Kreg Tool Company is an employee-owned tool manufacturer headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa, known for the Kreg Jig pocket-hole system along with cutting, measuring, and clamping solutions for woodworkers and DIYers. Nearly half of its workforce operates on the plant floor, with the remainder in corporate roles.
Before implementing Engagedly, corporate teams had email and SharePoint while manufacturing employees did not, leaving daily shift meetings as the fallback channel. Delivery varied by supervisor, which introduced inconsistency into how priorities were understood and executed across shifts.
Industry: Manufacturing
Company Size: ~250 employees
Products Used: Internal Communications, Leadership Video Messaging
The Challenge
The operational risk no one measured
Nearly 50 percent of Kreg Tool Company’s workforce operates on the plant floor. Corporate teams had access to email and SharePoint. Manufacturing employees did not.
While the intranet initially appeared sufficient, a deeper issue surfaced: information was not always delivered correctly or in a timely manner to plant employees who did not have direct access.
Daily shift meetings became the fallback channel. But delivery varied. Detail varied. Urgency varied.
This was more than a messaging issue. It introduced variability into how priorities were understood and executed across shifts.
Strategic Communications Manager Melany Stonewall recognized the organization needed more than better meetings. It needed a direct, mobile-first way to reach every employee at the same time.
The Strategic Shift
From cascaded messaging to direct workforce alignment
Before choosing a solution, Kreg validated employee readiness. An internal survey confirmed:
- Employees wanted mobile access
- Nearly everyone already owned a smartphone
- Deskless teams were eager for direct updates
The insight was clear: The barrier was not adoption, it was access.
Kreg selected Engagedly to create one unified layer across deskless and desk-based teams. The objective was not just faster communication. It was synchronized execution across roles, departments, and shifts.
The Impact: Communication as Operational Infrastructure
Once implemented, Engagedly became the organization’s single source of truth.
Corporate no longer relied on supervisors to interpret updates. Leadership messages reached the entire workforce directly. Manufacturing employees gained the same visibility as office teams.
The platform quickly proved its value during high-pressure operational moments. When disruptions occurred, employees did not wait for shift briefings. They checked the platform.
The shift removed:
- Message dilution across layers
- Information lag between shifts
- Reliance on supervisor interpretation
- Unequal visibility between deskless and desk-based teams
And it introduced:
- Real-time workforce updates
- Direct leadership communication
- Consistent messaging across all locations
- Shared organizational context
What began as a communication improvement evolved into operational infrastructure.
Measurable Outcomes
The impact was immediate and sustained:
- 90%+ adoption
The majority of employees activated and logged into the platform.
- 75% regular engagement
Roughly three-quarters of the workforce engages consistently.
- 50% average content open rate
Half the workforce views each communication, with leadership messages performing even higher.
- Near 100% access during critical events
During major disruptions, nearly the entire workforce accessed updates through the platform.
- 2x weekly usage on average
Employees check the platform multiple times per week, embedding it into daily workflow.
Beyond metrics, the cultural impact has been significant:
- Reduced separation between plant and office
- Increased transparency from executive leadership
- Greater inclusion of frontline employees in company updates
- Stronger engagement trends reflected in internal feedback sessions
Leadership video messages, in particular, became a standout channel. Authentic, low-production CEO updates consistently generated the highest engagement, reinforcing visibility and trust across roles.
Cultural and Operational Impact
Engagedly is now Kreg’s primary communication channel.
While intranet and email still exist, the organization reliably reaches deskless employees through the mobile platform. Employees know that if they miss something, they can find it there.
The shift introduced:
- Direct communication instead of hierarchical relay
• Real-time updates instead of delayed cascades
• Equal information access across plant and office
• A consistent digital touchpoint across shifts
Engagement is no longer constrained by physical location.
What This Means for Manufacturing Leaders
In manufacturing, communication gaps do not stay in communication. They spill into execution. If half your workforce does not sit at a desk, alignment requires mobile-first infrastructure.
Kreg Tool built that infrastructure with Engagedly.
The result was not simply higher engagement. It was stronger operational clarity, faster alignment, and a unified workforce operating from the same source of truth.
Performance
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