HD Supply implements enterprise wide software from ESS for EHS and HSE sustainability and environmental compliance

1. 2008 ESS EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNER
Wholesaler Industry
ESS ● T: 800.999.5009 or 480.346.5500 ● F: 480.346.5599 ● www.ess-home.com
The Challenge
► Enhance data management and
reporting for EH&S compliance.
► Leverage existing third-party
information management resources.
► Reduce costs of EH&S compliance.
The Solutions
► Essential Chemical Inventory
► Essential Compliance Manager
► Essential Emergency
► Essential Performance Manager
► Essential Task Manager
► Essential Waste
The Results
► Achieved data integration with multiple
third party administrators and vendors to
create unified EH&S system
► Gained efficiencies by shaping new
naming conventions and workflows.
► Enabled departments and Lines of
Business to collaborate more closely
and resolve issues
► Set stage for cost savings through
replacement of manual work processes
HD Supply Constructs EH&S Compliance Infrastructure
Using ESS Platform to Support Multiple Systems
Professional builders know that HD Supply (HDS) is leading wholesale distribution companies, focused
solely on serving the infrastructure, construction, maintenance, repair and remodeling industries. They also
know that HDS is very successful – with 12 Lines of Business, 1,000 locations in North America, 23,000
associates and $13 billion in annual sales. But they may not know that HDS is a leader in addressing
sustainability management challenges. As the HDS website says, “We are committed to minimizing the
environmental health and safety risk for our associates and our customers” and “we will comply with
environmental laws and maintain programs and procedures to ensure compliance.”
In March 2007, HDS took an important step forward in achieving those goals when it began implementing a
new information system that it called the Safety Environmental Compliance Action Tool or SECAT. SECAT
is designed to enhance HDS’ data management and reporting of environmental, health and safety (EH&S)
activities. The project, which was sponsored by the company’s senior leadership, was cost justified by
predicted reductions in vendor and consultant expense.
In SECAT, HDS has demonstrated new best practices in
EH&S management by creating an integrated information
technology infrastructure. HDS chose Essential Suite
software from ESS as SECAT’s central platform and
integrated it with various outside vendors and third-party
administrators in order to utilize data more efficiently for
EH&S compliance. HDS implemented ESS modules for:
Waste Management – Essential Waste is used to track
waste storage, disposal, and shipments. In SECAT, it
provides bidirectional integration with HDS’ national
waste disposal partner, PSC, to obtain shipment and
disposal information. Historically this workflow utilized a
phone based approach and two outside vendors.
Replacing this process with an automated system was a
primary opportunity for cost savings. Now an associate
selects the material they want to dispose of from the list
of products provided from HDS’ Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP) systems. Based on their selection, the
system generates the label, provides the vendor with
data to generate a manifest and schedules the pickup
with the waste hauler. After disposal the waste hauler’s
software sends SECAT an update with manifest and
cost information.
Task Tracking and Compliance – Essential
Compliance Manager and Essential Task Manager are
used to track EHS compliance requirements, tasks, and
the relationship between the compliance requirements
and tasks associated with waste and chemical inventory
management. These modules provide unidirectional
integration with the HD Supply’s HR database and
Real Estate database to ensure employee names and
location information are updated and current.
Continued on back

2. 2008 ESS EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNER
Wholesaler Industry
ESS ● T: 800.999.5009 or 480.346.5500 ● F: 480.346.5599 ● www.ess-home.com
Chemical Inventory – Essential Chemical
Inventory will eventually track the amounts and
locations of materials at HDS operations.
A material estimate approach is being used
versus detailed container approach inventory
management. In SECAT, this module is planned
to provide unidirectional integration with
HD Supply’s ERP systems to updated product
inventories. Product EH&S characteristic data
was batch loaded from HD Supply’s third-party
MSDS vendor.
Incident Management – Essential Incident will
be used to track EH&S incidents, root-cause
analysis, and corrective actions. Implementation
will begin when HDS finishes the implementation
of the Waste and Task Tracking Modules.
Performance Management – Essential
Performance Manager is used to collect, track, and
report key performance indicators for
benchmarking compliance efforts and
environmental health and
safety goals. Performance
manager data is displayed
to users via a custom
developed
dashboard/splash screen
including drill down
functionality.
The SECAT project started
two years ago in an effort to
provide a tool to better
manage EH&S compliance
and HD Supply has already
achieved a number of
successes through its
implementation. By building
this integrated system, HDS
has helped to shape new
naming conventions and
workflows. Departments
and Lines of Businesses
have come together to
resolve issues that were left
unresolved in the past.
And HDS has developed
standardized approaches and resolved issues
with multiple enterprise resource plans.
With SECAT, HD Supply is now positioned for
improved EH&S compliance and governance in
2008 and beyond.
HD Supply’s SECAT Project
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