Customer story
How Wolfe Ridge Manufacturing turns tribal knowledge into procedures anyone can follow
Wolfe Ridge Manufacturing builds hydraulic wood splitters with a 40-person team in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. As the business grew, the knowledge behind each job lived in people’s heads, and losing one person meant working out how the job was done all over again.
- 4.8/5 on G2
- SOC 2 certified
Results at a glance
One recording
New hire got it right first time
10+
Years in business
40
People on the team
The challenge
Before Whale, Wolfe Ridge ran on tribal knowledge. People made it up as they went, the same job got done a different way depending on who did it, and every paper binder was out of date the moment it was finished. When someone who knew a process left, the rest of the team had to work it out again from scratch.
“We just kind of go willy-nilly, tribal knowledge passing that stuff around, make it up as we go, and it causes inconsistencies.”
Zach Goeppinger · Business Operations Manager The solution
How Whale solved it
Wolfe Ridge documents its processes by recording them. Someone runs through a job while they explain it, and Whale’s Step Recorder turns the video into a step-by-step draft with the screenshots already pulled in. The writer edits from there instead of building every SOP from a blank page. The front office uses it for IT and ERP procedures like invoicing, and the manufacturing floor uses it to capture how each assembly is done.
The results
New hires get it right the first time
An assembly lead recorded a valve process new people had struggled with. The next new hire followed the recording and completed it correctly on the first try.
Knowledge stays when people leave
The processes that used to live in one person’s head are now recorded and documented, so the business keeps the know-how even when someone moves on.
Consistent work across the floor
From small engines to full splitter assemblies, the team follows the same documented steps, so the same job is done the same way every time.
Before and after Whale
Before Whale: Processes lived in people's heads, passed on as tribal knowledge
After Whale: Every process is recorded and written down in one place
Before Whale: The same job got done differently depending on who did it
After Whale: New hires follow the same steps, so the work stays consistent
Before Whale: Paper binders were out of date as soon as they were finished
After Whale: Procedures stay current because they are quick to record and edit
Before Whale: When someone left, the team had to re-figure out how the work was done
After Whale: Knowledge stays in the business when a person moves on
Customer proof
“It doesn't matter that I've captured the knowledge, it matters that people can understand the knowledge.”
Key features used
The parts of Whale doing the heavy lifting.
Step Recorder
Record a process once while you explain it, and Whale turns the video into a step-by-step draft.
Auto-generated screenshots
Whale pulls the right screenshots straight from the recording, so no one has to screenshot and paste by hand.
Editable steps
Swap, add, or replace any screenshot and fix a step, so the finished SOP reads the way the team needs it.
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