With Campana & Schott’s support, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe has replaced its entire intranet with a modern solution. The new intranet is fully integrated into the system landscape and supplies all 50 subsidiaries with both centralized and customized information.
Neumann Kaffee Gruppe GmbH (NKG) is a global leader for raw coffee services. With its 50 companies, it specializes in exports, imports, specialties, cultivation and services in 28 countries. The activities of the entire Neumann Gruppe are coordinated and managed by the holding company domiciled in Hamburg. For its 2,000 employees and over 3,000 commercial clients in most consumer markets, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe requires a reliable infrastructure that can be accessed by all employees.
For their daily work activities, employees of Neumann Gruppe GmbH use different IT services that are supplied on a centralized basis. These services also include the intranet, which was developed as a customized solution for the raw coffee service provider ten years ago, and which was barely integrated into the modern system landscape.
In addition, the intranet and the contents it provided only addressed a part of the global workforce - and offered very little added value for the rest.
Last year, NKG took a first step towards a Cloud system when it approved the group-wide introduction of Microsoft 365. This move led to the need to create a modern, digital workplace: In order to address the requirements of a multinational company, the aim was to replace the current isolated intranet with an integrated platform as part of a project that was initiated by the IT organization and corporate communications.
In addition to the centrally provided contents and services, the platform must also include tailored offers and messages from the subsidiaries in the context of a communication platform that is relevant to all. Another challenge is the integration of a multitude of news formats: from daily newsletters and messages from the head office and subsidiaries to the semi-annual company magazine. For this purpose, an integrative news concept was developed that can be used both centrally and by the individual companies.
Neumann Kaffee Gruppe uses Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Online as the technical platform for providing the new intranet. The targeted addition of Best Practice solutions from Campana & Schott to the specified functions quickly resulted in a modern intranet. Each of the global companies and the staff department at the holding in Hamburg now have their own area on the intranet. It can be reached through the navigation with two clicks and is also represented on the main homepage through the News concept.
“From the beginning, the entire Campana & Schott staff was extremely professional and very committed,” says Hanns-Christian Neumann. “This is also reflected in the excellent work and results. Even late requests on our part were quickly integrated into the process. The collaboration was very pleasant and constructive. While Campana & Schott might not be the cheapest provider, it impresses on every count. We would select Campana & Schott again and heartily recommend the firm to others.”
The close collaboration resulted in a modern platform that is not only used to publish central contents but also integrates all employees across the group. SharePoint Online, which serves as the technical basis, also creates the ideal conditions for developing an integrated digital workplace with the help of Microsoft 365 on the basis of the new intranet. At the same time, successful implementation depends on a change management process that is tailored to the organization.
“Here too, Campana & Schott provided us with advice and worked with us to develop the right project plan,” adds Hanns-Christian Neumann. “For example, individuals in charge at the numerous firms were identified and received virtual training. It means that our subsidiaries are able to maintain the contents on their dedicated pages.”
