How to link production processes with the knowledge and skills of employees

“Digitally optimized processes are the best way to combat the shortage of skilled workers in industrial manufacturing,” says Max Steinhoff, co-founder and CEO of the software provider Stryza. The company from the company builder Wattx (Viessmann) was one of the ten winners of the 2023 start-up competition supported by Staufen Weconomy and was able to prevail against 150 applicants.

Stryza‘s software combines the three elements of workflow management, skills management and knowledge management. “People like to see these separately. But then, the information is missing on site,” says Stryza founder Steinhoff. The cloud-based software integrates these areas by taking data from systems such as ERP or MES and digitally recording the knowledge of employees. These job descriptions are then combined with the qualification profiles of the workers. This allows the software to link the knowledge and skills of employees with the workflows. The result is an efficient and coherent workflow. Employees can learn more quickly and are more productive. Stryza supports them in simple tasks such as material preparation as well as in the maintenance of complex, fully automated industrial plants.

From the left:
EMIN MJUMJUNOV & MAX STEINHOFF both co-founders and CEO Stryza GmbH

Stryza is used by production managers, shift managers, and process managers. They use the software to define workflows and create process chains. Employees also use the application on smartphones or tablets as an on-site assistance system that assigns them tasks and presents instructions.

The instructions contain images, videos, texts, and audio in different languages so that all workers can understand and implement them easily. They can also document their activities and provide feedback. Foremen can also find information about the work progress in the software so that they can intervene if necessary.

Stryza also supports companies in their fight against the shortage of skilled workers. It is no longer as easy to close staffing gaps as it used to be. Instead, companies have to educate their staff and train new employees accordingly. This is where Stryza shows its strengths in skills and knowledge management.

“Qualification is traditionally an HR issue and is often only taken into account during recruitment,” says Stryza CEO Steinhoff. “But companies benefit when they systematically track and develop the qualifications of their employees.” Additional knowledge management prevents crucial knowledge from being passed on only informally. Even illness or vacation time can become a problem – no one knows what‘s going on, and delays occur.

In addition, Stryza offers digitized workflows that are linked to the knowledge and skills databases. This makes it possible to train new workers very quickly. At any time, they can access a library of the work processes to be carried out and the corresponding knowledge.

“This is a good way for companies to deal with the shortage of skilled workers, as more and more less experienced employees are available for training,” emphasizes Max Steinhoff. Stryza allows onboarding and training processes to be developed for new staff in order to relieve the burden on trainers. New employees can train themselves by completing the relevant learning units directly on the shop floor. In this way, the system can systematize knowledge transfer within companies to avoid bottlenecks and optimize work processes.