Mercer International unlocks $3 million a year in productivity gains using Google Workspace with Gemini
Alistair Skey
Chief Information Officer, Mercer International
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SIGN UP“Creating safety training content used to take weeks. Now it takes minutes with Google Vids, and it's making our employees safer.”
Snapshot: Mercer International, a global bio-manufacturing company, operates across high-risk industrial environments where employee safety is paramount. With 4,000 workers in forests, chemical facilities, and construction sites, the company uses Google Workspace with Gemini and Google Vids to transform workplace safety and drive operational efficiency across multiple countries and languages.
$3 million in projected annual savings from AI-driven productivity improvements
75% reduction in safety training video production costs
Condense weeks of content development into minutes with AI-powered capabilities
Enable seamless multilingual communication at individual facilities
Origin story
At Mercer International, we transform raw, natural wood into market pulp and timber products that are used across operations in the United States, Canada, and Germany.
Behind that output lies inherently dangerous work. Our 4,000 employees operate in some of the most hazardous industrial environments; they fell trees, manage large-scale machinery, operate in proximity to dangerous chemicals, and work on construction sites with significant safety risks. Ensuring every employee returns home safely each day is our top priority.
This challenge intensified in 2018 during a rapid period of growth. Additionally, the onset of the 2020 pandemic made maintaining rigorous safety protocols incredibly challenging without traditional in-person training. We urgently needed a platform that could quickly and securely unify our global organization and ensure our employees continued to receive crucial safety training.
The switch to Google Workspace with Gemini and Google Vids
We've used Google Workspace since 2018, and the platform is integral to our operations. We use everything from Gmail and Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms — but it's the AI capabilities across Google Workspace with Gemini that have reshaped our approach to safety and productivity.
To evaluate the potential impact of generative AI, we conducted a comprehensive proof-of-value initiative with Gemini. The results were compelling. Employees reported that Google Workspace with Gemini could save approximately 5% of their daily work effort. Even after applying conservative filters to account for optimism, we calculated that this translates to roughly $3 million in annual value. Based on these findings, we deployed 2,000 Gemini seats across the organization.
One of the most significant breakthroughs came from an unexpected source: our factory floor.
Mark Smith, a shift safety captain at one of our pulp mills, discovered Google Vids, an AI-powered video creation app that transforms documents into professional videos complete with voiceovers, music, and effects. He began experimenting with Vids for safety training initiatives, an organic innovation from someone who recognized how the technology could enhance his daily responsibilities.
The impact was transformative. With Gemini and Google Vids, we can now draft comprehensive safety procedures in a couple of days. We particularly value the AI voiceover functionality in Vids, which allows us to update safety training materials simply by editing text. Processes that once took multiple hours now take minutes to complete.
By using Gemini for translation and Google Vids to create video, we've achieved up to 75% cost reduction in safety training production. We can now create content specific to each operation, available in multiple languages, and featuring the actual equipment and environments our employees work with daily. This capability is essential when managing a multilingual workforce, as some of our European facilities have seven different languages spoken on the factory floor each day. Ultimately, what we’re doing with Google Workspace helps ensure our people go home in the evening as healthy and happy as they were in the morning. That’s the most important thing.
Looking ahead
What's most exciting about our Google Workspace with Gemini journey is the continuous discovery of new applications, with the most innovative ideas often emerging from frontline employees who understand their workflows intimately. This organic adoption is crucial as AI technology continues its rapid evolution. Google Workspace provides a secure environment where employees can experiment and prepare for continuous transformation with emerging technologies and build confidence with new capabilities.
With comprehensive access to the entire Workspace ecosystem — from Gemini to NotebookLM to Google Vids — we're positioned to adapt quickly as new tools become available. The key is to remove access barriers so our people can discover innovations we never anticipated. This will ensure Mercer International remains at the forefront of both safety excellence and technological advancement.
