The Challenge: Mastering Complexity in a Multi-Site, Seasonal Environment
A Decentralized Approach Across 23 Sites
As Switzerland’s leading meat processor, Micarna recognised an opportunity to optimise how it managed its flexible workforce across its extensive production network. To address its regular seasonal fluctuations—including summer peaks for meat production and Easter demand for eggs—Micarna relies on a flexible workforce of up to 500 temporary workers. Efficiently managing these essential teams across 23 sites, from large facilities to smaller local operations, presented an ongoing operational challenge.
A Diverse Network of Staffing Partners
Micarna operated through a decentralized model where site managers independently engaged with staffing partners, resulting in collaborations with approximately 30 different agencies. “The temporary process was handled by each line manager individually, which created a landscape of roughly 30 agencies across Switzerland,” explains Alexander Lanthemann, responsible for recruitment at Micarna. “While this provided local flexibility, it made maintaining consistent processes and clear visibility increasingly complex.”
Seeking Greater Operational Consistency
This distributed approach highlighted several areas for improvement, including administrative efficiency, consistent compliance practices, and centralised oversight of costs and volumes. “We recognised that some relationships between hiring managers and specific agencies, while productive, could benefit from clearer alignment with our corporate guidelines,” notes Alexander Lanthemann.
The Path Toward Centralised Management
Beyond compliance considerations, Micarna identified a strategic need to standardise processes and implement unified reporting. The company sought to establish a comprehensive view of temporary labour spending and utilisation, enabling data-driven decisions across the entire organisation.
The Solution: A Strategic Partnership for Standardisation and Control
Implementing a Master Vendor Model
To address its complex workforce challenges, Micarna made the strategic decision to transition to a Master Vendor model. Recognising Switzerland’s diverse linguistic regions, the company appointed one primary partner for the German-speaking sector and another for the French-speaking area. “It was clear for us that we wanted someone who had a clear track record,” explains Alexander Lanthemann. “The decision was based on who we know, who we think can handle this volume, and who we trust with this responsibility.”
Selecting the Right Technology Platform
The Master Vendor agencies overwhelmingly recommended Pixid as their Vendor Management System of choice. “Interestingly, most of the agencies were pitching with Pixid,” notes Alexander Lanthemann. The platform stood out for meeting Micarna’s crucial technical requirements, particularly its simple user interface designed for blue-collar hiring managers and its powerful reporting capabilities that would finally provide the visibility the company needed.
A Neutral Platform Ensuring Fairness
A key factor in selecting Pixid was its vendor neutrality. As an independent platform, it ensures fair treatment of all suppliers under the new Master Vendor structure. This neutrality was essential for maintaining transparent relationships with staffing partners while giving Micarna complete oversight. “We had clear requests for BI tools and reporting KPIs which weren’t there before,” adds Alexander Lanthemann. “We asked in the pitch: ‘Can your system do this?’ and Pixid ticked all the boxes.”
Implementation & Adoption: A Structured Rollout
Expert Project Leadership
The implementation was driven by a collaborative team combining Micarna’s internal experts with Pixid’s specialists. “We really were supported by a very experienced team,” notes Alexander Lanthemann, highlighting the contribution of Pixid’s Project coordinators, alongside team from the partner agency.
Intuitive Platform Driving Rapid Adoption
A key factor in the successful rollout was the platform’s exceptional usability. Alexander Lanthemann emphasizes: “What really makes it trustworthy is how easy it is to use… You can place an order within one or two minutes… I could train my 12-year-old son to place the orders and I’m sure he would do it in three or four minutes.” This intuitive interface was crucial for ensuring adoption across Micarna’s diverse workforce of approximately 300 hiring managers with varying levels of digital literacy.
Focused Timeline and Comprehensive Training
The project maintained strong momentum with a three-month implementation window. An extensive training program in both French and German accommodated Switzerland’s linguistic regions, with sessions evolving from bi-weekly to weekly as the system went live.
Driving Adoption Through Integration
A key success factor was embedding Pixid into essential workflows. The team made the platform indispensable by linking it to critical processes like site access. “They were forced to go through Pixid, which helped a lot,” explains Alexander Lanthemann. This strategic integration, combined with the possibility to tailor user permissions that simplified the interface, ensured rapid and sustained adoption across the organisation.
Results & Tangible Benefits: From Administrative Burden to Strategic Advantage
Streamlined Operations and Significant Efficiency Gains
The implementation has delivered dramatic operational improvements. Micarna reduced its dedicated temp administration team from 3 people to just 1 – a 66% reduction in administrative overhead. The automation of worked hour distribution and validation eliminated 3-4 days of manual work per month, while significantly reducing invoicing errors and data corrections.
Enhanced Control and Compliance
Pixid provided Micarna with unprecedented visibility and control. The company gained real-time tracking of costs and supplier performance across all 23 sites. Crucially, the system now enables automatic tracking of legal requirements like night work compliance and flags temporary workers exceeding 6-month and 1-year thresholds for mandatory evaluation.
Sustainable Adoption and Improved Work-Life Balance
The platform achieved widespread adoption among ~300 hiring managers, with the simple interface receiving universal acceptance. Automation has transformed HR’s workload, as Alexander Lanthemann highlights: “We really took out the pressure during monthly closings. My team can now take holidays even during these periods, which was previously impossible.“ This improvement in work-life balance underscores the profound operational shift enabled by Pixid.
Conclusion: Micarna’s Digital Shift with Pixid
The partnership with Pixid has transformed temporary workforce management at Micarna from an operational burden into a strategic advantage. “The system enables us to manage more efficiently and identify blind spots we weren’t able to see before,” summarizes Alexander Lanthemann. As Micarna looks to leverage data for further supplier optimisation, their experience demonstrates that investing in the right digital infrastructure delivers immediate, quantifiable returns while building a foundation for future growth.
