Growing capacity 50%.
Not growing overhead to match.
Aker QRILL is adding a new vessel that will grow production capacity by 50%. Rather than scaling headcount alongside volume, they built software to absorb the complexity.
Customer StoryResults
What this means
The Company
Aker QRILL is the world's largest krill producer. PE-owned carve-out from Aker BioMarine, 650 employees, 150 customers in 50+ countries. Around 70 people handle all onshore admin and sales.
They're investing 3bn NOK to grow capacity by 50%. A new vessel is joining the fleet. The question wasn't catching more krill. It was running the business behind it without growing overhead to match.
They'd run early AI pilots but nothing had reached production. With Riff, they scoped a focused program: admin and support functions only, real pain points, one app per area. Small team, domain experts in from day one, builders-first mindset. Six apps shipped in three months. 23 more in the sandbox.
“We need to scale volume and complexity without scaling headcount and overhead at the same pace.”
Webjørn Barstad
CEO, Aker QRILL Company
The Solutions
Five example applications, one strategic outcome
Problem
Every shipment needs documents to match: container IDs, product names, invoice values. The team checked each one by hand. One in ten still had mismatches that triggered customs holds.
Solution
The app scans each document set, extracts key fields, and flags mismatches before anything ships. The team reviews only the flagged exceptions instead of reading every single page.
Results
Problem
Matching orders to inventory meant juggling PDFs, packaging specs, and import rules across scattered systems. A single allocation decision could generate over 150 emails spanning months.
Solution
The app extracts PO requirements, checks live inventory, applies customer preferences, and recommends allocations. Sales gets self-serve stock visibility without emailing the team.
Results
Problem
Over 100 supplier invoices monthly, up to 20 line items each, in multiple currencies. Too complex to check by hand, so it was outsourced to auditors who kept 50% of every error found.
Solution
The app reads each invoice, extracts line items, validates currency conversions via live rates, and verifies the math. Clean invoices pass straight through; exceptions get flagged for review.
Results
Problem
Suppliers send statements covering 300+ invoices and want payment status. The volume was too high to handle manually, so most statements simply went unanswered — straining supplier relationships and risking late-payment charges.
Solution
The app accepts statements in any format by email or upload, reconciles each invoice against live ERP data, and generates a ready-to-send status report. Low-confidence items get flagged.
Results
Problem
Market position, competitive dynamics, and seasonal patterns all drive planning decisions. Leadership tracked this through manual PowerPoint decks where data was always stale by the time it reached a meeting.
Solution
The app pulls official industry reports, integrates internal data, and presents real-time dashboards with auto-generated summaries. Leadership uses a built-in chatbot for follow-up questions.
Results
By the Numbers
The economics of leverage
| Metric | Before | After | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shipping document verification | ~10% error rate | On track toward zero | Fewer delays, happier customers |
| Order allocation | Manual, multi-step process | Manual work removed, faster response | Improved customer care |
| Supplier invoice checking | Hours per invoice | 2.5 minutes per invoice | 95% time reduction |
| Supplier invoice error recovery | 300–400K NOK found, 50% kept by auditor | 200K NOK in savings, external auditor eliminated | Full savings retained in-house |
| Supplier statement reconciliation | Largely unaddressed | 2 minutes per statement | Fewer delays, stronger supplier relationships |
| Market intelligence | Manual decks, always stale | Real-time dashboards | Strategic insights reviewed daily |
| Time to deploy new app | 6–18 months (custom IT) | 2–3 weeks | 10–20x faster |
“We go from business problem to production software in weeks, not months, at a fraction of the cost.”
Eyvind Haaland
CIO, Aker QRILL Company
How It Happened
Three months, 11 apps, one new operating model
Aker QRILL didn't hire more developers or implement generic enterprise software. They mobilized domain experts from Order Management, Finance, Supply Chain, and Operations, then worked intensively with Riff to translate business processes into working applications. Five are in production today, with six more in development.
01
Mobilize domain experts
Order Management, Finance, Supply Chain, and Operations teams brought the knowledge of how work actually happens.
02
Translate processes to software
Working with Riff, business rules and exceptions became production-ready applications in weeks, not quarters.
03
Train internal builders
Internal teams now own and evolve applications going forward, reducing dependency on external vendors.
04
Deploy with governance
Role-based access, audit trails, and security gates from day one. No shortcuts on compliance.
What's Next
From apps to agents
Deeper into workflow automation
Moving from single-task apps to multi-step agents that handle end-to-end processes with human oversight at decision points.
More advanced human augmentation
Giving domain experts tools that amplify their judgment rather than replace it, across more complex operational scenarios.
The Broader Lesson
Scaling through domain expertise
The old model
Business needs identified
Added to IT backlog
Custom development scoped
18-month delivery cycle
Technology no longer matches reality
The new model
Business needs identified
Domain expert + AI builder
Working application
2–3 week delivery cycle
Continuous iteration based on real use
For a company facing 50% capacity growth with limited headcount expansion, this difference is existential. It's the difference between scaling profitably and scaling into a cost crisis. This isn't just automation. It's strategic leverage.
Ready to turn your expertise into leverage?
Talk to our team about how Riff can work for your organization.
About
Aker QRILL Company is an Antarctic krill-harvesting company dedicated to improving health across species. They develop krill-based ingredients for nutraceutical, aquaculture, and animal feed applications, backed by rigorous science and research. This case study represents their journey to scale operations through AI-assisted business process transformation.