A logical approach to enhancing HR processes with AI
Global steel wire transformation and coating company NV Bekaert SA collaborated with SAP gold partner Flexso NV to unpack embedded AI capabilities in SAP SuccessFactors solutions. By guiding the company to take advantage of AI capabilities already available in its existing human capital management suite, the project helped Bekaert supercharge its AI journey.
| Industry | Region | Company Size | Partner |
| Industrial manufacturing | Zwevegem, Belgium | 21,000 employees | Flexso NV |
Global Head of HR Technology, NV Bekaert SA
Nurturing continuous performance improvements
A global leader in steel wire manufacturing and coating technologies, NV Bekaert SA is also known for its expertise in creating new solutions with innovative materials and services for various markets and industries. Founded in 1880, the company’s strategy today aligns with target end-markets and global megatrends. Its key focus areas include tire reinforcement, transmission and performance wires, advanced lifting and mooring, energy transition, and sustainable construction, as well as specialty businesses.
Bekaert’s ambition is to be the leading partner for shaping the way people live and move and to always do this in a way that is safe, smart, and sustainable. The company delivers on its strategy by developing and offering sustainable solutions, using materials and energy responsibly, and achieving the highest business ethics and safety standards when engaging employees and business partners.
With its people central to the company’s success, Bekaert nurtures a performance-oriented culture, where a high-performance mindset, empowered teams, and a focus on identifying priority skills and capabilities drive future growth. Recognizing that AI adoption would be critical to HR efficiency, efficacy, and rigor, Bekaert sought to identify the right approach for its AI transformation.
Using embedded AI to augment HR processes
As a first step, Bekaert sought guidance from Flexso, its strategic partner of more than 10 years. Flexso is committed to helping customers explore AI capabilities, including the Joule copilot, as natural extensions to SAP solutions. David Pierre, AI practice lead at Flexso, explains, “Our strategy is to help and support our customers discovering embedded AI capabilities in SAP solutions, because we strongly believe that this is the low-hanging fruit for customers to start their AI journey.”
Because Bekaert closely follows innovations and updates released by SAP SuccessFactors, the company was eager to explore the new AI features for a number of use cases. Jorn Waterschoot, global head of HR technology at Bekaert, comments, “The embedded AI capabilities struck us as an interesting one to follow because the user can work with AI as a natural part of the HR process.”
Configuring AI capabilities for rapid adoption
Bekaert’s AI collaboration with Flexso took just days to deploy. Pierre explains, “Activating embedded AI capabilities in SAP SuccessFactors takes a matter of days rather than months because you don’t need to train AI models. You simply configure standard scenarios in SAP SuccessFactors, allowing you to get started with AI very quickly.”
Waterschoot says that Bekaert’s people have been quick to take advantage of the new AI features: “For example, the embedded AI capabilities in SAP SuccessFactors are really useful for analyzing a 360-degree report that consists of ratings and text. This is something that AI is really strong at—in terms of delivering a concise summary and additional insights.”
Global Head of HR Technology, NV Bekaert SA
Featured partner
A strategic partner of Bekaert for more than 10 years, Flexso NV is an SAP gold partner that works with customers to build solutions that pave the way for smooth digital transformation. This collaboration served to support and accelerate Bekaert’s AI journey by focusing on the discovery of SAP Business AI capabilities embedded in SAP SuccessFactors.