HR contributes to Şişecam’s global growth by digitising its record management

Customer Success Stories

HR contributes to Şişecam’s global growth by digitising its record management with Iron Mountain digital solutions

12 December 20256 mins

Industry

Glass and chemical manufacturing

Challenge

Digitise 149 types of paper-based personnel records going back to 1935 and scattered in 29 archive rooms across 17 locations in Turkey.

Solution

Iron Mountain® solution automates and streamlines compliant HR records management with highly secure document scanning and digital storage.

Value

13,000 records of active employees digitised
Up to 45 times faster access to critical personal information
Hundreds of hours saved in Shared Services Centre productivity
Ability to scale HR records while keeping real estate costs under control
1,200 m3 of carbon emissions were prevented

Expert glass producer

With 45 production facilities and 24,000 employees, Şişecam is one of the world’s leading glass and chemical manufacturers and innovators, generating more than half of its sales through exports to 150+ countries.

Like many organisations, the Şişecam HR department was bogged down by paper-based filing systems and labour-intensive workflows. All of which consumed precious time locating and searching through personnel files stored across multiple locations. That challenge was becoming increasingly untenable for a growing global company with operations spanning 14 countries and four continents.

“Employee information was getting harder and harder to manage,” said Cem Oğuz, Shared Service Centre Director of HR at Şişecam. “Our records dated back to 1935 and covered everything from initial negotiation minutes to personnel contracts, accident reports, etc.”

Preparing for a scalable digital future

Aligned with its sustainable growth strategy, CareforNext, Şişecam set about digitising its paper-based payroll and personnel management HR contributes to Şişecam’s global growth by digitising its record management Case study processes. This daunting task involved 149 different types of records scattered across 29 locations across Turkey.

A digitisation program was launched to automate records retrieval and free up staff for more important tasks. The initial focus was on streamlining HR records management throughout the company’s Istanbul headquarters and other Turkish production facilities. An approach that could be easily extended to Şişecam facilities in Bulgaria and Italy in 2025, and in 2026 to Romania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Hungary, Slovakia, Egypt, India and Georgia. The company needed first to find an experienced and reliable partner with proven global services and specialist support.

Managing employee information was getting harder and harder to manage. Our records dated back to 1935 and covered many employee data from initial negotiation minutes to personnel contracts, medical reports, etc.

Cem OğuzShared Service Centre Director of HR, Şişecam

“The project we did with Iron Mountain, a global leader in physical archiving and information management, reflects Şişecam’s digital transformation and data- driven insights approach,” added Cem Oğuz.

Meticulous planning and attention to detail

Iron Mountain® implemented a comprehensive solution to automate and streamline HR records management – combining document scanning and digital storage within a secure environment. The first step was preparing a detailed plan prioritising document for digitisation based upon demand, without compromising legal chain of custody policies and procedures.

Indexing around such a robust compliance framework and digitising, storing and making paper documents accessible for a large company like Şişecam required careful planning and accuracy. It also needed to easily scale to support global expansion, while always ensuring data privacy and protecting against potential breaches.

“During transportation and digitisation, we knew that we might not be able to access files briefly,” said Cem Oğuz. “However, there could still be redundancies of other HR matters that needed attention. So, we took cautionary measures with Iron Mountain to be able to handle those situations and prioritise urgent scanning requests.”

Preserving our history for the future

Scanning of the first 500 paper files commenced in September 2022 at the company’s glass production plant, established almost 90 years ago in Pasabahce. Iron Mountain specialists collected boxes from site, checked contents and located the correct active payroll and personnel files. Once prepped, scanned, and indexed using optical character recognition (OCR) technology, the digital files were securely uploaded to Şişecam’s web portal for easy access.

“After completing the work at Paşabahçe by January 2023, some 31,203 personnel files in 1,099 boxes were sent to the Iron Mountain facility. Where required, aging original documents were carefully restored using solutions like acid-free tape and envelopes to counter over-drying and safely protect them against possible deterioration,” noted Cem Oğuz.

Removing time and distance barriers

To date, Iron Mountain has scanned records associated with 66,000 leavers and 13,000 current workers. Those 79,000 digital files were seamlessly uploaded to the company’s archives. Besides, all active employees’ personnel documents were digitized by scanning 1.5 million pages. These 13,000 digital files, which were seamlessly uploaded to the company platform, are now integrated with various SAP applications and managed effortlessly.

“Before, it could take up to 30-90 minutes to locate paper-based payroll and personnel information from an employee file that might contain several hundred pages,” said Cem Oğuz. “Now, with our accurate index, a digital record can be retrieved within 2 minutes or less. Plus, our Shared Services Centre teams can now collaborate more efficiently with other departments – from the office, their home, or other Şişecam sites worldwide.”

Inactive documents requiring retention were returned to archive at Iron Mountain’s state of the art, secure warehouse. Effectively, placing the business at significantly less risk of personal information being stolen, mislaid, or damaged by excessive temperature and humidity levels, or natural disasters like earthquakes and floods.

“Thanks to their RFID technology, we have complete visibility and control over our original paper inventory at all times,” said Cem Oğuz. “So, we can pinpoint a file’s exact location when responding to stakeholders and auditors.”

Sustainability accelerated

Reducing the need for onsite archiving has freed-up valuable office workspace, enabling the business – and HR records – to grow without continually increasing real estate costs.

Digitisation has also sparked further sustainability projects within Şişecam. For example, instead of using 2,100 kg of non- recyclable plastic folders belonging to 7,000 active employees, eco- friendly boxes made from 100% recyclable materials were designed and put into use. That way, approximately 1,200 m3 of carbon emissions were prevented. Carbon emissions/energy consumption that could have occurred during the logistics of old-style personnel files were reduced by 75 percent. In other words, Şişecam made a significant contribution to environmental sustainability by reducing its carbon footprint.

“We always think of Iron Mountain as a reliable business partner,” concluded Övünç Oğretmen, HR Payroll and Personnel Manager at Şişecam. “Our success is empowering our employees and guiding our international facilities across the world.”

Before, it could take up to 30-90 minutes to locate paper-based payroll and personnel information from an employee file that might contain several hundred pages. With our accurateindex, that digital record can now be retrieved within 2 minutes or less.

Cem OğuzShared Service Centre Director of HR, Şişecam