Nyhléns Hugosons keeps things close across Norrland with Ziik

About the company

Nyhléns Hugosons is a Swedish food producer with deep roots in the north. Known for their high-quality meat and charcuterie products, they produce and sell exclusively in Norrland, where the business was founded and where they continue to grow. With around 300 employees spread out across the region, the company handles everything from animal farming and slaughter to processing and distribution.

Challenges before Ziik?

Before Ziik, internal communication in Nyhléns Hugosons relied on a patchwork of channels, including email (which many employees didn’t use), physical noticeboards, and in some cases just word of mouth.

“It was very manual and quite outdated,” Annika Gåhlin says. “We’d print out updates and post them on walls or boards. If something changed, you had to take it down and put something new up.”

In the end, the company had grown beyond what that system could support. With production teams spread across locations from Luleå to Haparanda and all the way to Ullånger, there was a clear need for a simpler, digital solution.

Requirements for a new solution

The IT team started looking for an internal communications solution for Nyhléns Hugosons that would help them span the size of Norrland. One requirement was particularly important: The new solution had to be one that worked for people not sitting at a desk.

“We needed a tool where we could reach out to people directly wherever they were. And that meant on their phones," recalls Annika Gåhlin.

In search of a mobile-first platform, Nyhléns Hugosons found Ziik. The decision was easy to make and easy to implement.

“It was surprisingly simple,” Annika Gåhlin says. “Ziik is intuitive. Many of our colleagues don’t work much with computers, but they immediately recognised how to use it.”

It also helped that Ziik is a Scandinavian company. That made the Nyhléns Hugosons team feel more confident in the platform and in the support behind it.

“It just felt safer somehow,” Annika Gåhlin says. “It’s Danish, so it’s closer to home, and we felt like the Ziik team really understood us.”

Results

A stronger sense of belonging

Not only has Ziik solved the practical challenge of reaching employees far from HQ. It has also created a feeling of closeness and togetherness, even between teams separated by hundreds of kilometres.

“Our CEO will post photos when he's out visiting other Nyhléns Hugosons sites: ‘Today I’m in Haparanda!’ That kind of thing makes a big difference. People feel seen and that they're an important part of the family, too.”

Ziik makes information easy to access and to trust

HR now has one central place for forms, policies, guides, and updates. No more emailing files or printing out new versions of documents. And everyone across the company can trust that the document they're reading is the correct version.

“People don’t have to ask where to find something anymore. It’s always on Ziik.”

Ziik builds company culture

While Ziik is used for practical matters like onboarding and updates, it’s also become a space for culture and community. Teams share photos, small wins, and stories from around the company.

“It’s not mission-critical information. But it’s the kind of thing that makes people smile. It helps them feel part of something bigger.”

‍It fits the people who work there

Ziik was adopted quickly, without training, and without any extra burden on IT or HR.

“We focused first on the production teams, the people working in trucks and kitchens, and they really liked it. We didn’t need to explain much. You just send the invite, and they’re in. Honestly, it runs itself. We’ve hardly needed support since we launched.”

‍Ziik is good for employer branding

Having a dedicated internal platform has helped Nyhléns Hugosons build a more cohesive employee experience. To give the platform a local identity, they even named their version of the app HugoNet.

“An internal communication platform like Ziik, or HugoNet, as we call it, is a major piece of the puzzle in being a good employer. You’re showing people that they matter, that it’s important to us that they’re informed.”