CloudALMA and WebALMA 5.0 are a product renewal of the ALMA enterprise resource planning system, replacing the current system version and user interface during the current year. Vitec ALMA’s CEO Juha Nissilä promises that with the new version, system usability will improve, the lifecycle will extend, and the transition will be carried out in a controlled manner to ensure that customers stay aligned with the change.
– WebALMA 5.0 utilizes long-lasting and development‑driven technology. At the same time, we are responding to our customers’ wishes for better usability. We have systematically collected feedback from our customers for several years, and the renewal is based on that feedback, Nissilä says.
WebALMA 5.0 is essentially a new web user interface, and CloudALMA is a new system version that replaces the current ALMA NG version. For customers, the change in system version and user interface will be visible on both mobile and desktop displays, but most importantly in their daily work tasks.
– In the first phase, we will focus on optimizing document search for field use. Later, we will introduce improvements to workflow and task management. User role–based views will make the system simpler and more personalized.
There are three main reasons why the renewal is progressing now: customer feedback, the software lifecycle and the overall system architecture.
– We have collected feedback for several years, and that feedback led us to focus on usability. We concluded that it makes sense to build a new user interface on a new foundation. This allows us to build better features and standardize industry best practices as part of the software.
Vitec ALMA ensures the software lifecycle by focusing on widely supported and well‑known technologies. This keeps the system viable far into the future. It also enables new development paths, such as better information security and the use of artificial intelligence. For example, the use of AI is only possible if the foundation for it is built correctly. At the same time, it must be ensured that the software does not rely on a single technology and that solutions can be made even as circumstances change.
– For our customers, the most critical thing is to ensure that the industrial ERP system runs safely and sustainably. Our customers operate with long cycles, and therefore they require high reliability from their system, Nissilä emphasizes.
The new user interface is the most visible part of the renewal for customers. Behind the scenes, the system architecture and usage logic have also been reviewed. Architecture defines how the system is built: how its parts work together, how information flows and how the system can be safely and systematically developed further. Unified usage logic means that users can operate in the same way across different sections: searches, views and tasks progress consistently.
– When the software is consistent throughout the system, the learning curve is lower and usability improves. Our goal is a unified whole that feels the same to the user regardless of which part of the system they are in, Nissilä explains.
The transition will not be rolled out to everyone at once. Instead, the deployment will progress in phases, customer‑specifically and by user groups. The first customer‑specific step is the deployment of the 5.0 user interface for mobile and browser use, and the harmonization of current 4.0 functionalities.
– New features in the first phase will appear, for example, in field document search and the red‑pen tool in electrical automation. After that, the change will expand to workflow and task management, Nissilä notes.
Experts at Vitec ALMA plan and schedule the update and deployment for the customer. They ensure that the system operates optimally, provides all required functionalities, has the shortest possible startup time and avoids production disruptions.
Vitec ALMA also supports deployment on a practical level. Customers are provided with user instructions and staff training to ensure that new operating methods do not depend solely on main users, but instead become established throughout the entire user base.
According to Nissilä, the transition is not just about learning a new interface but enabling smoother work specifically for each user.
– We have invested, for example, in making sure that technicians can easily access information in the field. Training ensures that useful features become part of each individual employee’s daily work.
Nissilä also highlights that the renewal opens opportunities for customers who have not previously adopted all ALMA features.
– When usage becomes clearer and both instructions and user‑specificity improve, it becomes easier to expand the system according to one’s own needs.