The world of enterprise calls for the proper selections to succeed. For Al Rabie—a distinguished juice manufacturing firm within the Center East—their actuality was no totally different. Nevertheless, their guide planning and budgeting course of in spreadsheets posed a number of challenges, together with lack of management, delayed information, poor execution, and the necessity for steady follow-up with IT for precise information. They confronted obstacles resembling a chronic finances course of, guide forecasting, and no product profitability. To handle these challenges, Al Rabie partnered with 1Direction Global, a high resolution supplier in Monetary and Operational Efficiency Administration and Consulting, and a Gold Enterprise Companion with IBM since 2018. This partnership has confirmed to be long-lasting.
Revolutionizing the FMCG business with built-in enterprise planning
Every enterprise within the fast-moving shopper items (FMCG) business has its personal distinctive algorithm, variables, and limitations, and Al Rabie Saudi Meals Co. Ltd was no exception. To satisfy their particular wants, the consultants at 1Direction International, comprised of licensed accountants and engineers, turned to IBM Planning Analytics for Watson, a versatile and highly effective planning and evaluation software. By leveraging this expertise, they developed customized finances fashions for gross sales efficiency, human sources planning, working bills, and an entire revenue and loss assertion. Moreover, dashboards and experiences have been crafted based mostly on the finances fashions and carried out variance evaluation for particular areas. The implementation course of was carried out in a number of levels, from January 2019 and till August 2022, with product profitability being added within the remaining section.
Al Rabie Saudi Meals Co. Ltd adopted an built-in enterprise planning method to take management and streamline their planning and budgeting course of. This method was carried out in levels, implementing every module at a time, which ensured minimal influence on operations and allowed groups to undertake new fashions and workflows effectively.
Gross sales efficiency planning
AL Rabie wanted exact gross sales quantity planning, contemplating totally different variables like merchandise, channels, and site. The answer allowed to automatize the conversion of gross sales volumes deliberate in circumstances to liters, accounted for reductions and incentives, and generated correct contribution margins and experiences for key buyer teams and classes.
Uncooked supplies and manufacturing administration planning
AL Rabie sought estimation fashions for managing uncooked supplies and manufacturing planning of their juice manufacturing. The system offered value sensitivity evaluation and facilitated monitoring the influence of uncooked supplies and manufacturing administration real-time on the premise of product recipes and their related prices within the finances.
Human Sources planning
A value-based HR planning mannequin was deployed inside their present framework, incorporating components like salaries and bonuses for workers and contractors, which included a emptiness plan for correct budgeting and forecasting.
Working bills
The mannequin was deployed to handle mounted and variable overhead value together with the mandatory value allocation logic to allow customers to pick out mounted or variable overhead and dynamically allocate drivers for a quick and correct budgeting course of.
Revenue & Loss assertion
The system offered an entire revenue and loss assertion with the capability to plan each finances and precise eventualities. The implementation additionally offered an enterprise-level revenue and loss assertion with the power to incorporate company bills resembling depreciation, taxation, and many others.
Dashboards and experiences
The system included experiences and dashboards based mostly on deployed finances fashions. Variance evaluation was offered for chosen areas, and administration revenue and loss and different reporting have been carried out as per enterprise necessities. The system calculated the bottom finances information based mostly on pattern as a place to begin for the budgeting train, with a number of variations offered for higher management and actions.
The ability to take knowledgeable choice
Al Rabie was in a position to obtain correct forecasting throughout unsure market circumstances by creating 24-month rolling forecast fashions. In August 2022, they applied product profitability by allocating widespread prices on the product and channel degree, which offered quick administration decision-making capabilities.
Planning Analytics for Excel (PafE) person interface allowed enterprise customers to enter finances numbers and make updates simply straight in Excel™, and enter of information was broadly simplified by the spreading out performance. The Planning Analytics Workspace is one other common net interface that gives a unified platform for reporting and administration of the finances course of. The advert hoc fast evaluation utilizing drag and drop performance of dimensions in a dice has enabled them to carry out fast evaluation and make knowledgeable selections.
Based on Shaker Hazaimeh, the PMO Supervisor at Al Rabie:
“When the corporate determined to enhance and improve their budgeting system, totally different options have been evaluated. Probably the most fulfilling resolution has been chosen was IBM Planning Analytics with Watson. And from IBM companions, 1 Path International has been chosen for his or her expertise in IBM merchandise, their dedication and dedication. It was a pleasure to work with 1 Path International on this venture as they have been very cooperative and really useful. Each groups have carried out a fantastic job in managing this venture, assembly enterprise expectations, and attaining its success.”
Based on Bruno Albi CA, the Director Monetary Reporting Evaluation at Al Rabie:
“IBM Planning Analytics with Watson applied by 1Direction International has enabled the enterprise to scale back the cycle occasions for budgeting and forecasting as a consequence of its highly effective capabilities of capturing adjustments and updating all of the finances modules to the revenue and loss assertion. By eliminating error susceptible and guide processes beforehand carried out utilizing excel recordsdata and reliant on a number of information sources and over reliance on the IT division, the time to finish the annual finances was decreased from typical 60 days to fifteen days. All analytics and displays are additionally now linked to Planning Analytics Engine (TM1) and due to this fact any change flows via seamlessly inside a short while. Likewise, the month-to-month forecast course of has change into extremely environment friendly and granular – gross sales and contribution will be drilled down by product, channel, geographical location, and this drastically helps with revenue planning.
Planning Analytics’ profitability evaluation module that was applied by 1Direction International knowledgeable staff helps to research profitability by every SKU by channel and GEO and establish alternatives for revenue enchancment and take corrective motion.
Future venture on the playing cards is to automate the money move planning utilizing IBM Planning Analytics with Watson capabilities.”
In my phrases because the Co-founder and Managing Director at 1Direction International:
“Al Rabie IT & Finance staff approached us for points utilizing spreadsheets for Budgeting & Forecasting course of and didn’t have built-in resolution for precise figures. By utilizing our experience information and greatest practices we constructed a number of fashions efficiently.”
The success of Planning Analytics has inspired Al Rabie to develop the answer to different departments and use circumstances resembling Outsourced planning, Steadiness Sheet and Money Move mannequin.
The story of Al Rabie is a testomony to the facility of collaboration and innovation. By adopting an built-in method to planning evaluation and reporting, they have been in a position to overcome their budgeting and forecasting challenges and obtain their objectives. Their partnership with 1 Path International and IBM has enabled them to remain aggressive and adapt to altering market circumstances. Al Rabie and their dedication to excellence is an inspiration to us all.
About 1Direction International
Based mostly in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a worldwide presence in Australia and India, IBM Gold Enterprise Companion 1Direction Global makes a speciality of enterprise efficiency administration and enterprise intelligence. Focus areas embrace IBM options monetary consolidation and reporting, and information transformation. Supply fashions embrace cloud and on-premises deployment, and onsite and offshore implementation.
Learn more about Planning Analytics
