The challenge
Making recognition meaningful across five continents
Kennametal is a global industrial technology leader with roughly 8,600 employees spread across five continents. Recognition mattered to the business, but running a single, meaningful program at that scale came with real friction — a reward that feels special in Pittsburgh does not translate to a technician in Shanghai or a procurement lead in Bengaluru.
- Localization at a real-world level — regional relevance was missing — a generic global gift card doesn't feel special in every market
- Integration with the system of record — Kennametal runs on SAP SuccessFactors — separate logins or manual reconciliation would create friction for both employees and administrators
- A redemption experience that actually worked — a clunky redemption process creates frustration instead of engagement
The solution
One platform, configured globally — choice delivered locally
Kennametal chose Xoxoday Plum as the redemption layer for its global rewards and recognition program, integrated directly with SAP SuccessFactors. The storefront was tailored to the company's culture — translated interfaces, local-currency denominations, and a region-specific catalog — while keeping governance, branding, and reporting centralized.
- Single sign-on into SAP SuccessFactors — employees move from recognition to redemption in a single click — no new credentials, no separate interface
- One storefront, configured globally — a unified admin experience with regional configuration baked in — languages, currencies, and catalog curation tailored to each market
- Choice, delivered locally — every employee sees rewards relevant to their daily life — local supermarkets, dining chains, fashion brands, and regional e-commerce marketplaces
- Real-time visibility — a single admin dashboard for every redemption across every currency
The results
Global reach, genuinely local redemption
45%
Repeat engagement rate — nearly half of all employees returned to redeem more than once
26
Local currencies redeemed in, across 20+ countries
98%
Fulfillment rate across 9,700+ redemption events
Employees kept coming back — the catalog was worth returning to. When they did return, they were choosing locally relevant brands in their home currencies, from supermarkets in Poland and pharmacies in Brazil to e-commerce marketplaces in China and dining chains in India.
Kennametal achieved all of this without adding a single full-time role to the HR team. The SAP SuccessFactors integration removed the reconciliation overhead that typically comes with a program this size.