HÜBNER Group starts its AI journey

The HÜBNER Group has tested a key component of its comprehensive AI strategy through the pilot phase of Microsoft 365 Copilot. The aim is to explore specific opportunities for the company and its staff in order to improve efficiency and optimise internal processes.

High internal expectations – including potentials for cost reduction and efficiency improvement • The pilot was based on existing AI guidelines and concept papers

Evaluation of whether and how AI solutions – initially AI assistants like Copilot – can be integrated into the existing infrastructure and workflows 

Goal of the pilot project: test the potential with minimal effort

Conducting an envisioning workshop to identify specific use cases and provide a basic introduction to the Copilot world 

3-month pilot phase with selected testers to gather practical experiences and feed back 

Prompt training, deep dives, and basic training to ensure a solid handling 

Feedback and basic ROI through participant surveys

Increased productivity through time savings in daily work 

Efficient content creation to develop content faster, easier, and more productively 

Precise summaries of large amounts of data and efficient search functions 

Highest data security for company data, as Copilot operates solely within the secure Microsoft environment and does not use external systems 

Seamless integration into the existing Microsoft environment

The HÜBNER Group developed its own AI policy and concept paper to define its AI strategy and suitable use cases. With this solid foundation, the company approached novaCapta. A pilot project with Microsoft 365 Copilot was chosen as the starting point, allowing for a quick launch due to its seamless integra tion into the existing Microsoft infrastructure. HÜBNER‘s goal was to determine which application scenarios exist for the Co pilot as an AI assistant in everyday business, what efficiency improvements can be achieved, and what conclusions can be drawn for

the next strategic steps. „We had a strong internal drive and high expectations that we wanted to address strate gically. Therefore, our goal was to better position the Copilot through the pilot project and thoroughly examine the poten tials – such as cost reduction and efficiency improvement. The Copilot provides us with the opportunity to test an AI assistant that can easily access our company data compared to others,“ explains Stefan Brexel, Teamlead IT – Global Digital Collabora tion, regarding the decision for the Copilot project.

With the groundwork already laid, HÜBNER brought a solid foundation. In coordination with novaCapta, a three-month pilot phase was established. A total of 40 employees from vari ous departments and roles were selected to test Copilot as key users. At the start of the pilot, an envisioning workshop took place. This not only promoted understanding of the new tool but also helped identify potential application scenarios and manage user expectations.

Subsequently, training sessions were conducted to integrate Copilot efficiently and sustainably into the working methods of the key users. It was crucial for participants to learn how to work with Copilot and enhance their prompting skills. In ad dition to basic training, various deep dives on the individual Copilots were conducted. “The development of Copilot is pro gressing incredibly quickly. It is essential to stay up to date and be familiar with the new features to work efficiently with Copilot,” explains Stefan Brexel about the approach. Additio nally, Q&A sessions were held to discuss specific questions and application cases. A dedicated Teams channel serves as a com munity base and a small center of excellence.

To incorporate the feedback from key users into a decision making document and accurately assess the benefits of Copilot for HÜBNER, comprehensive interim and final surveys were conducted. For HÜBNER, it became clear that Copilot provi des added value and efficiency improvements for various roles and departments, but it is not equally suitable for everyone. “We were able to effectively identify which use and application scenarios are sensible and for which user groups the Copilot offers real value during the pilot project,” explains Stefan Brexel regarding the pilot‘s results.

The relevance of the training was strongly emphasized by the key users: Only those who understand the new technologies can use them effectively. “Change and adoption are just as im portant for all new technologies as understanding how to use a tool. It’s not enough to provide employees with licenses if they don’t know how the tool can support them. Training and a suitable change and adoption strategy are crucial for imple menting new working methods in the long term,” emphasizes Stefan Brexel. HÜBNER sees great potential in the new AI tech nologies and is working on possible implementation scenarios in the next step. The team around Stefan Brexel remains vigi lant, as the rapid developments in the AI field require flexibility and openness to new opportunities.

Download Case Study HÜBNER als PDF (DE)

Download Case Study HÜBNER als PDF (EN)

The HÜBNER Group is a global system supplier for the mobility sector, for manufacturing, and for life sciences and research ap plications. HÜBNER is the world wide leader in articulation and gangway systems for rail vehicles and buses as well as a supplier of chassis technology, cockpit dis play solutions and door sealing and safety profiles. The company is also an internationally recog nized supplier of sophisticated solutions involving elastomers, insulation and composite ma terials. The business division for laser technology is developing successfully, featuring applicati ons for holography and cancer diagnostics.

https://www.hubner-group.com/