CASE STUDY hype word around the company . Everybody was on board within a year .” The Qlik solution stack took one year to deploy across the business .
Change management
Qlik ’ s deployment across Unitrans is classified into two main categories : internal and customer-facing . Within the business , Qlik is enabling vastly improved reporting , with new levels of speed and accuracy enabling the business to take more control over its operations . Data sources can be sanitised and cross-referenced , and files merged to provide a single point of reference for users .
Dashboards and reports are as good as the data that is put in and Qlik has also helped with ongoing data hygiene to maintain the quality and integrity of data . This simplifies access to critical information and analysis , while also providing a reliable and centralised source of the truth for essential management information .
Tools and dashboards built on Qlik include fuel management , workshop and planning systems , and a tracking database that monitors past vehicle activity . All these contribute to Unitrans ’ auto asset verification system , a quarterly exercise similar to a stock count that verifies all Unitrans assets across Africa .
Benefits and gains
Some of the gains included :
• Accelerated and accurate reporting , giving Unitrans greater control over operations
• Improved processes that free-up staff time and enable effective decisions
• Customer-facing dashboards providing improved visibility and planning processes
• Time to complete month-end reporting was reduced by 50 %
“ It is a massive exercise . In the past we have even found a ZAR two million truck that we did not realise existed ,” says Röder . “ With Qlik it is much quicker and much more controlled , and we know exactly where all our assets are .”
Month-end processes are also significantly accelerated , with reporting times cut by half . With Qlik , what was previously a ten-day process is now usually completed in five days , enabling more timely management decisions and quicker responses .
And having information five working days earlier means managers can make more effective decisions . From a risk point of view , it is vital to have that kind of information as quickly as possible . The security that Qlik provides in terms of cross-referencing permissions and control systems also delivers important risk-management advantages . Customer-facing information is the other area where Qlik provides benefits . Customers used to have limited visibility into where a shipment was on its journey . Now , using Qlik , processing telematics and tracking information and then presenting it to the customer as a dashboard transforms the experience .
“ A Qlik dashboard can tell clients where their products are all over the country ,” says Röder . “ Maps show the locations of each truck , which means arrivals and turnarounds can be planned more effectively .”
Moving ahead
The next steps for Unitrans Supply Chain Solutions includes deploying Qlik Cloud and expanding the use of automation for repetitive processes by deploying Qlik AutoML . Robotic Process Automation has already delivered significant time savings for Unitrans Supply Chain Solutions . It is now plugging Qlik ’ s AutoML into RPA .
Explains Röder , “ Instead of using RPA for reporting we will use Qlik , which means the RPA developers can focus on the solutions and BI guys can do the reporting .”
Qlik ’ s SaaS option is also both an opportunity and an inevitable strategic shift for Unitrans . Röder now sees a process of cultural change , enabled by Qlik , spreading across Unitrans .
“ We now have an environment where people are able to think innovatively on a continuous basis . If one individual can find a way for Qlik to make them more informed and more effective in their job , it might be scalable for 20 other people in similar roles , or even the whole organisation ,” says Röder .
And that is a game changer for Unitrans ! p
RÖDER REALISED THAT UNITRANS WAS SITTING ON HEAPS OF DATA THAT WAS LARGELY UNDER-UTILISED , BOTH EXTERNALLY , IN A CUSTOMER-FACING
CONTEXT AND INTERNALLY .
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