Identifying the best for Holcim’s Ste. Genevieve Plant

The challenge

Holcim (US) Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Holcim Ltd. and one of the nation’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of cement and mineral components. Holcim (US) contracted Talogy to provide a world-class selection system to assist in hiring the best possible candidates to fill 250 full-time positions for their new plant in Ste. Genevieve, on the banks of the Mississippi River.

This project was a pivotal venture for Holcim Ltd. in the Americas, as it was a Greenfield site project costing over £734 million, resulting in the largest cement facility of its kind.

To address these critical goals, Talogy’s selection solution needed to:

• Be highly accurate in identifying the most capable individuals to work as technicians in a high-hazard work environment and operate complex state-of-the-art facility equipment
• Be highly accurate in identifying the most capable individuals to work in a variety of professional and administrative roles at the new site
• Accurately measure safety and risk-taking propensity in candidates due to the nature of many of the roles; risks involve working at heights, working around high-intensity flames, working with corrosive chemicals, etc.
• Provide a selection experience perceived as fair and inclusive to the candidates in the greater St. Louis area
• Work seamlessly with other local recruitment and assessment providers in the area, both in the areas of administration and technology

Holcim needed assessment solutions for the following positions:

• Five key technician positions who would directly operate or oversee various functions of the facility, including cement, quarry, quality, power & control, and warehouse.
• Professional and administrative positions, from Specialist, Engineer to Area Leader, Manager and Control Room Operators

The solution

Talogy conducted a comprehensive job analysis and facility tour. Because the facility was still being constructed, we toured the facility most similar in Holly Hill, South Carolina. The unique nature of the jobs there were observed, and various focus groups were conducted to identify the critical competencies for success. This was followed up with competency analysis questionnaires to further develop a profile for success at Ste. Genevieve.

For the five different technician positions, a comprehensive solution was designed that included:

1. EZ App^® – an online application process customised to Holcim’s needs
2. Personal Preferences Questionnaire (PPQ) – a motivational fit assessment tool customised to match people with the jobs
3. Online CV builder
4. EZ Schedule – an automated self-scheduling system
5. Talogy’s manufacturing solution, including the Basic Mechanical Reasoning (BMAR) test

Professional and managerial positions completed the leadership level assessments within our manufacturing solutions and the Basic Mechanical Reasoning (BMAR) assessments.

The results

The facility started up on schedule, fully staffed with qualified employees. Holcim feels that the process and solution provided by Talogy was one of the key reasons for that success.