Oras Group turns on the growth tap by enhancing IT’s role with Advania's support

• Oras Group has started a change project, in which IT will strengthen it’s role and will become one of the enablers of the company's change and future growth.
• Advania, a technology company acting as a development partner, supports, among other things, the analysis of the current and target state of the current IT environment, and the implementation of the cloud strategy.
• The primary aim is to establish a managed Azure hybrid cloud that enhances infrastructure flexibility and facilitates the collection and analysis of business data, particularly for AI applications. Additionally, the goal includes modernising to support business and IT management according to the desired state.  

In spring 2024, Oras Group, a top European sanitary fittings provider, launched an IT project aimed at strengthening IT as a driver of business change and growth. The key goal is to enhance the manageability of IT services.

"The change supports the journey of our faucets to become IoT devices, which is accompanied by a growing need for cloud services and data analytics. Our aim is to change the operating model and role of IT from receiving orders to an organisation that works closely together with business. As part of this, we want to ensure that the essential infrastructure supports future implementation possibilities," says Reni Waegelein, Director, Group IT of Oras Group. 

"Our top priority is manageability. We're also elevating our operations to be more professional and compliant. While cost savings are welcomed if achieved, they're not our main focus," he adds.

The change initiative will be executed in collaboration with long-term IT partner Advania. The objective is to develop a forward-looking cloud strategy and management framework for secure hybrid infrastructure. Furthermore, the project will involve assessing and planning the modernisation of the cloud as needed. 

"We are not only relying on the cloud, but we will continue to use on-prem infrastructure. However, the building blocks needed for artificial intelligence applications and data analytics are often more easily found in cloud environments. We must enable many different needs, both in our own and in the cloud infrastructure, so that we can choose optimal solutions for each business need," says Waegelein. 

One benefit of the cloud is its scalability, which meets Oras Group's faucets' data collection, reporting, and analytics needs as data increases. The cloud strategy considers which elements to transfer, factoring in costs, maintenance, and security. 

Oras Group provides next-generation sanitary fittings that include water usage data as a service. This allows users of IoT faucets to view details about their water consumption on a mobile device. Data security and data protection requirements for both data and infrastructure are becoming more stringent, particularly for large customers such as hotels and hospitals, and also due to increasingly demanding EU regulations. 

"We increasingly process data from customers' water supply systems. We have to evaluate everything more risk-oriented, so that the environment is managed, data secure and strong in terms of data protection," states Waegelein. 

More information: 

Reni Waegelein, Director, Group IT, Oras Group, reni.waegelein@orasgroup.com 

Aino von Bonin, Director, Marketing and communications, Advania Finland, aino.vonbonin@advania.com 

Oras Group is a significant European provider of sanitary fittings: the market leader in the Nordics and a leading European player through strong brands and excellent user experience. The company’s mission is to create the Smartest and Most Sustainable Water Experiences for Everyone and its vision is to become the Perfect Flow Company. The Group has two strong brands, Oras and Hansa. The head office of the Group is located in Rauma, Finland and the Group has two manufacturing sites: Rauma and Olesno (Poland). Oras Group employs approximately 1200 people in fifteen countries. Oras Group is owned by Oras Invest, a family company and an industrial owner. 

Advania Group is one of the leading players in the Northern European IT market. In addition to Finland, the company has operations in Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Great Britain. Advania employs 5,000 professionals, of which about 330 in Finland. The benefits brought by technology can only be realized in cooperation between people. Our goals and actions are therefore not only focused on working technology; at the core of our operations are our customers, as well as our professionals who create a working environment for them. Advania - The tech company with people at heart.