As a global leader in speciality chemicals and food ingredients, Azelis operates in a rapidly evolving and competitive market. With a strong focus on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), the company has strategically expanded its reach across EMEA, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. However, this growth strategy brought significant challenges in integrating diverse businesses, cultures and systems into a cohesive and efficient organisation.
Seamless integration across acquisitions.
Azelis’ rapid expansion through acquisitions presented a complex challenge: how to efficiently integrate these new companies, often of varying sizes, levels of operational maturity and diverse HR practices, into a unified structure. Each acquisition, with employee counts ranging from 50 to 300, required a tailored approach to ensure smooth onboarding and compliance, while maintaining the company’s high standards and operational efficiency.
One of the key issues was the varied state of HR data across these acquired companies. “First, we have to know what we have to work with,” says Sam Perdu, group HRIS lead at Azelis. Some companies relied on basic systems like Microsoft Excel for personnel data, while others had more established HR systems. Azelis needed a flexible and robust solution to standardise processes and ensure data accuracy across the board.
“One of our biggest challenges was aligning supervisory hierarchies and managing key roles and responsibilities within the system. It’s more complex than it appears,” Perdu explains. “Since going live with Workday, we’ve executed 50 acquisitions. Workday has been integral in managing this complexity, ensuring we stay on track with our integration goals.”
The flexibility of Workday allows us to keep track of the organisations we acquire, even as they merge over time. This capability is crucial for maintaining an accurate organisational structure.
Group HRIS Lead
Leveraging solutions for standardisation and flexibility.
In 2019, Azelis implemented Workday Human Capital Management, alongside modules for absence management, performance review, advanced compensation, learning and time tracking. This move marked a pivotal moment in Azelis’ M&A strategy, providing a centralised platform that could adapt to the unique needs of each acquisition while maintaining consistency and compliance.
A crucial aspect of the integration process was identifying and training key users in each acquired company. These individuals served as primary contacts for Workday-related queries and were essential for data gathering and validation. “Selecting and training these users is essential; they act as ambassadors and are the main contacts for Workday within the organisation. They truly champion our efforts,” Perdu notes.
Workday allowed Azelis to efficiently analyse and convert disparate HR data from acquired companies into a standardised format, which was then integrated into the company’s existing structure.
The flexibility offered by this transformation was particularly valuable in managing the varied organisational hierarchies that came with each acquisition. Instead of forcing new employees into preexisting teams, Azelis used Workday to create separate hierarchies that could gradually merge over time, reducing disruption and allowing for a more natural integration process.
Enhanced efficiency and data-driven decision-making.
The adoption of Workday has significantly streamlined Azelis’ integration process. By setting a standard three-month timeframe for each M&A transaction, Azelis ensures that new employees are onboarded swiftly and in compliance with company policies. This quick turnaround is crucial not only for operational efficiency but also for maintaining the momentum of Azelis’ growth strategy.
Moreover, the analytics capabilities of Workday have provided Azelis with deep insights into the performance and retention of employees from acquired companies. This data-driven approach enables Azelis to address potential issues early on, such as employee turnover, which is a common challenge during mergers. “We can zoom in on all things that matter to us,” Perdu explains.
The ability to track and analyse data from multiple perspectives – by location, by team or by specific acquisition – has also empowered Azelis to make informed decisions that enhance the overall success of their M&A activities. For instance, custom organisation structures within Workday allow Azelis to keep track of the original entities acquired even as they are integrated into the broader company structure. This level of detail is essential for managing complex global operations and ensuring that each acquisition delivers its full potential.
Using Workday analytics, we can monitor how our acquisitions are performing, track retention and identify high-risk areas. This level of insight helps us take action where needed.
Group HRIS Lead
Continuous improvement and employee engagement.
Azelis is not resting on its laurels. The company is focused on further leveraging Workday to enhance employee engagement and ensure that new employees feel welcomed and well integrated.
“It’s important to start delegating our time and resources into finding out how people are feeling,” Perdu says. This focus on employee sentiment is seen as a critical next step in making sure that Azelis not only grows but thrives as a unified organisation.
By combining its strategic M&A activities with the robust capabilities of Workday, Azelis has positioned itself as a leader in the speciality chemicals and food ingredients industry, ready to tackle the challenges of global expansion with agility and insight.