SharePoint Online implementation at Xella

Customer Profile

The Xella Group is a European provider of efficient, innovative, and sustainable wall solutions for the entire building envelope, with operations in 22 European countries. Xella is home to well-known brands such as Ytong, Silka, Hebel, and Multipor and is a pioneer in digitally supported construction processes. Their high-quality products are based on natural raw materials and address the need for efficient construction and the demand for sustainable building solutions. The group drives innovation across the entire value chain, from planning through production to assembly. Xella enhances the sustainability of buildings throughout their entire lifecycle and contributes to a low-emission industry compatible with a circular economy. The Xella Group, headquartered in Duisburg, Germany, generated revenue of around 1.2 billion euros in 2021, excluding URSA, with more than 5,300 employees.

Starting Point

Xella had been using Microsoft 365 and MS Teams for some time, and SharePoint Online (SPO) was already used for the intranet pages. The next step was to plan the introduction of SPO for employees and the long-term replacement of network drives. To achieve this, they sought a competent partner for the strategic approach to the introduction and the software development of individual solutions. Later, the takeover of 2nd and 3rd level support was also planned.

Project Workflow

Based on the technical concept and guidelines developed by Xella in advance, Rocketta and the relevant department developed a strategy for introducing SharePoint Online. This strategy was based on several measures:

1. Supporting selected departments in creating a migration concept
2.  Designing a flagship project for automating invoice generation in SharePoint Online using Power Automate
3.  Conducting primary and advanced training in German and English to train employees
4.  Creating German and English training materials and manuals for further support
5.  Building a page provisioning wizard for use in conjunction with the Matrix 42 shop system for employee self-service in page creation in SPO
6.  Solution for a touch-based information portal in SPO for the operation of kiosk systems in the production area

Departments on Board

To increase acceptance for SharePoint Online within Xella, it was important to engage selected departments in the topic so that they could later act as multipliers. For this purpose, best practices for data migration were presented, and, for example, common metadata concepts were developed. This process was accompanied by tailored training and materials on the subject, which were provided by our coaches from the Rockademy.

SharePoint Online and Power Automate showcase their potential.

At the same time, it is sensible to showcase the possibilities of SharePoint and the associated technologies through a flagship project. For this purpose, the Xella Technology and Research Company (T&F) area was selected to handle invoice generation for services in the future via SharePoint Online and to replace an older solution without automation in Lotus Notes. After a thorough analysis of the current state, automated invoice generation was using Power Automate for various country templates, as well as the provision of the service catalog, price lists, and, thus, a project database for this department.

Training from the Best for the Best

A multi-stage training plan was developed to train employees. In the introductory training sessions, selected departments were introduced to the topic first. Based on this, power users and interested individuals could deepen their knowledge in advanced training sessions. In this context, the individual needs of the various teams at Xella were also assessed and used in preparing materials and training for the 1st level of support at Xella. Next, basic and advanced training sessions were offered to the remaining employees and the 1st level support staff through Xella’s internal training platforms. The trainings were conducted in German and English by the coaches of our Rockademy.

All relevant information available at all times

Parallel to the training sessions, bilingual (German/English) manuals tailored to Xella’s needs were created. Additionally, multilingual (German/English) training videos covering individual learning objectives were recorded and made available to employees along with the manuals on a specially set up SharePoint page, ensuring they could always access comprehensive information.

Employee Self-Service with Full Control

As part of the SharePoint Online rollout, it was essential to make provisioning new SharePoint sites as straightforward as possible while ensuring controlled processes. This allows employees to promptly create new SharePoint areas for their needs while preventing the uncontrolled proliferation of new SharePoint sites. To achieve this, a SharePoint wizard was designed to request new sites, integrating with the existing Matrix 42 shop system through an interface to automate site creation and approval processes.

A help portal that touches

Additionally, a portal with various help documents and videos was to be set up in SharePoint Online for several Xella production sites. This portal would allow employees to inform themselves about work safety guidelines using touchscreen kiosk PCs, for example. Since this scenario does not allow for lengthy login processes, a specially isolated and touchscreen-optimized solution was built within SharePoint Online, enabling quick and uncomplicated operation.

Benefits and Achievements

• Strategic and transparent approach with the help of milestones
•  Increase in acceptance for SharePoint among employees.
•  Efficiency improvement through automated invoicing and self-service processes
•  Competence building through extensive employee training and materials
•  Long-term partnership for 2nd and 3rd-level support and further projects to optimize and automate workflows

“With Rocketta, we have a competent partner by our side whom we always feel well taken care of. Quick, uncomplicated communication, swift implementation, transparency, and constant motivation to help our employees in every situation have made the project successful. That’s why we continue working with Rocketta to optimize our processes.”

Jens Breuer, Advisor IT Infrastructure