1. Stepping intoBI, DrivingBetter DecisionsDavid SurteesDirector of Information Services HUSCO International Waukesha, Wisconsin

2. Agenda Emergence of BusinessIntelligence at HUSCO BI Platform Evaluation Implementing theChosen BI Solution Early BI Benefits Lessons Learned Questions & Answers 3. Emergence of Business Intelligenceat HUSCO 4. HUSCO International Hydraulic control valves forindustrial vehicle andautomotive markets Customer-specific solutionssuperior to competitorsgeneric valves 6 manufacturing plants inNorth America, UK, Chinaand India 1200 employees worldwidewith 700 in offices www.huscointl.com 5. Systems Environment Infor Baan IV ERP soledata source Oracle 10G database Crystal Reports No OLAP cubes Extract ERP data withstored proceduresdeveloped in PL/SQL. IT staff of 4 peoplededicated to our businesssystem. 6. Technical Challenges No programmers in house Limited experience with datawarehouses Crystal Reports dumped datainto error-prone spreadsheets New automotive divisionmushroomed data volumeand complexity Growth from 3 to 6 plantsworldwide caused scalabilityand performance concerns Too many different ways tosolve the BI problem 7. BI PlatformEvaluation 8. First BI Stepsat HUSCO Have educated users foryears about BI (with limitedsuccess) Built support via pilotprogram that producesglobal inventory reports Early users understood thecontents and the value ofthe reports Early reports led to moreuser requests 9. HUSCOs BI Goals Focus on one area ofthe business to start Simplify report writing Eliminate manuallymerging Excel sheets Avoid staffing large ITeffort Drive better businessdecisions 10. Evaluation ProcessTechnologies Evaluated Actuate / BIRT Oracle BI SuiteEvaluation Committee Database administrator Director of InformationServices Requirements set byinitial users MaterialsManagement, Purchasing 11. Actuate Won the BIPlatform EvaluationReasons for Selection User self-service Users can manipulate dataas they wish Support for many datasources; not tied to aspecific database Flexibility of input withJava and JavaScript Can start small withoutspending a fortune upfront 12. Actuate Selectedas BI PlatformReport Server Actuate BIRT iServeron Windows Actuate securityDevelopment ToolsActuate 11 suite BIRT Interactive Viewer BIRT Studio BIRT 360 Dashboards BIRT Data Analyzer BIRT Spreadsheet 13. Implementing the Chosen BI Solution 14. BI Rollout IssuesData Warehouse Used Oracle consultantto build data warehouses Data warehouse updateddaily and weeklyCreating Data Set Users slow to specify needs Scope shifted as users sawBI capabilities Took 5 months to spec andcreate initial data setReports and Applications Used Actuate for guidanceon complex reports Reports run on demand 15. Objectives ofInventory Reports Predict when and whereshortages could occur Reduce inventory turns Track up to 20-week leadtimes on parts Compare and validate datafrom various suppliers Avoid adding headcount tocapture and aggregate data 16. Deploy InventoryReports 40 initial users, 34 ofwhich are materialsmanagers Initial reports are forpurchasing and inventorycontrol Adding supply chain users:expediters and purchasingagents 20 reports deployed with 150 reports and dashboards planned 17. Early Returns fromInventory Reports Inventory levels and coststrending downward aspeople trust the data Can now view inventorylevels in various locationsand systems New reports replaceerror-prone spreadsheetsand manual processes Better visibility has led toconsistent measurementsand strategies worldwide 18. BI Visibility HasAttracted AttentionWe are adding reports anddashboards for: Purchasing Sales Days sales outstanding Accounts receivable Cash flowBI now has the attentionof HUSCO executives 19. EarlyBI Benefitsat HUSCO 20. Single Versionof the Truth One source for decisiondata No more islands of info No two people shouldshow up at a meetingwith different data No decisions should bemade using incorrectinformation 21. User Self-Sufficiency Easy report navigation Easy to run and viewreports East to export data Easy to do further analysis 22. Technical Benefits Write and maintain justone report for all locations Cleaned up underlyingdata and complexity Provide consolidated viewto users Much easier to makecomplex reports anddashboards More intuitive UI andnavigation Easy to link reports andsub-reports via drill-down 23. LessonsLearned 24. Culture ChangeTakes Time People are used toassembling and checkingdata in Excel It takes months for peopleto trust a new solutionand its data but they eventually see the power of having one version of the truth 25. Leverage ProfessionalServices Spread the use of outsideservices out across the lifeof the project Get some training, put itinto practice, then comeback for more Use outside services tohelp you make informeddecisions 26. Take ThingsOne Step at a Time Start small and showresults to prove value andget management buy-in Break BI projects intodiscrete, digestible phases Dont buy the ultimatedream and spend afortune up front 27. Questions& Answers David Surteesdavid.surtees@huscointl.com 28. Stepping intoBI, DrivingBetter DecisionsDavid SurteesDirector of Information Services HUSCO International Waukesha, Wisconsin