IBM > Case Studies > ABT Power Management: Empowering Business Growth Through Collaborative Learning

ABT Power Management: Empowering Business Growth Through Collaborative Learning

Technology Category

Other - Battery
Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms

Applicable Industries

Education
Electrical Grids

Use Cases

Inventory Management
Virtual Training

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
Training

About The Customer

ABT Power Management is a family-owned company that provides engineered solutions for DC powered applications in material handling and reserve power applications. The company performs extensive assessments to achieve the highest levels of efficiency for its clients’ battery fleets. In less than two decades, ABT has grown from a start-up company to one of the most successful suppliers of industrial power solutions in the southeastern United States, and a disruptive force for power management innovation across North America. The company's growth and success have been built on the highest standards, an entrepreneurial spirit, and the hard work and dedication of its employees.

The Challenge

ABT Power Management, a family-owned company that provides engineered solutions for DC powered applications, was facing a significant challenge. As the company grew and took on new customers, it realized the need to increase its headcount. However, the transfer of technical knowledge to new employees, essential for delivering exceptional customer services, posed a significant hurdle. In the early days, institutional knowledge was stored in the minds of company experts, who had vast experience working in the industry. As the company expanded, it needed a new way to store and share institutional knowledge effectively with new members of its team. The challenge was to find a solution that could bridge the gap between classroom learning and professional learning, enabling new employees to get up to speed on the industry faster and more efficiently.

The Solution

ABT Power Management decided to combine hands-on training with digital learning to accelerate its training programs and enable rapid business growth. The company realized that a learning management system with social capabilities would be the ideal solution. After researching ten different learning solutions, ABT chose IBM® Kenexa® LMS on Cloud. This solution offered personalization features so that content could be tailored to a specific audience, job title, and role, and delivered in a specific language. Mobile content was also accessible and tracked on the IBM Kenexa LMS, allowing workers outside the office to access mobile content and support material no matter where they were. Working together with a team from IBM, ABT deployed the solution in just three months, enabling it to start realizing the benefits of the new platform rapidly.

Operational Impact

With the implementation of IBM® Kenexa® LMS on Cloud, ABT Power Management has been able to support its growing business effectively. The company can now take on and train new employees to deliver the high-quality services that its customers have come to expect. Since the IBM solution went live, the company has grown to more than 80 people—a 60 percent increase in the size of its workforce. Each ABT employee completes about 40 hours of training per year, but technicians are required to receive up to 80 hours because their work is so specialized. The IBM solution provides a formal and accessible way to share this technical knowledge, freeing the most experienced field technicians to devote less time to training and more time to delivering high-quality services to customers.

Quantitative Benefit