CASE STUDY REHAU
From Jive to M365: The Journey from Social Intranet to Modern Internal Communication
About REHAU
The REHAU Group unites strong companies under one roof with Meraxis, New Ventures, RAUMEDIC, REHAU Automotive, and REHAU Industries. Around 20,000 people work for the corporate group, which has grown independently over the course of a century. Passionately and committedly, employees develop, manufacture, and distribute innovative, polymer-based products and solutions at over 190 locations for the automotive, construction, furniture, materials, medical, and industrial technology sectors with a common goal: to improve life with innovative and sustainable technologies – Engineering progress. Enhancing lives.
Initial Situation & Goals
Based on the decision to switch from a “Best of Breed” strategy to a “Best of Suite” approach, REHAU introduced Microsoft 365 for four of its subgroups in 2022/23. This meant that around 13,000 employees transitioned from a variety of different applications such as Webex, Cisco Jabber, and Dropbox to a unified platform. The initial focus was on collaboration with new tools like Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint, supported by the project branding “Collaborate Now – We are better together.”
The next step, “Communicate Now,” aimed to integrate internal communication for employees with PC workstations into the M365 environment. Previously, the social intranet platform Jive was used for this purpose, combining numerous functions under “REHAU Daily.”
With the introduction of Microsoft 365, these functions shifted to various M365 tools, making it logical to also cover the area of information and communication within Microsoft 365. Additionally, REHAU could save costs by eliminating redundant systems through the already acquired licenses. The main goal was to improve internal communication and collaboration through a unified and modern platform based on SharePoint. The focus was on expanding dialogue and feedback and leveraging the benefits of integration into the digital workplace, making all information available in one place. The platform needed to be user-friendly, intuitive, future-proof, and scalable to increase employee acceptance and meet growing demands.
The Project
The project implementation began in November 2023, and by the end of March 2024, the new platform went live with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). This initial functional version of the new intranet contained basic functions and was immediately accessible to all employees. This approach allowed the new platform to be introduced and tested gradually, then developed and expanded continually. The tight project timeline was partly due to the contract with the previous provider Jive, which expired at the end of May 2024, necessitating the shutdown of the old platform. The project was carried out by a dedicated internal project team at REHAU, led by Barbara Ernstberger, Communications Specialist, and composed of members from various departments and specialist areas. Florian Deindörfer from IPI GmbH served as the Workstream Lead for content transformation, training, and support, providing both technical and professional advice.
The project was divided into three workstreams. The first workstream focused on the conception and creation of a new home for internal communication, including the development of the new platform and custom elements by IPI, such as the news wall and main navigation. The second, technically oriented workstream dealt with content management, auditing, and migration. This involved securing content on the previous Jive platform and transferring it to the new SharePoint-based platform. The existing interface to Jive allowed for the easy conversion of data into SharePoint elements and migration to Microsoft 365 with minimal editorial effort (this is possible from almost any external system).
The third workstream focused on project communication and user engagement, as well as training and support. It was crucial to enable the organization within this short time and to have the employees on board. We focused on two target groups: editors (key editors and extended editorial team) responsible for news creation and end users as the “main customers” of the platform. Key editors were trained by IPI in live sessions in both German and English and acted as multipliers within the project. In addition to the training sessions, training videos were offered for time- and location-independent learning, and an open Q&A session was held once a week. The training of editors was taken over by the key editors, who continued to be available alongside Barbara as contacts for questions regarding the intranet. These measures ensured that all participants were well-prepared and informed. Close collaboration between internal employees and external consultants was a key success factor for the project.
The Solution
The intranet homepage is integrated into Microsoft Teams, serving as the entry point to the digital workplace. A clear range of functions and appealing design ensure that employees can access all important information and tools quickly and efficiently.
- Burger Menu: The custom-developed burger menu opens the main navigation, providing links to various departments, regions, and business areas. Four separate intranets were introduced, one for each of the four subgroups. Each subgroup has its own intranet universe but can switch to the areas of other subgroups at any time to stay informed.
- Hero Banner: This highlights the most important and latest company news, which is mandatory for all employees to see.
- My News: These can be personalized, allowing users to decide which news they want to see. Important company news is automatically pre-selected to ensure that all employees receive it.
- Language Switcher: This allows users to select their preferred languages. If content is not available in the primary chosen language, it is automatically displayed in the set secondary language.
- Bookmarks: Employees can create their own favorites and access them directly for their daily work.
- Apps & Services: This area provides a gateway to various applications integrated into REHAU's digital workplace. The Daily Apps catalog can be pre-configured similarly to an app store on a smartphone. The overview opens all centrally pre-configured applications for users. By clicking the plus sign, they can access the complete Apps & Services selection and add specific applications to the menu.
A project blog served as a central information source, accompanying the entire project with regular updates and background information. Push and pull measures were effectively combined within the communication concept. Employees were always informed and could address questions and feedback directly, which fostered acceptance and trust in the new platform. This blog is now being converted into a help page for users and editors.
An interactive onboarding tour with pop-up explanation elements guides users through the new platform’s features. This tour was configured as a mandatory element, requiring users to complete it once to learn about the key features. New employees also go through this introduction during their first login. The onboarding tour can be easily expanded by the customer, with new steps added or old ones removed, which is particularly helpful when changes occur on the entry pages.
Challenges
In addition to the tight timeline of just 5 months until the platform’s go-live, we faced several challenges during this project. The content migration from the old Jive system to the new Microsoft 365 environment required careful planning and execution to ensure that no important data was lost. The project team had to evaluate, classify and migrate thousands of pieces of content. It was important to involve employees early on and encourage their participation to make sure the content audit was conducted effectively for the move of relevant content. As an additional safeguard, a non-public archive was created to store all accessible content from the old system. Users could submit a request through a ticket and a selected group of people would search the archive for the requested content. This provided a “worst-case” scenario backup, allowing access to content even after the platform shutdown.
Training and supporting employees was also a challenge. Many employees were not yet acquainted with the new tools like Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint. We held regular training and Q&A sessions to ease the transition. End-user communication and information were particularly important in the context of change and adoption. Email communication, consulting hours, daily inbox, and a project blog played a central role in ensuring that employees were well-prepared and informed.
Another important aspect was communication and change management. It was vital to take employees on the journey and convey the benefits of the new platform. The project team used various communication measures to inform and motivate employees. These included email banners, logos and a project blog that accompanied the journey to the modern new digital workplace. Despite these challenges, the project team successfully introduced the new platform on time.
Outlook & Benefits
The successful transition from Jive to Microsoft 365 marks a significant step in REHAU’s digital transformation. The new platform not only offers an improved user experience and more efficient communication channels but also lays the foundation for future developments and innovations. By introducing Microsoft 365, REHAU has created a flexible and scalable solution that meets the company’s growing demands. The platform enables employees to collaborate seamlessly and share information regardless of their location. This not only enhances productivity but also promotes collaboration and knowledge sharing within the company.
Another important benefit is cost efficiency. By using existing Microsoft 365 licenses, license costs were saved as redundant systems were eliminated. This led to a significant reduction in IT costs and better use of resources. In the future, the platform will be further expanded, and additional functions and tools will be integrated to meet the changing needs of employees. Special attention will be paid to improving communication within the plants. The continuous development of the platform will ensure that REHAU remains at the cutting edge of technology and provides the best possible solutions for its employees and the digital workplace.
„Courage pays off – and our project success confirms it. A big compliment to the entire project team for this outstanding performance!“
Status: February 2025
