Revolutionising E-Waste sustainability: The Royal Mint's pioneering partnership with Hitachi Solutions

Guest blog by Sharna Quirke, Strategic Director for Local Government and Health at Hitachi Solutions #LocalDigitalIndex

The Royal Mint, an institution with a history spanning more than a millennium, boasts a global reputation as a leader in coin and metal production. Nestled in the heart of the United Kingdom, the Royal Mint has a rich history and is responsible for minting the country’s official currency, the British pound sterling. With cutting-edge facilities and unparalleled expertise in precision minting, The Royal Mint crafts coins and commemorative medals that are highly prized by collectors and actively used in everyday transactions. Committed to innovation and security, The Royal Mint's unwavering dedication to producing trustworthy currency has solidified its standing as a symbol of excellence in the field of numismatics.

Like all forward-thinking manufacturing organisations, The Royal Mint has come to recognise the undeniable importance of sustainability and is factoring sustainability practices into its everyday operations.

As it embarks on its ground-breaking Sustainable Precious Metals (SPM) initiative, The Royal Mint recognised the need for a seamlessly integrated ERP system to oversee the entire manufacturing process, from the initial sourcing of e-waste to the delivery of final products to consumers. This involves the tracking of e-waste from the moment it enters the facility, managing the dismantling of component parts, their identification, and subsequent incorporation into The Royal Mint's operations. Developing an efficient ERP system has emerged as a critical endeavour, presenting The Royal Mint with a significant opportunity for growth.

Collaborating closely with The Royal Mint team, Hitachi Solutions undertook a comprehensive, people-centric approach to understand their requirements and objectives. By prioritising these needs and identifying the necessary enabling technology within the Microsoft technology stack, the team transformed these aspirations into tangible real-world outcomes. The partnership has culminated in the successful implementation of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management solution, designed to support The Royal Mint's pioneering journey. Notably, this ERP solution is poised to deliver enduring sustainability benefits. Through collaborative efforts and unwavering support, Hitachi Solutions ensured the delivery of a Minimum Viable Product within 15 weeks, marking the inception of phase two, which aims to implement further transformative changes.

Jamie Watson, Client Director at Hitachi Solutions, explains, "From a technological standpoint, this encompasses the full suite of Dynamics 365 Business Applications, the Power Platform, Azure, and the Data and AI platforms. From a human perspective, it centers on change management and digital innovation."

Elaborating on the Hitachi Solutions' engagement with The Royal Mint, Watson adds, "We worked closely with Rich Hobbs, CIO of The Royal Mint, and his team to establish a people-centric and business-focused engagement, initially emphasizing a profound understanding of their needs and objectives. We prioritized these needs and then identified the requisite technology within the Microsoft stack to translate these business needs into tangible opportunities and outcomes. Since then, our partnership has flourished, culminating in the successful launch of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management solution."

Notably, The Royal Mint has transitioned its on-premises infrastructure to the Cloud, bestowing greater technological agility and adaptability. This shift facilitates swift and efficient integrations, enabling The Royal Mint to scale up its operations during peak periods effortlessly. Furthermore, the migration to the cloud has empowered The Royal Mint to fortify its data management and cybersecurity, both pivotal components of its technology strategy. An independent data management function has been established to streamline information delivery to the business, fostering an organized, controlled, and secure data environment.

As Hitachi Solutions and The Royal Mint continue their collaborative efforts, the project teems with potential for innovation. With a focus on introducing new functionalities via the Microsoft Power Platform, robotic process automation, and cutting-edge technologies such as AI and machine learning. All of these will undoubtedly become relevant to the project and provide significant long-term benefits to The Royal Mint, as we hope to see other mints around the world seek to take on similar approaches.

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