Biscuit giant updates data analysis system

Burton’s Foods has installed a new business intelligence (BI) system, replacing 14 separate applications in just 12 weeks.

The UK’s second-largest biscuit manufacturer, which produces brands such as Cadbury’s fingers and Wagon Wheels, installed supplier Applix’s TM1 software to improve data analysis response times.

David Travis, systems development manager at Burton’s Foods, says the company’s previous BI software was slow and inflexible, with users having to download huge amounts of data into spreadsheets.

A key consideration in deploying the new software was using Microsoft Excel as a front end.

‘We wanted the systems team to provide information to stakeholders so they could create and publish their own reports. Most users are fluent in Excel and could distribute the information once we had placed it in Applix,’ said Travis.

Experienced users from four groups – finance, trading, finished goods supply chain, and inbound supply chain – worked with the implementation team to help build the system, so that they can train others.

The use of BI in the firm has grown from 70 users a day under the old system to more than 100 users a day – 30 per cent of the IT-enabled workforce.

Daily and weekly models can be refreshed at night – allowing users access to more up-to-date information – and applications can include greater detail.

‘We used to run endless database queries for people who wanted lower-level figures, but now they can drill down themselves,’ said Travis.

New focused applications have been developed, including a customer service application that sends a text message summary to the mobile phones of key business managers.

‘It has allowed us to deliver more analytic functionality to more people,’ said Travis.

Further reading:

Computing BI roundtable