Case Study Rieter: How the introduction of Asana succeeded thanks to BridgeFlow
Over the past two years, the Rieter Group, the world’s leading supplier of systems for short-staple fibre spinning, has introduced the work management tool Asana. BridgeFlow supported the company as an Asana partner and assisted with the analysis, implementation and optimisation of processes.


Quick Check
Facts:
Objective:
- Onboarding of around 500 employees from various Rieter locations in Switzerland, Germany, India, China and the Czech Republic through customised workshops and webinars.
Timeframe:
2020 and 2021
Results:
- Creation of best-practice processes such as meetings, enquiries and resource planning
- Existing processes and projects were optimised with regular ‘health checks’
- Average rating from workshop participants: 8.5/10 points
- More than 250 employees trained since 2020
- Professional training and handouts ensure sustainable use
- Common understanding of the Asana functions


Cooperation with BridgeFlow
Rieter is characterised by very good structures and clear planning. However, the tools used until 2019 eventually reached their limits, so Rieter opted for Asana as a work management tool to create a centralised place for collaboration. BridgeFlow experts were commissioned for the successful introduction. Through joint analyses and regular calls, the ideal Asana setup for Rieter was established and the employees were professionally trained.




Common structures ensure homogeneity
Each department and each location had different processes and routines. There was therefore a risk of creating ‘different asanas’ and making the desired homogeneity more difficult. It was also important to ensure from the outset that a standardised understanding of Asana was established so that the functions were used in the same way.
Based on these goals, BridgeFlow and Rieter have created an optimal Asana setup together through numerous discussions, health checks and analyses. This created a basic structure that is adhered to globally by all users. This ensured that information was not scattered across multiple teams and channels.

Some success stories

- Standardised meeting processes for teams
- 1:1 meeting template
- Portfolio structures for management reporting
- A list of Dos and Don’ts as a set of rules for shared use
- A joint ‘all user’ team to share information (rules, updates, etc.) centrally
Training to ensure a common understanding
The setup was only the first step. The key to the successful adaptation of a new tool is its use by employees. To this end, BridgeFlow designed and implemented a training concept customised for Rieter in the form of online webinars.
The training sessions were held in German and English for the sites in Switzerland, Germany, India, China and the Czech Republic. The setup and the most important Asana features for Rieter’s individual needs were explained and practised in an understandable way.



‘With its modern user interface, Asana is very attractively designed and intuitive to use, but it cannot replace professional onboarding.’
Lorenz D. Braun, Process Manager Preparation/Endspinning

The BridgeFlow experts support growth
BridgeFlow experts are also available as direct contacts for Rieter via a joint project. All Asana users at Rieter can submit support requests in the ‘Ask BridgeFlow Project’, which are answered within 24 hours.
This ensures that ad-hoc questions can be answered quickly. At the same time, users also learn to communicate with external parties – the BridgeFlow experts are guests in Rieter’s Asana tool – simply and directly via the Asana tasks – emails are no longer necessary.
Outstanding collaboration
The stakeholders involved in the launch process came from the areas of Marketing & Launch, Development, Life-Cycle Management, Operational Purchasing and Authorisation. The cooperation with all BridgeFlow employees was perceived as very good.

Recommendation
‘BridgeFlow’s ‘best-case’ processes are a big part of our success with Asana. We have been able to reduce the amount of preparation and follow-up work per meeting by one hour and at the same time have more clarity and transparency.’
Lorenz D. Braun, Process Manager Preparation/Endspinning



Rieter is the world’s leading supplier of systems for short staple fibre spinning. Based in Winterthur (Switzerland), the company develops and manufactures machines, systems and components for processing natural and synthetic fibres and their blends into yarns. The company has 15 production sites in ten countries and employs around 4,420 people worldwide.

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