Manufacturing companies need internal communication that reaches every employee instantly, including colleagues on the production floor and those without a company email account.
Alpine Electronics Manufacturing of Europe Ltd. is the Hungarian manufacturing base of the Japan-headquartered Alps Alpine Group. Since 1999 the Biatorbágy plant has produced audio equipment, navigation devices and displays for premium vehicles, and since 2022 it has also assembled car electronics modules. Around 760 people work at the site. The gender split is 50-50, about 70% of employees are blue-collar, and ages range from under 25 to retirement age. Before the app, internal communication relied on company emails, in-building TVs and bulletin boards. None of these were accessible to everyone, and they were rarely up to date.
· Getting news to as many employees as possible, as quickly as possible, regardless of department or location
· Providing transparent, up-to-date information in times of crisis
· Reaching colleagues working from home or without a company email account
· Digitizing the company Kaizen system
Alpine chose the Blue Colibri App in early 2020. With senior management’s support, the rollout was accelerated at the start of the pandemic. Internal communication moved to an instant, two-way platform with push notifications, targeted news, surveys and chat.
New joiners get a quick demo on their first days and a follow-up check one or two weeks later. Free Wi-Fi on the company buses lets colleagues catch up on news during their commute, so push notifications are timed to bus schedules. Kaizen suggestions earn points through the Blue Colibri points feature, and employees can redeem them in the company webshop on the platform.
· 760 employees, 70% blue-collar
· Approx. 85% download rate
· Non-desk colleagues reachable anytime
· Chat became the fastest way to reach colleagues and HR, even on weekends
· The previously paper-based employee referral system was digitized: referrals now take a few clicks and are traceable
· Digital Kaizen system with redeemable rewards
· An efficient platform for surveys and quizzes
The Alpine story shows that high adoption among blue-collar workers comes from practical decisions. Alpine rewarded early adopters, brought new joiners onto the app from day one, and fit communication into employees’ daily routines, right down to the bus ride to work.
