4 min read

Welcoming a new partner – the onboarding process

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A key element to UBConnect’s success is its relationship with its partners, both the longstanding (like Caverion) and the newly established ones like Hadar, a Polish company with an active presence in Poland since 2000.

-The 2000s was a time of rapid evolution of the telecommunications infrastructure and a gradual increase in the capacity of mobile and fixed networks, says Jerzy Dubec, CEO and owner of Hadar.

-We have been involved in turn-key projects for all major operators in Poland: Orange, Polkomtel, T-Mobile and Play, building their network infrastructure based on solutions from vendors like Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia, Alcatel and NEC. The company is specialized in installations and swaps starting with 2G technology, all the way through to the latest projects for first 5G implementations.

Moving to a new marketPhoto of a helicopter flying next to a telecom mast.

Dubec confesses, that when he was first approached with the idea of a partnership, it seemed unreal.

-I was first approached by Tomasz Malkut, UBConnect’s Country Manager for Poland. The idea of cooperating with UBConnect and sending field teams to Norway seemed unreal, but we did it and we plan to increase our engagement even further.

Malkut explains that the decision to contact Hadar was a natural one. -I’ve worked in telecom for a number of years and Hadar came recommended by several of my previous customers. They are one of a number of Polish implementation service suppliers, but what sets them apart is their experience earned through cooperation with many different operators.

The onboarding process

-The onboarding process began a few weeks before a team was scheduled to arrive in Norway, continues Dubec. -In that period of time we received a lot of good information regarding legal and technical standards, compliance, health and safety, technical support and logistics. The onboarding process itself continued on the teams’ first day.

The onboarding process is one of critical importance for UBConnect, as keeping the high quality and standards customers have grown to expect is a necessity. -For this reason it’s important to cover all necessary steps to safely and responsibly onboard our partners, says Malkut.

-This is quite an intense process that involves several departments. It is divided into two parts, one intended for the company itself, the other for each individual field team member. The intention is to give both the company and the field teams a solid base which they can build on as our cooperation continues.

Dubec complimented how UBConnect is organized, praising the structure of the onboarding process, which ensures that every team gets all the information they need.

-In addition to that, UBConnect has a unique set up with Site Project Managers, Design Engineers and Quality Control Specialists who follow up on every installation and are always available to give guidance and support.

-Every supplier joining us for the first time needs time to adapt to new installation standards, unique procedures, and a different way of working. I think Hadar has succeeded in this; their work efficiency is high and the number of teams they have is gradually growing, which we always like to see, says Malkut.

The future nowInternet_on_the_go_Blue

When asked about working with 5G technologies, Dubec replied:

-It’s a good feeling, knowing you are actively contributing to this digital transformation. I hope all these new technologies that [5G] will bring will make our life better and safer!

-The plan for [Hadar] is to grow the company locally, but also to invest in field capacity for our Norwegian projects and expand alongside UBConnect to other Nordic countries, says Dubec. -I’m really looking forward to our cooperation in the coming years!

All subcontractors are partners

Commenting on the onboarding process, partnerships and the need for qualified Field technicians, Dejan Čakarević, COO of UBConnect said:

-UBConnect is focused on the future and long-term goals – this is the way we do business and it includes relations with our suppliers.

-In that respect, we never engage short-term suppliers for our core installation work; all of our 20 field installation subcontractors are long-term partners, which we are focused on supporting, training, and specializing for certain activities. By doing this, UBConnect secures quality and dedicated capacity, while our partners get reliable long-term development and perspective, secured cash flow and support all the way.

-Hadar is one of our recently onboarded partners. It’s with great optimism that we are looking to develop our further cooperation, concluded Čakarević.

An addition, not a replacementLasse Bjørgan _CEO

Lasse B. Bjørgan, CEO of UBConnect, agrees that subcontractors are an important element in UBConnect’s ability to deliver at full capacity, but emphasizes that they are an addition to our workforce, not a replacement.

-UBConnect employs many field technicians of our own. Having this healthy balance of in-house teams and subcontractor teams is one of the reasons why we deliver the results we pride ourselves on.

- One thing UBConnect is dedicated to is investing in our own employees, as well as our partners, and making sure this is a company they want to work in or with. Partners we work with are an excellent supplement to aid us in reaching the goals set before us and we do work with them to create long-lasting relationships, but there is no replacement for having field technicians in-house.

-We take great care to make sure everyone is treated equitably, which has shown nothing but positive results both in terms of personal relations and in terms of a uniform quality in our production process.

-We currently have a campaign aimed at hiring more field resources – with the renewal of the agreement with Telenor securing a large share of their 5G project during 2023 and 2024, we would like to sign more field technicians on to make sure we have both the capacity and the expertise needed to continue delivering results of the highest quality, concludes Bjørgan.

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