Mantrac reduces time spent on repetitive data integration tasks by 75%

Mantrac Group is one of the largest Caterpillar (CAT®) dealers for heavy machinery, power engines, spare parts, services, and other non-CAT® solutions from brands such as JLG, Palfinger, Heli, Perkins, SEM and MaK. With expansive operations covering 12 territories, including Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Iraq, and Russia, it became increasingly difficult for Mantrac’s finance department to effectively manage data input from its numerous branches, subsidiaries, and offices scattered across three continents. To keep up with modern demands, the finance team needed to streamline its complex financial planning and analysis (FP&A) process.

“We needed a new solution that could meet our objective of combining the key essentials of financial consolidation,” says Ashraf Hamada, Head of Financial Controlling and Finance Systems Support at Mantrac Group.

Scale was an important consideration because, in reporting alone, Mantrac had to extract data from more than 50 spreadsheet-based reports, which had to be manipulated and organized manually to extract meaningful insights. Thus, the team needed a scalable tool that could extract, transform, and load (ETL) Excel data from multiple sources. This critical function was the important piece missing in the solutions the finance team had previously evaluated.

Ashraf began searching for a solution that enabled more powerful planning, budgeting, and reporting, as well as ETL capabilities and a future-proof cloud platform. To help narrow down the options, Jedox consultants proposed a proof of concept for the enterprise performance management (EPM) platform, giving him the peace of mind to proceed with certainty after two years of searching for the right solution.

Implementing Jedox was a seamless transition for hundreds of users, Ashraf says. The finance team quickly put the solution to the test, starting with three databases that needed heavy processing. The task required the transformation and combination of data from 38 legal entities within the management reporting system. Unlike the previous online analytical processing (OLAP) system, which set the same parameters across all entities, the Jedox solution offered multiple parameters that the team could apply to each individual entity, right down to the general ledger.

“I can confirm that Jedox is more than just a user-friendly tool. Our team can easily build or modify the database, as well as run ETL processes through our website,” Ashraf says.

Some features were customized specifically for Mantrac. One feature enables the team to set sales targets to ensure they do not fall below the predefined threshold. Another enables the creation of projection scenarios to drive accurate rolling forecasts based on actual achievements and plans for the remaining months of the year.

Jedox also enables the team to easily generate ad hoc reports and present the data using different views, whether by territory, legal entity, total group, or CAT® versus non-CAT® business. Teams can also view details pertaining to a specific branch, cost center, and virtually any other operational function.

The Jedox proof of concept played a key role in the project’s overall success because it gave stakeholders the opportunity to experience the solution before making a final decision. They were particularly impressed by the platform’s user-friendly interface compared with other tools, as well as its ability to seamlessly integrate with Excel. These positive experiences were instrumental in facilitating a smooth implementation.

Ashraf emphasized the advantage of the platform’s powerful integration with Excel, which facilitates both data upload and extraction. Today, it takes just one minute to upload spreadsheets that contain thousands of rows and millions of data points. Changes can be made within Jedox or Excel, making it easy for Ashraf to effortlessly extract data from a particular version, make any necessary changes, and reupload.

The accounting teams find this particularly valuable during the closing months when they are under pressure to submit data quickly: “We often face urgent revisions during closing months, as the updates must be shared with senior management as soon as possible,” Ashraf says. “This would usually take days but can now be completed in hours or even minutes.”

The platform’s dynamic parameters empower the finance team to easily filter the data as needed and create ad hoc reports. This level of detail gives Mantrac the ability to generate granular views of its data, such as breaking down an entire year’s worth of information into monthly views. Previously, such tasks would have taken eight hours to complete. With Jedox, they are completed in just one hour.

Additionally, Jedox automated planning for more than 40 Mantrac subsidiaries at the sales unit level, including several products sold across multiple channels. This simplified planning for diverse users across different business units, enabling sales planning at the product level. They could also perform zero-based budgeting down to the lowest expense driver level.

Jedox is much better than any system I’ve worked with before. I would recommend the solution to any financial user, whether a peer or colleague.

– Ashraf Hamada, Head of Financial Controlling and Finance Systems Support, Mantrac Group

Jedox has had a significant impact on Mantrac’s finance team, freeing up time for more value-adding tasks. As a result, the Mantrac Center of Excellence has also adopted Jedox for its reporting, analytics, and budgeting performance KPI needs. In the meantime, the team is testing a new Jedox module for integrated business planning.

“Based on personal experience to date, Jedox is much better than any system I’ve worked with before. I would recommend the solution to any financial user, whether a peer or colleague,” Ashraf says. “The solution is adaptable enough to assist any user in their daily work.”