This case study explores how Acterys helped CMC Materials with seamless Power BI and Excel integration within three days. The customer had an initial solution running and wanted to expand it to 12 subsidiaries worldwide in three weeks. Acterys reduced model-building time from a day to just half a day and eliminated formula errors. All forecasts were centralized for easy analysis, supported by robust governance.
Background
To address issues of extensive preparation times and limited analytics, CMC Materials sought to replace an outdated spreadsheet-based planning and forecasting process.
After an extensive review of all major xP&A systems, Acterys was chosen for its extremely fast implementation, unique integrations with Power BI, CMC’s analytics standard and Excel, as well as lowest total cost of ownership.
Key Challenges
- CMC faced prolonged preparation times associated with its outdated spreadsheet-based planning and forecasting process.
- The existing system lacked robust analytics capabilities, hindering effective decision-making.
CMC Implements Acterys In 3 Days
The project kicked off with a fast-start program in CMC’s subsidiary, KMG Chemicals. Within three days, an initial prototype was realized that integrates KMG’s 11 enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and automates the process for collecting forecast numbers.
Three weeks later, the full solution was deployed in 12 subsidiaries around the world. Users can easily enter their forecast numbers and receive support with immediate insights into the implications of the assumptions and drivers — all directly integrated with the unparalleled analytics features in Power BI.
Results
With Acterys, CMC cut the time for building a model to half a day. Previously, it took that much time to just send a request to IT to prepare the model. Users love the ease of entering their numbers, combined with the analytics features and responsive visualizations in Power BI.
All forecast submissions are directly entered in the central Acterys server and immediately available for analysis. Comprehensive governance enables administrators to track any entry in the system. No time is wasted on collating spreadsheets, and formula errors are a thing of the past. CMC’s head of analytics commented on the results achieved:
“We go through acquisitions constantly. That means now dealing with 11 different ERP systems. Every other option was very, very expensive and rigid. Most of Acterys’ competitors don’t have real cloud solutions,” the CMC leader said. “We initially trialed another solution that also claimed Power BI integration but couldn’t deliver in the end. If you want data entry in Power BI, there is nothing like it. As knowledge around Microsoft’s ecosystem is widely available, it makes it very easy for us to maintain the solution and find qualified service providers.”
CMC’s adoption of Acterys successfully tackled its planning and forecasting challenges and positioned it for greater efficiency and adaptability in a dynamic business landscape. Acterys streamlined processes, reduced model-building time and eliminated spreadsheet errors. Its integration with Microsoft systems brought flexibility, automation and governance. Users appreciated the user-friendly interface and robust Power BI integration.
Acterys’ cost-effective and real-time cloud solutions set it apart from competitors and highlight the transformative power of technology in improving operations, data accuracy and decision-making.
37%
Data Accuracy Improvement
70%
Reduction in Manual Effort
10
Working Days Saved Per Month
