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When Data Speaks: How Power BI Helped Us Understand Which Data Adds Value

Automatic integration of data from 5+ different systems (ERP, manufacturing, WMS, CRM)

80% less time to extract key analytical insights

Aggregation and analysis of data for 30,000+ items in real time

Strategic discovery which data delivers real business value

Since 1987, Blažič, robni trakovi, d.o.o. has been setting standards in the production of edge strapping and the distribution of remanufactured materials for the furniture industry. With a team of 150 employees in different countries, it ensures that professionals and self-taught craftsmen can create furniture products without any problems.

Based in Zgornji Brnik, the company offers the largest selection of colours and decors of edge strips in Slovenia. As one of the leading manufacturers of edge tapes in Europe and the exclusive representative of many renowned brands, the company operates in the markets of Slovenia, the Balkans and Europe.

The company's core values - quality, reliability, flexibility, knowledge and creativity - are the key building blocks of their success. With a commitment to continuous development and innovation, the company actively adapts to global market trends, working with around 150 renowned suppliers from 14 countries.

From Data Granularity to Comprehensive Business Insights

At its core, Blažič, Robni trakovi, d.o.o. is a hybrid of a trading and manufacturing company, which brings unique challenges in business monitoring. The extensive range of more than 30,000 different products and the complex business structure dictated the need for efficient data management and analysis. One of the key challenges was to integrate data from different sources into a comprehensive picture of the business, as manual aggregation of information and data was becoming increasingly time-consuming and inefficient.

The company's CEO, Luka Novak, explains: "To get any aggregates, we had to do a lot of work with Excel on the one hand, and we didn't have any help with real-time information."

The company started its journey into business analytics 15 years ago with a simple tool enabled by their PANTHEON ERP software. At that time, the solution was based on OLAP cubes and it proved too complex and time-consuming to switch between different data cubes to get comprehensive information.

They realised that they needed a more advanced solution that would make it easier to access and integrate data to get a holistic view of their business. They were looking for a platform that could bring together disparate systems and provide the company with a deeper understanding of business processes.

Power BI: From Data Maze to Strategic Insight

The following benefits were key when choosing the Power BI platform:

• Speed and ease of implementation: transitions between different functionalities are not time-consuming or complex, allowing the system to be set up quickly and adapted to the needs of the business.
• Familiar user experience: integration with Microsoft 365 makes the user experience more user-friendly and employees need less time to implement and learn thanks to their familiarity with Microsoft tools.
• Analytics integrity: the platform provides a comprehensive view of data from different sources, enabling more informed decision-making at all levels of the business.
• Advanced integration of data sources: Power BI features unparalleled support for additional data sources and the ability to connect different databases at a single point, making it much easier to work with information.
• Autonomy in report creation: the system allows users to create any report they want, ensuring that they can create the most relevant and meaningful analyses for their needs.
• Strong online support: extensive online documentation and community support allow for efficient resolution of ongoing challenges and continuous improvement of the use of the platform.
• Time-saving: compared to the previous system, where analysis required time-consuming work with different Excel files, Power BI allows instant access to and analysis of the data needed.
• Flexibility: as the needs of the company are constantly changing, the ability to continuously adapt reports and analyses is crucial for the long-term usability of the platform.

The implementation of the Microsoft Power BI tool has brought about a step change in the way the company works and makes decisions. Managers now monitor a wide range of indicators through a single platform that links all key data sources. The system allows for the continuous addition of new tables and metrics from the ERP system, integrates direct data from production machines, WMS tool, time registration data to monitor productivity, allows integration with CRM Dynamics and also includes selected data from Excel spreadsheets as required.

A particularly important insight came shortly after the implementation of the platform. "Power BI didn't just enable us to track the metrics we wanted - it showed us what we needed to track in the first place," explains Novak. "It wasn't until we started working with the platform that we really realised what data was adding value and what insights we actually needed to make effective business decisions." This realisation led to a more strategic approach to analytics and a gradual optimisation of the dashboards.

They started with the three Stroka Business Group dashboards, which served as a basis for their learning and development of the skills of creating and looking at analyses. In that time of use, they have created a wide range of dashboards - from monitoring payroll and logistics productivity to back office workload. They follow the important principle that no single indicator alone can show the whole picture. "If we want to assess how the back office is doing, we assess it in a variety of ways - from the number of positions on documents to the number of phone calls," explains the management team. This multi-faceted approach to analysis allows for a more in-depth understanding of business processes.

In particular, productivity analysis has made remarkable progress. By linking data from different sources, they are now able to monitor business performance in a comprehensive way. Concrete results can be seen in the production process, where data from the production machines are directly combined with data from the ERP system, giving a completely new insight into production efficiency. This progress is particularly visible in inventory monitoring, where the new platform has reduced the time needed to analyse each item and enabled more informed decision-making on inventory management.

Strategic Partnership for Reliable and Quality Data

For the implementation, the company partnered with the Stroka Business Group, which took a key role in setting up the data foundation. While the company itself took over the production of reports and visualisations, Stroka Business Group provided a stable data infrastructure. "Linking tables, ensuring data consistency and verifying data correctness are areas where we don't have enough expertise ourselves," explains the management team. "This is why we chose the Stroka Business Group as our partner."

The Group took care of comprehensive data management, data integration and integration of various tools with the Power BI platform. This includes ensuring data quality, proper filtering and establishing a reliable data architecture - all of which form the foundation for creating meaningful and useful business reports. This division of roles has proven to be extremely effective, allowing the business to focus on the substantive part of the analysis while the technical infrastructure works reliably in the background.

Looking to the Future: Building a Data Culture

According to Novak, the company has a clear vision for the further development of the analytics platform. Key objectives include optimising existing reports and spreading the use of Power BI among employees. "The user experiences a real catharsis when he starts using Power BI," says the company's CEO, Luka Novak. "Often the user also wonders why they didn't start using the tool earlier."

There is a strong emphasis on encouraging critical thinking when using data. Managers recognise that technology alone is not enough - it takes an understanding of context and the ability to ask the right questions.

The company is currently focusing on reducing the number of reports and optimising the analytics system to make key data more useful.

As the CEO says: "We used to have hundreds of reports, but now we are moving towards a more targeted approach - fewer but more effective insights."

This is the only way the company can extract the right insights from the data and make competitive decisions.

Quality Data = Competitive Advantage

The case of Blažič, Robni trakovi d.o.o. shows that the correct implementation of advanced business analytics can transform a company's business. Through a combination of a strong technology platform, strategic partnership with the Stroka Business Group, desire and a clear vision, the company has managed to create a system that not only provides better insight into the business, but also actively supports the growth and development of the company.

With the right partner and a modern analytical tool, they have managed to reduce analysis time, increase data accuracy and improve strategic planning.

By optimising reporting and taking a more holistic approach to analytics, the company is no longer just focusing on data collection, but on its real value for decision-making - enabling them to be even more competitive and agile in the future.

Their experience proves that the road to effective data analytics is a marathon, not a sprint - but every step of the way pays off.