Customer Story - Hödlmayr International AG
"Working with a young, dynamic and committed team has saved a lot of internal resources and led to the rapid operational activation of the applications." - DI (FH) Robert Horvath
DI (FH) Robert Horvath, MBA
CFO
About the company
Hödlmayr International AG is an internationally active family business with the core competence "vehicle logistics". With branches in 16 countries, the Hödlmayr Group operates one of the largest European logistics networks in the finished vehicle segment and specializes in the entire supply chain, from the acceptance of vehicles ex works or port of entry to delivery to the vehicle dealer or fleet owner.
In addition to managing one of the largest transport fleets in Europe, the Group has a European network of logistics centers where vehicles are prepared for local and regional markets.
Hödlmayr International AG
Erfolgreiche Einführung
Gerade einmal sieben Tage vergingen, bis das TD-Team eine erste Qlik Applikation für Hödlmayr entwickelt hat. Die Softwarelösung kommt konzernweit zum Einsatz, unter anderem für die Fachbereiche Controlling und Finanzwesen, Produktion und Logistik, IT und Service/Support. Die Geschäftsführung zieht ebenfalls großen Nutzen aus der verbesserten Informationstransparenz, die schnellere, datengestützte Entscheidungen ermöglicht. „Der zeitliche Aufwand für die Implementierung der Teilprojekte war grundsätzlich schneller als erwartet. Vor allem der interne Aufwand blieb unter den (vorsichtigen) Erwartungen“, so Robert Horvath.
Zukunftsperspektive
In der Zwischenzeit hat sich eine lange Liste an Anforderungen für zusätzliche Anwendungen entwickelt. Der Erfolg und die hohe Akzeptanz sprechen für sich. Hödlmayr möchte die BI-Anforderungen der unterschiedlichen Fachbereiche konzernweit erfüllen und setzt weiterhin auf die Business Intelligence Software Qlik Sense und das Beratungsunternehmen TD Trusted Decisions GmbH.
The initial situation
Hödlmayr is pursuing a strategy of using the opportunities offered by digitalization to strengthen and expand its competitive advantages in the market. The basis for this is a valid database. Central BI software is indispensable for these requirements. The aim is to be able to transparently structure and link all key information from a wide range of specialist areas and data sources. "Our previous software solution is out of maintenance and therefore outdated; a current version can only be used sensibly in the SAP environment," says Robert Horvath, CFO. In addition to the outdated solution, there was also the challenge that Hödlmayr had very little expertise in this area, which led to the time-consuming creation of queries and reports. Poor data quality and a proliferation of old queries as well as different solutions at the individual Group companies have made optimal corporate management difficult.
Sound database for corporate management
The obsolete software was to be replaced while maintaining the information requirements and process support. To ensure this, the applications were designed with the respective project teams and the transfer of the required data was realized in collaboration with the experts from TD Trusted Decisions. TD has already supported Hödlmayr in a previous Corporate Planner project and supports the company with its broad technological know-how and agile project experience. "Working with a young, dynamic and committed team has saved a lot of internal resources and led to the rapid operational activation of the applications. The internal effort required for data modeling in particular was much less than expected," praises Robert Horvath.
Company data has enormous potential when it comes to gaining key insights and using them as a basis for future decisions and strategies. "Creating a valid database with a standardized definition was a key objective for us," emphasizes Robert Horvath. All relevant information from various sources should be made available centrally and linked for flexible analyses and reports. The clear separation of standard and individual applications was also important for Hödlmayr. In addition to excellent and modern analyses, the company also wanted to benefit from flexibility in a constantly changing operational system landscape.
Areas of application and benefits
Once the company had defined its requirements for queries, reports and dashboards, solutions from five providers were evaluated. After exchanging experiences with users of the products, Hödlmayr opted for the Qlik Sense Active Intelligence platform. The decisive factors for this decision were the compact technical design, the performance and the attractive price-performance ratio. Together with the consulting team from TD Trusted Decisions, the approach and prioritization of the implementation process were determined and resource planning was carried out.
It took just seven days for TD to develop the first Qlik application for Hödlmayr. The software is used throughout the Group. Applications are available for the specialist areas of controlling and finance, production and logistics, IT and service/support, among others. The management also benefits greatly from the improved transparency of information, which enables faster, data-based decisions. Reporting is mapped via a user-friendly Qlik dashboard and the monthly reports are sent automatically via NPrinting. With the help of the Write! extension, it is possible to edit data directly in Qlik Sense. This means that data can be corrected directly "on-the-fly" in the applications or missing data can be added. The new solution is now used by almost 50 employees.
"The project has triggered process reengineering/SW engineering projects for us that are not part of the BI project," mentions Robert Horvath. This process makes it possible to identify the unnecessary consumption of resources and the limitations of a development process. The redesign of processes will support the execution of the corporate strategy.
From data to essential information
"The time required to implement the sub-projects was generally faster than expected. The internal effort in particular remained below (cautious) expectations," says Robert Horvath. The pilot project was coupled with power user training, and project support was provided by a Hödlmayr employee at Trusted Decisions. With this coaching approach, TD ensured an intensive transfer of know-how during the project.
Qlik Sense impresses users in terms of usability and self-service. "If well planned and designed, it is a very simple and intuitive application," adds Robert Horvath. The user-friendly and visual dashboards make it easy for everyone to analyze, record and work efficiently with data. The newly gained transparency and up-to-dateness is a clear added value because business decisions can be made more quickly. The higher data quality gives the specialist departments more confidence in their data, allowing them to model planning scenarios and flexibly adapt use cases to any new situation. The rapid availability of analysis-ready data gives users more time to evaluate results and initiate measures.
Follow-up projects in planning
Due to its success and high level of acceptance, a long list of requirements for additional applications has developed. Hödlmayr wants to fulfill the BI requirements of the various departments throughout the Group and continues to rely on the business intelligence software Qlik Sense and the consulting company TD Trusted Decisions GmbH.