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Case Study

Customer interview: How Frencken Transformed HR with Workday and Strada

An interview with Gerard Tosserams, Business Strategy Manager, Frencken Group by Anirban Dass

Frencken Group is listed on the Singapore Exchange, serving leading multinationals in the semiconductor, analytical, medical, automotive, and aerospace industries. For over 60 years, Frencken has created technological products that make a real impact worldwide, bold and boundary pushing. Its ambitious specialists and technical talents, and global footprint across Asia, Europe, and United States, position Frencken uniquely to create innovative sustainable solutions. But beyond its technical excellence, Frencken is also known for something else: its people care.

A global company at a crossroads

At Frencken, employee experience isn’t an afterthought—it’s a core value. Many employees have been with the company for over 20 years, a testament to the culture of care and commitment that defines the organisation.

“We have colleagues who’ve been with the company for many years. That kind of loyalty doesn’t happen by accident. It’s because we invest in our people and their experience.”

Gerard Tosserams
Business Strategy Manager at Frencken Frencken mechatronics work with Strada

Why GROW?

Recognising the need for transformation, Frencken launched Project GROW—a global HR transformation initiative powered by Workday and deployed with Strada. "Before Workday, it would take us one to two months to pull basic HR figures together. By the time we had them, they were already outdated.”

Workday was selected for its global capabilities, compliance readiness, and intuitive user experience. But technology alone wasn’t enough.

“More than just an implementation partner, Strada brought deep expertise in global rollouts, implementation, localization, and change management—critical for a company with long-tenured employees and diverse cultural contexts.”

Gerard Tosserams
Business Strategy Manager, Frencken Frencken mechatronics work with Strada

GROW stands for “Getting Ready for Opportunities with Workday”. The key message is that we see our talents as the heartbeat of the organisation, our most valuable resources. Through Workday we want to build a platform empowering growth and fostering dreams. The implementation of workday is not a milestone, it is a commitment to a legacy of positivity and growth for every Frencken talent. GROW is also key in Frencken’s strategy driving sustainable and profitable growth.

Leading from the top

Change management was central to GROW’s success. Frencken’s leadership, including the CEO, played an active role in shaping the transformation journey. Together with HR leadership, they built a support community that extended from the top of the organisation to every factory floor. It wasn’t just a system change Frencken was after, it was a cultural shift. And that required leadership at every level.

A seamless employee experience

One of the most visible changes? The employee experience. With Workday, employees can now submit expenses or leave requests directly from their phones. The ease of use has driven strong adoption and improved satisfaction across the board. “People love the simplicity,” Gerard says. “It’s intuitive, it works, and it saves time.”

Localised change, global impact

Strada’s ability to localise the change management process was key. Whether training teams in Asia or Europe, Strada ensured that every region received tailored support—while maintaining consistency across the global rollout.

Frencken needed to ensure compliance with local laws across all its regions. Strada worked closely with regional teams to meet every requirement and delivered training in a way that was both time-efficient and highly effective. As the ideal partner, Strada successfully ran training programs across all Frencken locations—earning appreciation from employees for their clarity, consistency, and respect for local needs.

Early wins and signs of adoption

Just two months post-go-live, Frencken is already seeing strong indicators of adoption. From expense reports to absence requests, employees are actively using the platform. Profile pictures are being updated—small signs of big engagement. This deployment streamlines HR processes, enhances operational efficiency, and drives alignment across their global footprint. It is a key milestone in their modernisation plans and to future-proof their HR operations.

The launch of Frencken’s first global standard performance cycle through Workday marks a significant step forward in aligning talent development with business goals. Additionally, the recent agreement to implement Time Tracking in Workday with Strada reflects Frencken’s continued investment in building a comprehensive, integrated HR ecosystem.

However, transformation at this scale is never without its challenges. The implementation of Workday has surfaced areas where HR processes and team capabilities need strengthening—an expected but sometimes daunting reality. In some locations, HR teams are facing adoption hurdles, particularly due to limited local change management capacity. While usage metrics and data quality are steadily improving, the journey is ongoing. Central support is being provided, but the experience, especially HR teams can feel far from seamless.

The post go-live survey reinforces this dual reality. While the overall sentiment is positive, the data also highlights areas for improvement:

  • 81% of respondents view the transition to Workday as a positive development for the organisation.
  • 69% find Workday easy to use and are satisfied with its features and functionality.
  • 56% agree that Workday saves them time on daily employee-related activities.
  • 43% found the training and support resources helpful, while many others called for more post go-live guidance and localised support.

“Workday also provides standardised metrics. So I get a very nice Workday report every month—highlighting the number of users, active sessions, expense reports, absence requests, and more. It helps us keep a finger on the pulse.”

Gerard Tosserams
Business Strategy Manager, Frencken Frencken mechatronics work with Strada

Adoption is strong, but uneven and this is expected. Some users struggle with certain features, and the experience varies across regions and roles. These insights are helping Frencken refine its approach, with a focus on continuous improvement and targeted support.

Yet, the foundation is solid. The first global goal-setting exercise was well received, and mobile adoption is high at 76%. As Gerard Tosserams puts it, “Workday gives us visibility—not just into our data, but into our opportunities for growth.”

This is just the beginning. Frencken is committed to continuous improvement—making processes more efficient, supporting teams more effectively, and ensuring that every employee, no matter where they are, feels empowered by the tools at their fingertips.

Tip for other companies on the same journey

“Rigorously prioritise and communicate. Make sure your priorities are clear—and shared across the business. And don’t underestimate the power of communication.”