- What role does AGC Europe IT play within the AGC Group in Europe?
AGC Europe IT is a subsidiary of AGC Europe whose mission is to provide all the entities of the Group, wherever located, with the IT solutions necessary for their operations. These IT solutions are either developed internally by teams who analyse the requirements, or are outsourced on the market. The same applies to the technical aspects underlying the IT solutions, in which we have developed the necessary expertise to deploy the different solutions in an appropriate way.
- Why should an IT specialist choose to work at AGC Europe IT?
We operate as an internal consulting company. This means that we have the dynamism of consultants, and that we use a great deal of the latest techniques and systems on the market, which is very attractive to those involved in IT. At the same time, we don’t have the disadvantages of a consulting company, since our people are involved in long-term projects: we don’t send somebody on a mission for three weeks and then on another for a month. On the contrary, they are able to follow projects through from beginning to end, on an international scale. This brings plenty of professional challenges, with a corresponding degree of satisfaction.
- You mentioned international careers. Does this mean that IT people have a great deal of mobility within the Group?
We have six main development centres, in Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Italy and Russia respectively. In addition, our IT people visit other countries in Europe where AGC is present. In fact, some of our people spend more than half of their time travelling. And for some projects such as the SAP implementation in Italy, the entire team involved may travel to the site concerned. Since AGC Europe IT has a global view of the entire Group, numerous projects are carried out in parallel, which means there are always lots of opportunities in all the different fields and countries in which the Group is present. This guarantees constant enrichment in terms of mobility.
- What does working at AGC Europe IT have to offer in terms of human experience?
To start with, our people work in an international environment that is rich in ideas and complexity, with lots of opportunities to meet other people. There are ten or so different nationalities within AGC Europe IT. The assimilation of concepts that are frequently foreign is very enriching and beneficial in human terms.
To carry on with, the industrial side is also extremely varied in terms of its activities, not only the corporate departments but also the production units.
Finally, we strongly encourage people to attend conferences and training programmes, as it is essential for us to develop our skills and keep them up to date.
- Apart from the technical skills, what qualities do you need in order to get on at AGC Europe IT?
It is very important to be customer-oriented, to be able to listen to users and to give them the maximum amount of support. You also have to be responsible, independent and able to work as part of a team. And of course you must want to make progress, and want to show it!
See also "How are IT Projects managed ?"