Silbo
Technologies used: Excel, Power Query, Power Pivot, VBA
Silbo is a business system established in 1991, specializing in distribution and logistics across FMCG and HoReCa channels, with a significant role in the Serbian market. The company covers over 9,000 sales locations, a central distribution center of 15,000 m², a fleet of 200 vehicles, 20,000 pallet spaces, and a team of 400 employees, providing integrated services ranging from storage and transportation to brand positioning, with a focus on innovation and standardization.
Challenge
The finance, accounting, and sales departments at Silbo faced complex and time-consuming tasks that hindered efficient decision-making and real-time data access. Manual data extraction, formula adjustments, and consolidation were daily challenges. Silbo needed a planning and reporting solution that would provide each department with customized tools to automate tasks, reduce manual work, and enable timely access to critical information.
Solution: DAX PowerBook - Budgeting and Reporting Tool
DAX Analytics developed DAX PowerBook, an automated tool designed to meet specific budgeting and management reporting needs. The key features of the tool include:
Complete automation of planning and reporting processes;
Establishing a global corporate standard as a best practice;
Easy modifications and additional functionalities.
A model tailored to the specific requirements of each company.
These benefits collectively have a transformative impact on financial processes, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and strategic decision-making. The customized nature of PowerBook ensures that this solution is not just a technological upgrade but a strategic tool aligned with the specific operational needs of the company.
Process Flow Diagram
Sales and Controlling – An Integrated System for Planning and Reporting
The total number of people involved in the budgeting and reporting processes at Silbo is between 25 and 30. The budgeting tool has been in use for three years, meaning Silbo has completed three planning cycles using PowerBook. Sales and controlling at Silbo form part of a fully integrated system that ensures high efficiency and transparency in planning and reporting processes. Thanks to a shared Master Data system, data is interconnected, allowing both departments to work in synergy and fully leverage all available information.
For the sales department, having detailed plans at the product level is essential. With the help of the planning tool, the sales team utilizes four different templates - for quantities and values, discounts, returns, and contractual obligations (off-invoice discounts) ensuring that all planning segments are fully covered. The sales team also benefits from daily monitoring of sales through detailed reports, eliminating the need for central administrator intervention and significantly reducing the time required for operational tasks.
On the other hand, the controlling department has access to advanced analytics through P&L reports, which allow data drill-down to the desired level, such as business unit, partner, profit center, or cost center. They now have access to updated data processed in formats tailored to their reporting needs, without requiring changes in the bookkeeping system. Additionally, they have received a cost-planning tool that enables the rapid distribution of planning templates to any number of planners. These templates are easily consolidated, allowing the team to monitor the planning process in real-time and maintain full control over sales and cost plans. Furthermore, controlling now possesses consolidated reports for all legal entities, simplifying group-level analysis.
Dynamic reports enable controlling to compare various historical and planning periods using filters without wasting time on additional data preparations or performing detailed cost analysis by vendors. One of the system's key benefits is that controlling can generate consolidated reports for all legal entities with a single click, while the commercial director can centrally manage the sales planning process and make strategic decisions based on timely and accurate data. The combination of automation, detailed analytics, and integration across all departments ensures optimal efficiency and quality in the planning and reporting processes.
Statutory Reporting
The accounting team received a tool designed for preparing statutory balance sheets submitted to the Serbian Business Registers Agency (APR). Previously, these reports required significant manual work in data extraction, formula copying, adjustments, and group-level consolidation. With our tool, these processes are now fully automated, significantly reducing the time and effort needed for reporting.
Key Benefits
PowerBook has provided Silbo with significant advantages in efficiency and control:
Time Savings in Budgeting – The budgeting process, which was previously time-consuming, is now highly efficient. Planners receive pre-populated templates with historical data at the appropriate level of detail, eliminating the need for manual adjustments and reducing the chance of errors.
Increased Control and Transparency – Each sector now has complete control over its data and plans, while the central finance team has visibility into all planning and sales activities in real-time. This structure enables the accounting, controlling, and sales teams to make data-driven decisions independently.
Real-Time Results – PowerBook enables real-time data access, allowing all sectors to see results immediately.
Simplified Process Control – Controlling can now generate detailed reports with a single click and analyze various scenarios without the need for additional data preparation.
Active Support for Long-Term Success
DAX Analytics provides ongoing support, ensuring that PowerBook continues to meet Silbo's needs as the company grows. Our team is available to resolve issues and help maximize the tool’s potential, ensuring that budgeting and reporting processes remain efficient, transparent, and aligned with strategic goals.
