Hindalco connects 20 locations and thousands of employees with Microsoft Teams Rooms

Need for a seamless hybrid meeting experience

Hindalco operates mines, manufacturing units and offices across India. Its geographically dispersed teams had been using shared desktops or personal cellphones for virtual meetings via Microsoft Teams. However, remote work during the pandemic brought communication and collaboration challenges. As employees shifted to different work modes post-pandemic, factory administrators sought a seamless meeting room solution to enable hybrid meetings with headquarters locations in their factories. 

Additionally, Hindalco aimed to enhance meeting participation, foster deeper connections between employees, and maintain low costs.

After evaluating different options, Hindalco found that Microsoft Teams Rooms met its requirements and was also familiar to its employees who already used Microsoft 365. As a result, the company decided to implement Microsoft Teams Rooms across the organization.

The implementation of Microsoft Teams Rooms was done in phases, starting with the corporate offices and using Logitech consoles. As the solution delivered better hybrid meeting experiences, Hindalco expanded the deployment to some of its plants in the second phase.

Abhishek Sharma, GM - IT, Hindalco says, “Initially, people were a little cautious about embracing the new technology and installing the devices in a few plants. However, with thorough training sessions and successful implementation in the corporate offices, teams across different locations realized that the solution was more convenient, efficient, and intuitive. Consequently, they enthusiastically adopted the solution, which has helped Hindalco foster a more engaged and connected workplace culture.”

Hindalco deployed a total of 40 Microsoft Teams Rooms across 20 locations, and to improve efficiency, it implemented dual display technology. This technology makes interactions more realistic as shared content and speakers can be seen on separate screens. To address connectivity issues in remote locations with limited bandwidth, the solution was also implemented in breakout rooms, enabling employees to join company-wide meetings or large-scale events without any problems. Today, the solution is utilized in some of Hindalco's most remote plants, such as Utkal Alumina, Mahan Aluminum, the Renukoot and Dahej plant. Employees can seamlessly conduct hybrid meetings in these locations by gathering in meeting rooms located within the factory.

Less complexity, more collaboration in meetings

The Microsoft Teams Rooms solution was well-received by employees, who found it to be a highly collaborative and engaging meeting experience. It was straightforward to deploy, manage, and use, supporting flexible work and allowing remote participants to see and hear everyone in the room. Users appreciated a variety of features, such as auto framing, one-touch connectivity, and the ability to start meetings using Cortana, making it much easier to use compared to the previous virtual conference setup.

Jagadish Ramaswamy, Chief Digital and Information Officer, Hindalco, says, “The deployment of Microsoft Teams Rooms has led to a significant digital transformation in Hindalco's collaboration experience. The solution is extensively used for various events, such as town hall meetings, review meetings, daily stand-up calls, and special events like safety meetings and digital conferences. It has enabled smooth connectivity between factories and headquarters, allowing seamless collaboration.”

Hindalco has benefitted greatly from the deployment of Microsoft Teams Rooms, which allows everyone to be seen, heard and fully participate from anywhere, all while reducing costs. A key advantage of this solution is improved communication and engagement among employees, regardless of their location. Previously, infrastructure challenges limited the number of people who could participate in company-wide workshops and large-scale meetings. However, with Microsoft Teams Rooms, there are no such restrictions, enabling more people to join. This technology also eliminates proximity bias, allowing everyone in the room to participate and fostering a more equitable and engaged workplace culture. As a result, over 5,000 employees can now collaborate on Microsoft Teams Rooms regardless of their place of work.

Hindalco’s adoption of the Microsoft Teams Rooms solution has allowed its employees to do more with less. With features such as whiteboarding and screen sharing, employees can easily collaborate and share their ideas in meetings. The solution also offers excellent audio calling and video conferencing quality, enabling employees to stay engaged and connected during meetings. The flexibility and convenience of the solution have made participation more accessible and eliminated the need for travel, resulting in increased productivity and reduced costs. Moreover, the solution requires no complicated setup or technical support, allowing employees to join meetings effortlessly.

Hindalco has also taken measures to enhance security by enrolling devices into Intune and implementing user and device authentication. This has led to the creation of a secure collaborative environment for its employees, aided by automatic security updates and proactive security configuration.

Elevating collaboration experiences further

Hindalco has carefully strategized its implementation of Microsoft Teams Rooms. It has plans to expand and implement over 25 Microsoft Teams Rooms in existing locations and ten new locations in the third phase. Furthermore, the company intends to harness the power of Microsoft Azure Analytics to gain meaningful insights into collaboration patterns, meeting types, network usage, and utilization rates. By leveraging this data, Hindalco aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the solution and identify areas for enhancement, with the ultimate goal of improving collaboration experiences for its employees.