Diesel Technic SE
Better Decisions Through Integrated Reporting, Planning, and Analysis Processes
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From sales reporting to financial and HR planning to cash flow management: Learn how Diesel Technic, in collaboration with celver AG, has established a centralized platform in Board that reduces manual effort and enables informed decisions based on a unified data source.
The Company: Keep on Moving
Since its founding in 1972, Diesel Technic has grown from a regional supplier to one of the largest specialists in vehicle parts and accessories in the automotive sector . Today, its product lineup includes more than 50,000 brand-name products for commercial vehicles and other applications, such as passenger cars.
In addition to product development and sales, Diesel Technic places great emphasis on efficient logistics processes and support services for dealers and repair shops. The goal is to ensure a reliable supply to the independent aftermarket and to keep vehicles on the road worldwide.
From the corporate headquarters in Kirchdorf, the six international locations and the multinational sales network are supported by cross-functional processes, common standards, and regular professional exchanges. This combines regional market proximity with consistent and transparent collaboration within the corporate group.
The facts at a glance:
✓ Unified data source for the corporate and site levels
✓ Time savings through automated reports
✓ Flexible self-service
✓ High scalability
The Challenge: Consistent Control in a Complex Environment
Diesel Technic’s Controlling department is also based in Kirchdorf and supports the international subsidiaries through group-wide reporting, planning, and analysis processes. In line with the company’s motto, “Keep on moving,” new ideas and projects for optimizing collaboration are constantly emerging. Given the company’s global organizational structure, the primary challenge in day-to-day Controlling operations was initially to establish a shared, reliable view of the numbers.
This was because the various departments were working with different data sources and definitions. Terms such as “revenue” or “profit” were not interpreted consistently; reports were sometimes created manually in Excel, and data from different systems was processed separately. “The key question was often: Are we really looking at the same numbers?” recalls Jasmin Rausch, Head of Controlling at Diesel Technic. This lack of transparency was becoming an increasing risk, particularly for sales management—with its diverse customer groups, sales channels, and source systems.
The desire for a single source of truth, greater flexibility, and less manual effort ultimately led to the decision to take a closer look at business intelligence.
The Solution: A Flexible BI Platform as a Common Foundation
To create a unified database, Diesel Technic launched a structured selection process for a BI and planning platform in 2016. After conducting market research, reviewing the BARC ranking, attending various trade shows, and holding discussions with different vendors, three solutions were shortlisted. A proof of concept ultimately formed the basis for the decision in favor of the Board planning platform, with celver AG as the implementation partner. The key factors were, above all, the high level of flexibility, the ability to expand the system in stages, and the goal of combining planning and reporting into a single platform. This approach has since been continuously refined and expanded in collaboration with celver AG.
The initial approach was deliberately pragmatic, starting with sales reporting—though financial planning was taken into account from the very beginning. Data sources were integrated step by step: first ERP and warehouse management systems, followed by HR software, and the integration of time tracking is already planned. “Typical controller: I take a look at everything I can get my hands on first,” explains Jasmin Rausch with a wink, summing up the data-driven approach.
Today, Board is firmly established within the company as its central platform. In addition to the two administrators, about 60 users work with the system on a regular basis—and the feedback has been consistently positive. The combination of transparency and depth of detail is particularly appreciated: “You can really dive into the data and easily jump from the customer level down to the item level—exactly to the level of detail you need at that moment,” explains Jasmin Rausch.
Specifically, the following solutions have now been implemented in collaboration with celver AG:
- Sales and Distribution Analyses
Sales metricsfrom various source systems are automatically consolidated, enabling flexible analyses ranging from the corporate level all the way down to the customer and product levels. - Consolidated Reports, Including Currency Conversion
The international subsidiaries can analyze their results in local currency, while the Controlling department in Kirchdorf always has a consolidated view of the group.
Logistics and Product Analyses: Metrics from warehouse management and quality management systems provide transparency regarding lead times, inventory levels, and quality assessments, and support operational improvements. - Financial Planning
Budgets, forecasts, and actual-versus-budget comparisons are displayed centrally, so that all financial trends are visible at a glance. - HR Planning
HR planning is also integrated, allowing for the systematic tracking and coordination of human resources, capacity, and employee development. - Data Warehousing
In collaboration with celver AG, we have established scalable BI structures that serve as a stable foundation for reporting, planning, and other use cases, and that can be continuously expanded. - Liquidity Planning
Most recently, the liquidity planning module was enhanced to enable proactive management of investments and cash flows across all locations—without the need for manual Excel models.
A key factor in this success is the self-service approach: The Controlling department retains technical authority and designs the front end and new screens largely on its own. IT, in turn, handles all necessary adjustments to the data warehouse. celver AG is brought in specifically as a sounding board for new projects, major expansions, or initial training sessions. New employees can then be trained internally, and minor adjustments can be implemented directly by the team itself. This ensures that Controlling remains flexible and capable of taking action.
With the introduction of Board, Diesel Technic, in collaboration with celver AG, was able to establish a unified, fast, and flexible control platform.
The added value is particularly evident in day-to-day controlling and reporting:
- Centralized, consistent database: All departments work on the same platform and use the same figures. In the past, data had to be manually extracted from various ERP systems and consolidated—a time-consuming process—but today, up-to-date figures are available immediately.
- Transparency and Collaboration: International locations, such as those in the U.K. and Dubai, can easily access the reports, including those in the group currency. The reporting system accounts for different currencies and enables informed management across national borders.
- Flexibility and Self-Service: The front end is easy to customize—even without IT skills. Reports can be designed using drag-and-drop, screens can be adapted to the brand guidelines, and custom requirements can be implemented.
- Time savings and reduced system load: There is no longer a need for time-consuming manual data preparation, the load on ERP and other source systems is reduced, and employees can focus on analysis and planning instead of routine tasks.
- Continuous Improvement: Thanks to the platform's flexibility, new ideas for additional applications are constantly emerging, allowing for the continuous optimization of reporting and planning.
Rapid Implementation Thanks to celver’s Proven “
” Module Due to planned major investments, liquidity planning has recently become a greater focus at Diesel Technic. The goal was to ensure optimal allocation of funds. The Controlling department learned about celver AG’s existing liquidity module through a newsletter. “We also looked at other solutions,” says Jasmin Rausch, explaining the decision-making process. “But why reinvent the wheel when there’s already a well-designed template that we can easily integrate into our existing platform?” In a proof of concept, customizations for the group-wide view and currency conversions were identified and implemented in collaboration with celver AG. Weekly liquidity planning is now nearing its go-live and will support key investment decisions in the future.
Time for Strategic Management
The advantage of the BI platform is most evident on the first of the month: All sales representatives can directly access the latest sales figures without having to go through the cumbersome process of consolidating data first. This allows important decisions to be made early on and corrective actions to be taken.
“Board not only gives us quick access to reliable figures, but also frees us up to focus on strategic management—rather than on the tedious task of consolidating data,” Jasmin Rausch concludes. Its cross-departmental use thus frees up more time for what really matters: making decisions based on up-to-date data, maintaining a clear view of the big picture, and having the opportunity for continuous improvement.
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