japanese firm Calsonic Kansei and Italian firm Magneti Marelli to create an internationally recognisable brand, known for manufacturing excellence and innovation. 

It’s this capacity for innovation, extending beyond the core of the business to permeate the entire organisation, which was recognised with an honorable mention for the company at the SAP Innovation Awards 2021. The recognition was given for the Global HR Transformation project, embarked on with the support of partner company Alight (previously NGA Human Resources, now part of the Alight Solutions group).

This ambitious HR transformation initiative began in March 2020, aiming to unify the management of Marelli’s 60,000 employees across four continents in terms of both processes (administrative and development-related alike) and technological support systems. The starting point was a very varied HR setting, something that’s typical of mergers between two highly structured organisation.  The HR transformation project also sought to create a new, consolidated corporate culture, one that could transcend the deeply rooted legacies of Magneti Marelli and Calsonic Kansei and incorporate them into a new and unique corporate vision.

Two variables made the planning and, most importantly, the implementation of the project launch more complex: extremely strict timelines and the addition of the pandemic, which made it necessary to manage a project on this scale entirely virtually for the first time.

Complexity, remote working, and nerve-racking deadlines: these difficulties were tackled successfully thanks to team spirit and practical experience: “Strong synergy between the client and the supplier, combined with the team’s commitment to achieving the target, were vital in allowing us to overcome unprecedented challenges, such as the social distancing required due to COVID. I have no doubt that these factors will be equally vital as we tackle what lies ahead over the next few months,” says Luca Saracino, President of Alight International.  “From the very beginning, this project has re-affirmed the value of confidence and governance capability that only substantial experience in international transformation programs can bring.”

The project as a whole involves implementing a global HRIS platform on SAP SuccessFactors technology for standardised management of all Marelli’s administrative processes and talent (Learning, Performance & Goal, Succession Planning, Compensation, Recruiting) worldwide, together with integrated development of Payroll and Time Management processes using Alight’s proprietary solution. SAP Concur was the solution chosen for travel and expense management.
sThe program also capitalises on the potential offered by SAP Fiori to create customied functionalities, based on Client needs, and optimise the user experience and automation.

When the program is complete, Marelli will benefit from a single Human Capital Management solution for 24 countries, offering simplified, standardised processes and incentivising employees to get involved in the transformation that is taking place. Its success when it comes to involving employees is already visible in the 97% adoption rate achieved in five weeks, in the first performance campaign managed using the new solution.

We are honored to partner with and support Marelli during this exciting time and in the coming period. We would like to congratulate the leaders of the initiative once again on their ability to stay one step ahead, and for playing an active role in this collective effort to re-imagine the future of Human Resources.