Simplifying complexity: Höganäs unifies HR with Workday and Strada

Interview with Fredrik Heidenholm, VP Group HR, Höganäs by Danny Temming

Höganäs, a global leader in material engineering and manufacturing, initiated a bold transformation to unify its HR operations across more than 30 locations worldwide, impacting 360 managers and a workforce of approximately 2,400 employees. With fragmented systems ranging from paper-based processes to Excel sheets in the need for a globally enabled, standardized HR platform became urgent. 

From fragmentation to focus: The start of Höganäs global HR transformation journey

“We had a global HR meeting in Sweden, and the top outcome was clear: we need a globally enabled shared system."

Fredrik Heidenholm VP Group HR

After evaluating different HR systems, Höganäs selected Workday for its flexibility, scalability, and user-friendly design. To bring this vision to life, they partnered with Strada, whose deep operational expertise and agile AMS (Application Management Services) approach provided the confidence that the work would get done, especially under tight timelines. Strada’s support was instrumental in enabling a smooth rollout across geographies, ensuring that HR teams had the tools and guidance they needed when it mattered most.

Strategic vision: ‘Get in shape, Stay in shape’

Höganäs approached Workday not just as a system upgrade, but as a catalyst for cultural and operational change. Despite a compressed timeline, the team prioritized standardization and post-go-live improvement, aligning with their long-term strategy: “Get in shape, stay in shape.”

Höganäs deployed a broad scope of Workday modules, including Core HR, Absence, Time Tracking, Recruiting, Learning, Talent, and Compensation on a tight timeline. While early adoption focused on HR, the platform now enables real-time reporting, shared standards, and upskilling across the organization.

At the heart of Höganäs’ transformation is a three-step digital strategy:

1. Get the basics right
2. Develop HR and processes
3. Achieve excellence

"Workday and Strada have helped us unify HR globally bringing consistency, visibility, and confidence to our people operations.”

Fredrik Heidenholm VP Group HR

This phased approach ensures that every step builds toward long-term goals, including sustainability, digitalization, and operational efficiency.

Partnership with Strada

Strada played a critical role in supporting Höganäs throughout the transformation. With a tight timeline and complex global requirements, AMS ensured that Höganäs had on-demand support when it mattered most. The partnership reassured the team’s ability to deliver, even under pressure.

“Having Strada as a partner meant we could move fast without compromising quality. Their support was there when we needed it most.”

Fredrik Heidenholm VP Group HR

Change management: Building support across borders

Rolling out a global system is never just about technology, it’s about people. Höganäs prioritized change management by building a Workday community on its intranet, offering multilingual training, and providing hands-on support to managers at every level. This personalized approach included spending time with plant managers to ensure they felt confident and supported from the start. The establishment of a dedicated HR Tech department further reinforced the company’s commitment to ongoing support and continuous improvement.

Workday has already delivered measurable improvements. From salary reviews to performance evaluations and surveys within Peakon processes are smoother, faster, and more reliable. “We’re more efficient today. Salary reviews went very well, less admin, better experience. And we’re just getting started.”, says Heidenholm.

The shift to Workday has also improved data quality and trust, with dashboards helping managers understand the importance of accurate inputs.

Dashboards and data-driven insights

One of the most impactful innovations in Höganäs’ transformation has been the development of custom reporting dashboards. These dashboards are strategic enablers that provide real-time insights across HR, finance, security, business processes, and adoption metrics.

“We’ve built dashboards for HCM, finance, security, business processes, and adoption. Now we’re adding recruitment, diversity, and pay transparency.”

Fredrik Heidenholm VP Group HR

These evolving dashboards have transformed how HR partners engage with data. Instead of relying on fragmented reports and manual data collection, teams now have instant access to reliable, actionable insights. This shift has enabled smarter decision-making, improved compliance, and enhanced visibility into workforce trends.

The dashboards also play a critical role in sustainability reporting, aligning HR metrics with environmental goals. Monthly reporting that once required 40 days of manual effort globally is now streamlined through Workday, increasing both efficiency and data integrity.

Sustainability and corporate sustainability reporting directive (CSRD) reporting

With ambitious goals to become the world’s first green steel manufacturer, Höganäs is aligning its HR data with sustainability targets leveraging Workday to bridge the gap between operational capability and environmental accountability. “We’ve matched what sustainability wants and what HR can deliver. We lowered the astronomical metrics to more achievable ones and raised our capabilities to meet in the middle,” said Heidenholm. Today, Workday supports monthly sustainability reporting, significantly reducing manual effort and increasing data reliability across the organization.

Looking ahead: Roadmap to 2030

This transformation supports Höganäs’ fourth reinvention toward sustainability and digitalization, by enabling scalable, compliant, and efficient HR practices. The unified platform is now a cornerstone of their five-year roadmap to HR excellence by 2030.

Phase 3 of Höganäs’ transformation includes the global rollout of Time and Absence, Learning, Advanced Compensation, and Workday Projects. Additionally, a Pay Transparency dashboard is in development to support equitable and data-driven compensation practices.

Advice for others on the same path

Fredrik’s offers practical advice to organizations pursuing similar transformations:

“Focus more on process, less on workbooks. HR partners care about how to use the system—not the technical setup. Build around that.”