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Alfa Laval Transforms Workforce Management with GaiaWorks, Slashing T&A Processing by 70% and Fueling ESG Goals

The global industrial leader consolidated 9 disparate systems into one unified GaiaWorks platform, saving 6.1 FTEs and cutting 7,582 kg of carbon emissions annually.

Results at a Glance

 

  • System Integration: 9 fragmented HR systems consolidated into 1 unified GaiaWorks platform.
  • Efficiency Gains: Time & Attendance (T&A) processing time slashed from 1,504 to 449 hours (a 70% reduction).
  • Manpower Savings: Reduced workload equivalent to 6.1 FTEs.
  • ROI & ESG: E-signature module saves 6,286 hours and ~20,000 RMB annually, eliminating 7,582 kg of carbon emissions.
  • Compliance & UX: Proactive compliance issues reduced from 8 to 2, while employee user satisfaction surged to 4.5/5.

“With GaiaWorks, we consolidated 9 systems into one. Our T&A processing time fell by 70%, and our e-signature module alone saved us over 6,200 hours. We didn’t just gain efficiency; we improved compliance, sustainability, and boosted user satisfaction to 4.5 out of 5.”

— Wang Hui, Head of HR SSC & Country HR Manager, Alfa Laval China

The Challenge: Fragmented Systems and Poor Workforce Management

 

Alfa Laval is a 140-year-old Swedish industrial giant. The company operates globally with a deep-rooted commitment to sustainability. However, in China, this vision was being challenged by operational reality.

Its China operations were running in silos. For example, the HR department used nine different, disconnected systems for time & attendance, scheduling, leave, travel, and payroll.

This fragmented approach to workforce management created significant business challenges:

  • No Visibility: Management had no unified view of frontline operations, making it impossible to share resources (like specialized welders) between plants, leading to redundant hiring.
  • High Inefficiency: Manual, paper-based approval processes were slow and opaque. Employees couldn’t even check their own leave balances accurately without asking HR.
  • Data & Compliance Risk: Data was entered multiple times across systems, leading to high error rates and significant compliance risks.

This operational chaos was unacceptable to Wang Hui, Head of Alfa Laval China’s HR Shared Service Center (HRSSC). Her team, operating as a “Problem Solving Center”. Therefore, they knew that transformation was necessary to align operations with the company’s core values of efficiency and sustainability.

 

The Solution: A New Workforce Management Process Powered by GaiaWorks

 

The transformation was not just about technology; it was about process. Before implementation, Wang Hui’s team led a 10-month “process re-engineering battle.”

They mapped and standardized workflows for all 3,000 employees. This resulted in 19 master processes, 12 approval matrices, and 40 sub-policies.

With this new foundation, Alfa Laval selected and implemented the GaiaWorks Workforce Management (WFM) suite as its single, unified platform. The GaiaWorks system was configured to:

  • Unify Operations: Consolidate all T&A, scheduling, and leave management for all Chinese sites.
  • Handle Complexity: Automate complex rules, such as cross-day night shift calculations and plant-specific overtime policies.
  • Standardize Approvals: Enforce new, standardized approval flows, pushing the organization toward best practices.

Concurrently, the team built a comprehensive HR Knowledge Base. This creates a “single source of truth” for all process-related questions, and proved invaluable for future change management.

 

The Results: A New Workforce Management Engine for Efficiency and Sustainability

 

The impact of the GaiaWorks workforce management platform was immediate and measurable. It delivered transformative results across the board.

1.Massive Efficiency Gains: The most dramatic impact was on efficiency. By automating T&A processing, the team slashed processing time by 70% (from 1,504 to 449 hours). This saved the equivalent of 6.1 FTEs, allowing the HRSSC to focus on high-value strategic work instead of manual data entry.

2.Hard Savings & ESG Impact: The new e-signature module alone saves 6,286 administrative hours per year. This initiative, which saves nearly 20,000 RMB in material costs, was also calculated as a 7,582 kg reduction in carbon emissions, contributing directly to Alfa Laval’s global “Go Green” targets.

3.Stronger Governance & Compliance: The unified system provided unprecedented transparency. The number of compliance issues flagged during audits dropped from 7-8 to just 2 (with the remaining two being HQ-level issues).

4.Superior User Experience: With a single, accurate platform, employee user satisfaction surged to 4.5 out of 5. Trust in the company increased as policies became transparent and data became reliable.

For Alfa Laval, the GaiaWorks platform became the engine that finally connected its day-to-day operations with its long-term strategic goals, proving that digital transformation and sustainability are two sides of the same coin.

Learn more about GaiaWorks’ workforce management solutions for manufacturing here.