Skip to content
Contact us

Case Study

Case study: NEC maximises business success through Strada’s Advisory Services

NEC Corporation, a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies, initiated an HR transformation project using Strada's advisory services to accelerate the growth of global business.

As project implementation began, crucial gaps emerged, delaying the original timelines and stalling the overall project. By partnering with Strada for advisory service, NEC Corporation was able to amend the scope of their project and establish global centres of excellence. The result was improved management of international talent, acceleration of growth and more efficient global operations.
  • Founded
    July 17, 1899
  • Industry
    Network technology
  • Headquarters
    Japan
  • Employees
    118,500

Key Facts:

  • Comprehensive SAP SuccessFactors modules implementation is key to increased productivity and simplified HR and payroll transactions.
  • Strategic transformation is fundamental for achieving business objectives and unifying global HR systems to drive business growth.
  • Sentiment surveys provide tangible measurements of change-readiness, enabling the adoption of new HR tools and technologies.
  • Professional advisory services provide clear project ownership, better decision-making structure and improved project governance.
  • Defining the target operating model as a key milestone drives a smooth change over into early stabilisation of “business as usual” processes and service.

Challenge

Advisory services to help navigate global HR complexities and system fragmentation

NEC’s challenge was building the right foundations with the help of Strada advisory services to become a truly global organization. With operations across 44 countries and 29 disconnected HR systems, NEC was spending considerable time manually collating people data, with no mechanism to provide actionable workforce insights.

The absence of a single source of truth hindered talent management, making it difficult to attract, retain, and develop global talent. To support its growth and digital transformation strategy, NEC needed an integrated HR platform that would enhance talent management, standardize processes, and promote a global team mindset.

Solution

Maximising talent and improving employee experience through global HR transformation with Strada advisory services

In 2022 NEC selected Strada to assist with their HR transformation program globally for 11,000 employees to implement SAP SuccessFactors, design global processes and change management activities. Several SuccessFactors modules were implemented, including Employee Central, Recruitment, Onboarding, Performance & Goals and Succession Development.

Strada’s advisory team reviewed NEC’s operating model and applied global best practices in process design to conduct a comprehensive gap analysis of NEC’s original framework, identifying a 50% gap. Additionally, NEC’s partnership with Strada resulted in clearer governance decision-making structures and clearly defined ownership of that governance by Global Process Owners (GPOs). Strada’s expertise resulted in the successful rollout of the global and technical design (the five SuccessFactors modules) worldwide.

Since go-live, Strada’s AMS and Customer Care teams have been the cornerstone of support for NEC globally. Using ITIL framework best practice, AMS provides vital technical support, including incident resolution and platform enhancements, with expertise in SAP issue management. They also carry out testing of mandatory changes introduced in the bi-annual SAP releases and guide NEC on optional feature implementation.

Strada’s Customer Care team provides multi-channel and local language support dedicated to assisting employees in their moments of need, providing quick issue resolution and improving their overall experience. After the first year with Strada, using their new talent suite, NEC decided to roll-out two new SAP SuccessFactors modules in regions where they have higher populations. Strada deployed Compensation and Learning modules improving their business processes to retain internal talent.

As part of NEC´s company reorganization in 2023, Strada´s deployment teams migrated the new organizational hierarchy in SAP SuccessFactors ensuring workflows and business rules were updated in the system to avoid disruptions. NEC continuously invest in enhancing their HR solutions taking advantages of Strada´s partnership network that complement their SAP SuccessFactors usability. In 2025 Strada deployed UKG Document Management solution to all their regions.

Results

A unified and empowered global workforce

The partnership between NEC and Strada delivered measurable success, including:

  • Unified HR System: Consolidated 29 systems into a single HRIS, improving workforce oversight, cost management, and productivity.
  • Enhanced Talent Management: SAP SuccessFactors implementation enabled a globally unified organization, strategically positioning top talent, fostering a global team ethos, and ensuring equal development opportunities worldwide.
  • Process Standardization: Established global centers of excellence, improved international talent management, and eliminated fragmentation with consistent HR processes, boosting productivity and employee experience.
  • Improved Decision-Making: Clear governance structures and defined ownership, enhanced accountability and strategic clarity.
  • HR Operational Excellence and Employee Satisfaction: Achieved over 90% global user adoption. Comprehensive AMS support has optimized NEC’s HR operations, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness, while a responsive Customer Care system enhances employee experience in multi-language support and engagement through exceptional service.

“We are incredibly proud of the partnership and collaborative dynamic between Strada and NEC throughout our global HR transformation journey. Strada’s team seamlessly integrated with our own, working together as one team with a shared vision and common purpose. Their commitment to understanding our unique needs, providing invaluable expertise, and ensuring the success of our project has been exceptional. Together, we have achieved remarkable results that will continue to deliver benefits for our organization for years to come.”

Gurleen Knight
Global Head of HR, NEC