This interview was originally published in German and has been machine translated.
An international manufacturer of bathroom and wellness products, a southwestern German retail company for furniture and interior furnishings, a Saarland ministry, and a utility company from North Rhine–Westphalia: at first glance, these organizations have little in common. What unites them, however, is that they are all customers of ChronoFair, the start-up founded in 2019, each seeking to professionalize their workforce scheduling—whether in production, customer service, or operations.
Better Planning for Greater Employee Satisfaction
The challenges are similar across many industries. The amount of relevant planning data continues to grow, increasing complexity for employers: legal regulations, phone availability, employee preferences, vacation rules, and individual organizational structures all have to be taken into account. In many companies, shift scheduling is a time-consuming and emotionally charged issue that often leads to frustration.
Complex schedules are tied to numerous conditions. Planning processes must consider sick leave, training courses, public holidays, substitution rules, part-time models, and vacations, to name just a few factors. Despite good intentions and an understanding of operational requirements, employees often feel that their needs and preferences are not sufficiently taken into account.
What began in 2018 as a research project at the Universität des Saarlandes, in collaboration with the Max-Planck-Institut für Informatik, now helps companies resolve precisely this dilemma and achieve greater fairness in workforce deployment.
For good reason, the twin brothers and technical “inventors” Matthias and Paul Manderscheid, together with managing director Sven Foit, chose the company name ChronoFair. Inspired by their first pilot customer, the traditional company Villeroy & Boch, the name puts the benefit of the solution front and center: “Chronos” comes from Greek mythology and refers to the god of time, while “Fair” underlines the special nature of this digital workforce scheduling solution 4.0.
“Our software opens up new possibilities in workforce deployment, because it allows employees to actively participate in planning,” explains Sven Foit. “The tool calculates a schedule based on mathematical algorithms that weigh all operational requirements and can additionally be ‘fed’ with employee preferences. Alongside creating a shift plan that meets all legal and operational requirements, this also allows employee satisfaction to be taken into account much more effectively.”
The approach pursued by ChronoFair combines automation, mathematical optimization, and artificial intelligence (machine learning) in a single solution that offers numerous advantages:
- Clearer visualization of data with real-time updates
- Significant time savings and workload reduction for HR managers and executives
- Easier planning of substitute arrangements through a qualification matrix that structures employees’ skills and competencies
- Improved communication and information exchange through timely submission of vacation requests, sick notes, and short-notice shift changes
- Simplified compliance with labor law, collective agreements, and internal as well as individual arrangements
- Professionalization of collaboration with works councils and staff councils
Successful Knowledge Transfer: From University to Promising AI Start-up
Thanks to an ecosystem that believed in the founding idea and business model, ChronoFair was able to stay on track despite the challenging conditions of the pandemic. The team made use of coaching provided by the Knowledge and Technology Transfer Office (KWT) at Saarland University to build and further develop its entrepreneurial know-how.
The IT-Inkubator GmbH, also based at Saarbrücken and a company of Max-Planck Innovation GmbH and Saarland University’s Knowledge and Technology Transfer GmbH (WuT), supported the pre-founding phase from mid-2018 to early 2019 with financial participation and expertise.
With support from KWT and IT-Inkubator, the founders were also able to clear the next hurdle and secure an EXIST grant from the former German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy at the beginning of 2019. Another milestone was their participation in the Saarland Pitch, held annually by KWT and the Saarländische Wagnisfinanzierungsgesellschaft mbH (SWG). The preparation and coaching by KWT paid off: since August 2019, SWG has also been an investor in ChronoFair, supporting the company’s continued growth.
This financial backing enabled ChronoFair to focus on its core business with initial customers and to move from a prototype to a scalable, future-proof software solution. How fast and adaptable the tool can be became evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, for example in a project with the Saarland Ministry for Social Affairs, Health, Women, and Family. Within a very short time, the software was adapted and implemented to coordinate the deployment of mobile vaccination teams across Saarland.
“We are proud to be listed among the 304 most promising AI start-ups in Germany according to the German AI Start-up Landscape 2022—especially as one of only seven from the HR sector,” says Paul Manderscheid, looking ahead. “That motivates us greatly. We will continue to work on offering a broad, industry-independent range of functionalities so that we can further customize our software to each customer in every sector of the economy.” The accompanying intensification of sales and marketing activities also leaves room for additional investors.
The founders of ChronoFair are glad they trusted their instincts—and that is also their advice to other young start-ups: “You have to feel comfortable with your own decisions and shouldn’t let others dictate them. We did well by trusting our gut feeling, even when conditions were anything but easy. It brought an incredible amount of life experience in a very short time. And alongside all professional commitment, having a balance—such as sports—is essential to stay fit, resilient, and productive,” concludes Sven Foit, reflecting positively on his first years as an entrepreneur.
