Five years ago, Martin Heeling, an SAP project manager at SUPERP, entered a world he was unfamiliar with: shipbuilding. The assignment was clear: to lead the SAP rollout at Damen Shipyards. What he learned from that assignment went beyond technology.
Technology only works if people go along with it
From day one, it was clear that success didn’t depend on the software, but on people. From the employee who uses SAP to record incoming goods. To the manager who makes decisions based on system information. To everyone in between. Together with a multidisciplinary team, Martin built bridges between IT, operations, procurement, and finance, listening, translating, and engaging people at every step of the change process.
Precision in technology, trust in people
The technical challenges were significant. Data migration, integrations with legacy systems, and master data setup each component required precision and a willingness to make compromises without losing sight of quality. But the real art lay in change management: building trust, defining clear processes, and organizing training sessions that aligned with real-world practices on the job. Small-scale pilots provided early feedback, made rollouts smoother, and actually improved work processes.
Only together can you reach the finish line
What stands out most to Martin is the collaboration with his team and with the people at Damen in the Netherlands, Vietnam, and Romania. You don’t win big projects on your own; the different personalities within a team ultimately determine the level of what you achieve together.
“Only by working together can you reach the finish line on large projects. Ultimately, the different personalities determine the quality of the final result.”
Martin Heeling, SAP Solution Consultant — SUPERP
A Word of Thanks
Martin thanks everyone at Damen and his team members with whom he has worked over the past five years, especially Michel Draaijer, Rodney Stuyt, Matthijs Richelle, and Iulian Ivan for their dedicated teamwork. He also thanks Aart Rupert and Paul Michels for the opportunity and for introducing him to Damen Shipyards.
