Preserving expertise and driving innovation: ANDRITZ empowers employees with AI agents

ANDRITZ Group stands at the forefront of global manufacturing and industrial technology, distinguished by its unwavering commitment to innovation and sustainability. With a legacy spanning over 170 years, ANDRITZ delivers advanced solutions that help industries worldwide optimize efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and achieve lasting progress. Partnering with atwork and Microsoft allowed ANDRITZ to reimagine how expertise is preserved and shared across its organization. By bringing together Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Studio, and Azure AI Foundry, ANDRITZ created an intelligent agent ecosystem that helps people share what they know. Since launch, 6,000 active Microsoft 365 Copilot users have access to this agent ecosystem, which currently includes 504 active agents focused on specific use cases to increase productivity across all Business Areas. Now, instead of information getting lost in emails or old files, the team can capture and organize insights in one place, making it easy for anyone to find what they need.

This initiative supports ANDRITZ’s focus on digitalization and creating growth that matters—empowering people through smarter, more connected ways of working.

Safeguarding critical know-how across generations

ANDRITZ faced a critical inflection point as it sought to preserve the deep expertise of its seasoned engineers and employees, many of whom were approaching retirement or transitioning to new roles. The company’s traditional documentation methods, such as written manuals and static reports, often failed to capture the full context, nuance, and practical know how that these experts had accumulated over decades. This led to some very real problems: onboarding new talent became slower and less effective, teams struggled to access actionable insights for daily operations, and decision-making processes were hampered by gaps in institutional memory. For a global organization operating in complex, high-stakes environments, these knowledge gaps threatened not only operational continuity but also the ability to innovate and maintain its competitive edge. Recognizing the urgency, ANDRITZ sought a solution that would not just document expertise, but actively contextualize, preserve, and share it, making it possible for every employee to learn from experienced colleagues, adapt quickly, and contribute meaningfully to the company’s goals.

“The Knowledge Preservation Agent is a great example of how we’re capturing expertise at ANDRITZ in a way that’s practical and impactful. It helps teams collect and preserve knowledge from all generations and makes it accessible across the organization. It’s already bridging generational gaps, supporting smoother onboarding, and making people more efficient. Even if someone retires or leaves, their know-how doesn’t disappear—it’s documented in a simple, structured, and easy-to-use way.” Jürgen Podritschnig, Head of Enterprise Content Management at ANDRITZ.

AI agents enable seamless knowledge sharing and productivity

To meet the challenge of preserving critical expertise, ANDRITZ turned to the combined strengths of atwork and Microsoft. Together, they envisioned a centralized, AI-powered knowledge base that would do more than simply store information; it would give employees across the organization the tools and support they need to do their jobs more effectively. atwork designed and implemented a solution that captures the insights of ANDRITZ experts through interviews, videos, transcripts, and documents—all while being fully integrated in the Microsoft 365 environment. This content is automatically organized and published in a dedicated SharePoint Online knowledge base, making institutional know-how instantly accessible to teams across the globe.

But the transformation didn’t stop at documentation. The agent-powered ecosystem guides users to relevant content, converts audio and video into structured reports or guidance, and supports more streamlined onboarding and field service operations. Thanks to the seamless integration of Microsoft technologies, including Copilot, Copilot Studio, and Azure AI Foundry, the solution is scalable, easy to use, and ready for rapid deployment across ANDRITZ’s global teams. That means hard-earned know-how doesn’t just disappear; it’s passed along and grows with every project. Employees now build on each other’s experience, learn new skills, and ultimately improve collaboration across the organization.

"The collaboration with atwork was both professional and productive. Their expertise and structured approach led to valuable discussions and a solution that truly delivers impact. Together, we developed a product that not only meets our needs but also creates real value for our teams across ANDRITZ." Christopher Rolke, Specialist, Enterprise Content Management Services at ANDRITZ.

Accelerating onboarding and decision-making with scalable AI solutions

When ANDRITZ enlisted help from atwork and Microsoft, the goal was simple: make it easier for people to share what they know and help new colleagues hit the ground running. Instead of letting valuable expertise walk out the door, the team found a way to capture insights from experienced employees through interviews, videos, and documents, and store them in one easy-to-search, AI-powered hub. That meant new hires could learn directly from those who had been there before, and everyone spent less time hunting for answers. Adoption of Microsoft 365 Copilot and the intelligent agent ecosystem has been strong, with around 90% of licensed users actively engaging. ANDRITZ is well on its way to becoming an AI-savvy organization, supported by growing interest and tangible results across all Business Areas. With guided access to real-world knowledge, teams made decisions faster and felt more confident in their work. ANDRITZ’s commitment to targeted, high-impact AI initiatives has resulted in a solution that supports colleagues worldwide, ensuring knowledge and experience are shared organization-wide.

"Our collaboration around Microsoft 365 has been a key enabler for digital transformation at ANDRITZ. It’s not just about tools—it’s about empowering people to work smarter, connect more easily, and access the knowledge they need. Through close cooperation with Microsoft and our partners, we’ve been able to turn ideas into real solutions that support our teams globally and create long-term value.” Jaakko Virevesi, Group Chief Information Officer at ANDRITZ.