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OneSteel is an excellent case study in using Macromedia Breeze to deliver cost-effective training and communications across scattered sites.

OneSteel is a vertically integrated mining, steel manufacturing, and steel and metal products distribution company. It manufactures and distributes hundreds of steel products that are used in the construction, manufacturing, housing, mining and agricultural industries. The company serves more than 30,000 customers, has over 200 operational sites in Australia and New Zealand, and employs more than 6,900 people.

The Challenge

OneSteel’s large number and wide distribution of operational sites also means that company-wide communications on Human Resources matters can be expensive, inconsistent, and time-consuming. Each year the company delivers extensive training on products, safety, employee induction, and work skills across its various sites. However, traditional approaches to training and internal communications were proving to be expensive, inflexible, slow, and logistically challenging. Different ways also had to be found to make content more engaging, and participation in training easier to track and measure.

The Solution

OneSteel considered several different solutions and vendors over a 3-month assessment period before selecting Macromedia Breeze. It then took just 2 weeks to implement the solution throughout the organisation.

By implementing Macromedia Breeze, OneSteel was able to use existing applications and skills to easily and cost-effectively produce web-delivered presentations, training and communications materials. Breeze allows users to author audio-enhanced presentations and eLearning content within their familiar Microsoft PowerPoint environment, and the audience is able to view these presentations and content using standard browsers.

The Results

“Macromedia products were clearly able to fulfill a lot of our needs – not just training,” said Lynden Garrett, IT Administrator, OneSteel. “They also allow our users to leverage existing applications and skills. For example, OneSteel training staff previously developed presentations and training modules in Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint. These were then distributed as-is, or converted to PDF format and then distributed. Using Macromedia Breeze, they can still use the same skill set to create content in PowerPoint but now they can publish directly from that environment to the Web.”

Training participants will be able to increasingly undertake self-paced study any time, and anywhere they can access the Internet, so there will be less requirement for face-to-face training or reviews in the long-term. As Breeze is progressively made available across the organisation, OneSteel trainers will be freed to use more of their time and skills creating effective training modules and less time traveling, planning and managing course logistics. The training modules and presentations they develop are also now more engaging, thanks to the ability of Breeze to deliver interactive content incorporating audio and video.

The company’s Human Resources department also uses Breeze to communicate with managers and employees across its scattered operating sites.

“We had developed a new database system to manage our annual salary reviews and we needed to explain the new processes to managers who would be involved,” explained Phil Gageler, HR Adviser for OneSteel. “A very simple introductory e-mail containing a link to a Breeze presentation was sent to each manager. They were able to click through to the application and then be led through a description of the new processes by a series of PowerPoint slides with audio. We undertook this project just two weeks after installing Breeze. The whole thing went flawlessly.”

Macromedia Breeze also has the advantage of making sparing use of OneSteel’s IT infrastructure and resources. It requires only basic technical support and the performance of the company’s diverse network infrastructure has improved because there is now little need to distribute the traditional PowerPoint presentations and PDF files.

“Macromedia Breeze gives OneSteel innovative e-learning and rich presentation capabilities using existing desktop tools, and without imposing additional burden on our infrastructure,” said Lynden Garrett. “And it’s not only big projects that benefit. We quite often used to call a meeting to demonstrate a new feature on a web site but since we are such a broad-based company that is difficult and expensive to do. Now we can use Breeze to whip up a presentation and enroll our audience. Simple!”

Benefits Summary

• More effective training: Macromedia Breeze enables more effective training by enabling the creation of presentations and eLearning courses that combine text, graphics, animations, audio voice-overs, and automated testing. Flash animations, Flash video, and Captivate simulations can also be added for demonstrations and application training.
• Accelerated training: OneSteel trainers can now use more of their time and skills creating engaging, effective training modules, rather than on travel, and planning and managing course logistics.
• Reduced cost: Training can be self-paced and taken anywhere and any time at the participant’s convenience; a significant cost and logistical issue in such a broad-based company.
• Reduced risk: Allows tracking of training participation, which improves corporate compliance and risk management.
• Rapid Time to Value: Macromedia Breeze is easy for users to learn without intensive instruction, and intuitive to use via friendly interfaces.
• Low overhead: Macromedia solutions make efficient use of OneSteel’s IT resources – they require only basic technical support and have actually improved network performance by reducing the need to need to distribute the traditional PowerPoint presentations and PDF files.

“Macromedia Breeze offers OneSteel easy e-learning and rich presentation capabilities that enable significant cost savings on travel and accommodation for our 200 operational sites and 6,900 employees.”

Lynden Garrett, IT Administrator
OneSteel