Client
Scandlines Denmark
Industry
Shipping company
Year
2025
Services
Salary
Scandlines Denmark
When two payroll nerds find each other, even complex projects can land softly. This is the story of how Scandlines Denmark and KOLLAB jointly took the leap from a manual, phased-out setup to a modern LessorLøn cloud solution in the midst of a payroll landscape that is certainly not standard.
Challenge: Scandlines Denmark had a manual and outdated payroll system that was stable but cumbersome. It could no longer handle the complexity of shift, ship, and seasonal wages, so they needed a modern cloud solution that could ensure accurate, scalable, and reliable payroll management.
The challenge: A payroll engine room running around the clock
Scandlines' operations require that wages are spot on every time across shifts, ships, and seasons. The older Lessor version was stable but manual and on its way out. Therefore, a new course had to be set, but without abandoning what already worked:
"We were actually quite satisfied with the old system–it was manual, but over the past 4-5 years it has given us a great deal of knowledge about payroll processing. When it was phased out, we wanted to stay with the Lessor family. The solution from KOLLAB was a natural choice," explains Martin Warming, Payroll Manager at Scandlines Denmark.
Scandlines' IT department screened the market. Several suppliers declined due to the maritime aspect; the complexity is anything but standard. In the end, the choice was between two directions, and experience and operational reliability won out:
“Many said no because of maritime shipping. Our setup is anything but standard. We chose a solution that could handle the complexity and a team that could go the distance with us,” Martin elaborates .
The solution: LessorLøn Cloud
KOLLAB delivered a cloud solution that matches Scandlines' complexity. The key was the collaboration between a dedicated payroll team with extensive experience and insight into Scandlines' many different collective agreements and other agreements. In addition, a very special collaboration developed between an experienced internal project manager and a specialized KOLLAB consultant: short feedback loops, honest conversations, and quick decisions. This was not just a familiar implementation phase where the supplier helps the customer, but rather a form of co-creation between two professionals:
"Our team, and especially our project manager and their specialist, found common ground–two payroll nerds who speak the same language. That was the key to the project's success," Martin Warming continues.
Why LessorLøn Cloud made sense for Scandlines Denmark:
- Scalability: Handles seasonal fluctuations and substitute staffing.
- Security & compliance: Two-factor, logging, and role-based access.
- Support: Better and faster access to support.
- Business continuity: Retroactive calculations, e.g., for changed agreements, without too many manual processes.
Implementation: From plan to passage
The contract was signed a little late in the fall of 2024, and the goal was then clear: to get in the air before the high season. A brief change in project management threatened the pace, but ownership was quickly reestablished, and efforts were significantly ramped up:
“We worked really hard in the spring. The goal was clear: we had to be up and running before the high season,” says Martin Warming about the intense collaboration between key people from Scandlines Denmark and KOLLAB.
To reach the harbor safely, three maneuvers were put into play as one coherent plan:
- Parallel operation in March–April to compare the new/old payroll system and only press 'go' when the deviations were at an acceptable level.
- Pragmatic start-up with rapid commissioning followed by targeted readjustment of setup and data.
- Close access to specialists regarding subsequent adjustments to, for example, e-Income fields and financial accounting. Adjustments that were quickly handled and checked.
Martin Warming elaborates:“We tested thoroughly, even with minor adjustments. It was important not to ruin what already worked.”
Where standard is rarely standard
70+ working time agreements, numerous collective agreements and local agreements, advance/back pay, civil servants, and seafarers result in many ramifications and considerable complexity.
Payroll types that refer to each other can quickly become a bit of a 'patchwork quilt'. Therefore, it requires both an overview and in-depth expertise, as well as implementation where upstream data is part of the plan.
"It's a bit of a patchwork quilt, but thanks to an experienced payroll team, it's still manageable, and we've had direct access to one of KOLLAB's payroll specialists, who has been competent and skilled at 'reading' our setup," Martin Warming praises.
Upstream means:
- Correct setup in HR master data and shift planning is crucial for a correct end product.
- When employees switch between hourly pay/part-time/full-time, categories and rates must be strictly controlled to ensure accurate calculation.
Less friction, more control, and a 2026 in flow
After going live and a successful peak season, the team is seeing less friction and more control in their day-to-day work, while looking forward to a fresh start with consistent use of standard functions and a lower risk profile. What is already working:
- Retroactive calculation: When agreements are concluded with retroactive effect, the system recalculates the affected periods without the many manual calculations that were previously required.
- Security & governance: Two-factor, clear logging, and role-based access: a clear management priority.
- CPR lookup & NemKonto: Less sensitive data handling and fewer opportunities for errors.
“The new system is more transparent. We can control who can do what, and senior management attaches great importance to this,” explains Martin Warming towards the end. So what are the next steps?
- We are leaving old workflows behind and using the standard where it makes sense.
- We tailor our approach where it creates business value.
- We maintain testing discipline and focus on upstream data so that operations remain stable and calm, even when the peak season arrives.
In conclusion, Martin Warming attempts to gaze into the crystal ball of the future: "Standardization where it makes sense and targeted adaptations where it adds value. That's where the benefits lie: time, fewer errors, and more control," he concludes.