Case Study: German Brewery Group
“In the interaction between aconso and SAP, we have created the basis for an expandable overall concept.”
No more paper files and document chaos!
In order to make HR processes more efficient and to relieve employees, the brewery launched a digitalization initiative. The first step was the rapid introduction of the Digital Personnel File and Document Generation from aconso. The brewery integrates these into a holistic concept in interaction with SAP SuccessFactors.
Company
- International group of companies in the beer and beer-based beverages sector
- 1,200 employees worldwide
- 400 million euros turnover (2019)
Challenges
- Inefficient, error-prone analogue HR processes
- Self-explanatory software, not an isolated solution
- SAP compatibility
Solution
- Digital Personnel File in SAP SuccessFactors
- Document Creation in SAP SuccessFactors
- Scan Services
Cloud-based digitization project
The brewery is known around the world for its “Premium Pilsener”. Today, the group includes four other breweries with around 1,200 employees worldwide. An HR team takes care of human resources centrally for all German locations. In 2020, the company introduced the Digital Personnel File and Document Generation from aconso. Instead of searching through paper files, HR now has quick and easy access to important information at any time. HR documents are created digitally within the blink of an eye using standardized templates, and are automatically filed in the right place. The few remaining paper documents are digitized by aconso‘s Scan Service.
In future, the introduction of digital signatures is also planned. “It is important to me to approach digitalization holistically,” says Andreas Krotki, HR Business Partner at the brewery group. “I don’t want any isolated solutions. The great charm of aconso‘s Digital Personnel File is that we can cover many applications with the platform and that it is closely interlinked with SAP.”
Inefficient, error-prone processes
Digitalization was one of the first topics Andreas Krotki took care of when he joined the company in 2019. He had previously worked in the automotive environment and already knew the advantages of a digital personnel file first-hand. At the brewery, however, HR processes were still mostly analogue. There were cabinets with file folders that employees had to search through when they needed personnel information.
There were many Microsoft Word documents on the drive, based on inconsistent templates. For example, to create a contract, staff would take an existing template, adapt it and save it again. This made it difficult to see which template was actually the correct standard. With many details such as probationary period, company car, variable remuneration or notice periods, it was easy to make mistakes. In addition, there were different contracts depending on the brewery.
“Our processes were simply very inefficient and error-prone. After all, we are only a small team and have many other tasks besides administration.”
In search of a holistic solution
In the first step, Krotki wanted to introduce a digital personnel file and clear up the document chaos. But he already had a bigger picture in mind: the goal should be a holistic digitalization concept. Together with a sparring partner from IT, he set out to find a suitable solution. In order to relieve the company’s own IT department, the HR software should be cloud-based.
Important criteria were, for example, data protection, a server in Germany, revision security and integrated document generation Since the brewery has been using SAP in HR and other corporate areas for many years, the solution should be able to be integrated into this landscape. During his research, Krotki came across aconso and arranged a presentation appointment. In a sophisticated selection process, the platform was able to prevail over competitors, mainly thanks to its intuitive user interface. Andreas Krotki explains: “We have many users who have little contact with administrative IT systems.
Therefore, the operation of HR software must be self-explanatory. A manager just has to click and find his or her way around immediately. That is very, very easy with aconso. We also found it exciting how harmoniously the solution is integrated with SAP.
It could hardly be easier
In August 2020, the implementation of the project began. It took only six weeks until the introduction. aconso collected the 1,200 active inventory files, scanned them and brought them back. In parallel, the brewery team had already created a large digital dummy file that contained all the important document variants of the various breweries and defined the structure for the Digital Personnel File. It served as a template for the scanning automation, so that it filed the digitized documents in the right place.
“It really worked without any problems,” Andreas Krotki is pleased. He was particularly impressed by the fast implementation. With over 20 years of experience, aconso can look back on numerous successful HR digitization projects and, based on this, has developed a best-practice solution for the rapid introduction of the Digital Personnel File. The scope of functions and important configurations are already predefined – such as a data protection concept with proven deletion criteria and deadlines, which can be individually adapted if required. In this way, those responsible avoid cost-intensive errors and there is no longer any need for time-consuming configuration sessions. Instead, the file is ready to use within a very short time and can be easily combined with other HR solutions.
“I also find it very charming that everything is actually read out as text. We can now simply search the digital files for keywords. That’s very helpful.”
Digital Document Creation
The introduction of aconso‘s Digital Document Generation was just as uncomplicated. After the Munich-based HR service provider had created the master template for the employment contracts, the brewery team was able to create further standard documents themselves. Thanks to the simple documentation and operation, even the trainees had no problems. “In the end, it works a bit like a form letter in Word,” says Krotki. “Actually, we had set aside budget to have aconso create more templates. We didn’t need that at all.”
Ease of work and more security
The HR department has been using the Digital Personnel File and Document Generation from aconso intensively for several months and is enthusiastic about the reduction in workload. The works council also has access and is gaining initial experience. HR staff can now find information immediately without having to search for a long time. They can file documents simply by dragging and dropping. They access uniform, standardized templates that are immediately saved into the Digital Personnel File. This ensures that all employees always use the latest version.
The next step is to activate authorizations for managers and employees. At the moment, the solution is set up so that users can access their personnel file directly from the familiar SAP SuccessFactors interface. The integration allows them to access data and documents in the Digital Personnel File with one click – without a system or design break. This makes usage for managers and employees extremely easy and convenient. Documents can also be easily uploaded via SAP SuccessFactors and moved directly into the Digital Personnel File. In addition, the SAP authorization concept can be transferred one-to-one to access data and documents in the electronic file.
Next steps are planned
Step by step, the brewery is moving forward with the digitalization of its Human Resources Department. Andreas Krotki still has a lot of plans: “We want to put digitization on a larger scale. With the interaction between aconso and SAP, we have created the basis for an expandable overall concept. For the end user, everything comes from a single source.”
