BRISTOW WORLD

THE VALUE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYTOP-LINE GROWTH• CUSTOMER SATISFACTION• INNOVATION & DIFFERENTIATION• ACQUISITION INTEGRATIONBOTTOM-LINE SAVINGSRISK MANAGEMENT• SHARED SERVICES• WORKFLOW AUTOMATION• PAPER TO DIGITAL• AUTOMATED CONTROLS• REAL-TIME INFORMATION• BUSINESS CONTINUITYSTANDARDIZATIONIt is important that IT has the skills to create an enterprise architecturefor our data, information and knowledge and can create an applicationarchitecture that hides the complexity from the organization but at thesame time enables work to be done easily and efficiently. Innovation isanother theme. The most mature IT organizations help deliver value atthe customer interface. Looking ahead, I see great opportunities for IT atBristow to contribute at these levels.“IT is a major part of the Bristow team andcritical to the advancement of the company.”We are also working on enhancing our IT partner network. We arelooking to establish key relationships with three or four IT companies thathave the depth and knowledge at a global level to provide us with the scaleand services we will need in the future.Q. What is your assessment of Bristow’s currentInformation Technology?A: As a whole, I believe the rotary wing service industry is not as advancedin their use of Information Technology as the fixed-wing industry or theoilfield service industry where we mostly operate and where I was prior tojoining Bristow.There are important lessons and experiences that can come fromboth of these sectors that we can apply. There are a lot of opportunitiesaround electronic integration with clients and suppliers, as well as the useof integrated and standard enterprise-wide application platforms that canprovide the data we need to make better decisions.Our competition is probably similar to us, but it’s more important torealize that there is a higher benchmark out there for us to aim for.Q. Information Technology has transformed its role inorganizations in the past decade. How are you aligning tothe modern view of Information Technology?A: This is an interesting question. You are correct in that InformationTechnology organizations take on a lot more roles in today’s complexand demanding world. In many companies, the IT function is the onlyfunction that really understands all of the business processes and how theyinterrelate at the data and business process level. Information architectureis the key – as mentioned earlier, standardization moves complexity toone place. This place is generally within the Information Technologyorganization.Q: How does an efficient and effective IT system contributeto the company’s ability to fulfill its Client Promise?A: IT plays a huge role in the Client Promise. The Client Promise is ourway of improving safety and service quality for our clients. This comprisesa Target Zero for safety incidences, downtime and complaints. Our safetyinformation systems provide the visibility and analysis of incidents to drivecontinuous improvement. Flight operations, MRO and supply chain systemshelp us run smoothly and reduce delays, and the systems that interactwith our clients contribute to their satisfaction. Improvements in theseapplications and the way we manage our information will help us achieveour Target Zero goals and meet the Client Promise.One opportunity for information technology is to streamline theentire process of reporting key performance indicator (KPI) data. As westandardize and put enterprise systems in place, our data will becomemore reliable, consistent and accurate. Demonstrating our premium valuecan’t be done without information and the technology needed to collect it.Data collection is a bit of a tortuous process right now, and we need it tobecome automated in the future. A press of a button is what we need.Q: Are there specific actions employees can take tosupport the new strategy?A: Yes. As we start to define more enterprise-wide applications, thereare going to be a lot of workshops to enable people to start participating.We have held some of these already, and I am very pleased at the levelof support for change. I’m collaborative by nature and encourage moreinclusiveness in these processes. I encourage everyone to send me theirideas (steve.sidney@bristowgroup.com) about how we as a company canget more standard practices and more-efficient business processes. I try torespond to every email I receive from employees.It’s well known that the success of any new program depends on theway the change is managed. I encourage everyone to be open to changeand help the company move toward more standard ways of working.Ultimately it will benefit everyone, because this effort will lead to moreefficiency, greater competitiveness and more profitability.Information technology is more than a computer on a desk. It is a majorpart of the Bristow team and critical to the advancement of the company.Technology can make a major contribution if it’s channeled in the right way.Bristow World 2008 / Issue 7II7