Digital Transformation of EPM Group Empresas Públicas de Medellín through IoT

EPM Group Empresas Públicas de Medellín, a public utility group providing services like energy, gas, water, and waste management, faced several challenges in their operations. The implementation of a digital platform for the EPM Shared Services center was a key part of the national plan to achieve synergies, economies of scale, savings, and standardization. However, during the creation of this new service area, several fundamental problems were detected. These included a lack of unified processes for support activities throughout the group, resulting in work duplication and dispersed functions. There were multiple technological platforms to support transactional activities in the various companies that make up the EPM Group. Synergies and economies of scale were lost in contracts related to similar activities in EPM and its subsidiaries. The resources used and activity support indicators did not correspond with what you would expect from a business group the size of EPM. The incorporation of new acquisitions could not be carried out efficiently due to the lack of standardized and unified best practices across the entire group. The generation of group reports was complex and involved many manual activities. The structure by functions did not support continuous improvement or promote innovation in support activities.

EPM Group Empresas Públicas de Medellín is a Colombian public utility group made up of companies located in Central America, Chile, Mexico, the United States, Spain, and Colombia. The group offers services including electricity, natural gas, drinking water, basic sanitation, garbage collection and disposal, and information and communication technologies. These services improve the lives of more than 13.5 million citizens. EPM’s strategy is to grow with people, with emphasis on sustainability. Corporate social responsibility, effective corporate governance, long-term planning, and technical, legal, financial, and managerial rigour are the main pillars of their strategy. EPM contributes to the development of a prosperous environment, promoting a respectful business performance with importance on the economic, environmental, and social consequences of their actions.