Empowering Decision-Making

In an era where data reigns supreme, businesses are constantly seeking ways to harness the power of information to drive growth, efficiency, and strategic decision-making. Citribel, a circular producer of citric acid, citrates, and other high-value co-products through natural surface fermentation of sugar molasses, embarked on a transformative journey to achieve just that. We sat down with Wim Elsen, CFO of Citribel, to delve into their successful Business Intelligence (BI) project, which has helped to optimize their operations and achieve a data driven and market driven approach.

More visibility and manageability of finance, production, quality, stock and sales activities 

Wim Elsen, CFO at Citribel: “Our demand was driven by the need to choose a reporting technology, enabling to streamline our approach to manage operations. We used to rely heavily on SAP and Excel reporting, which limited our ability to gain real-time insights and make data-driven decisions. We needed automated, accurate, and reliable dashboards that would provide us with a 360-degree view of our production, quality, and stock activities.”

Alexandre Roland, Sales & Operations Manager at Vynta: “Citribel approached us with a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve through BI. We were impressed by their commitment to enhancing their operations with data-driven insights. Our initial collaboration began with a Proof of Concept for Finance, which resulted in a set of powerful finance dashboards.

This early success and collaboration with Citribel’s finance team paved the way for other departments to express their interest in having similar dashboards. The combination of Citribel’s proactive approach and their readiness to collaborate made them an ideal partner for this BI journey.”

A step-by-step approach led by Vynta

Wim Elsen: "The project unfolded in a structured and phased manner, ensuring that each step was aligned with our business needs and IT requirements. Vynta suggested to begin with workshops to analyze our needs and visualize the desired outcomes. These meetings allowed us to define the reports and identify the necessary requirements for choosing the right software solution. The collaboration between the Vynta teams, and our production, quality, and IT teams was instrumental in shaping the solution. By this phased approach, we succeeded in developing the Power BI reporting we now consistently use.”

Alexandre Roland: "The next phase involved data validation, where we rigorously tested data accuracy and established filters and rules. Vynta created the DWH and data model, which were seamlessly connected to SAP and SQL sources. This laid the foundation for the creation of Power BI dashboards that allowed authorized users to access daily refreshed data. Furthermore, we provided self-service capabilities, empowering end-users to create customized reports tailored to their specific business needs.”

Wim Elsen: “The training sessions offered by Vynta were enabled our team to fully utilize the data model and harness the power of the data for decision-making. Vynta continues to offer helpdesk and support services, which have been crucial in maintaining the integrity of our ETL processes, data model, and Power BI dashboards.”

Alexandre Roland: “We also ensured comprehensive documentation, both functional and technical, to ensure that the knowledge and insights gained throughout the project are preserved for future reference and training.”

The added value

Wim Elsen: “Vynta's phased approach, coupled with their ability to engage with both our production and IT stakeholders, allowed us to create customized dashboards that truly align with our business goals. We can now confidently and structurally use power BI dashboards and make better decisions.”

Citribel’s success story is a testament to the transformative power of Business Intelligence. By partnering with Vynta and adopting a structured approach, they have unlocked the potential of their data, enabling them to make more informed decisions, optimize their operations, and drive growth in the highly competitive chemical industry. In an era where data is king, Citribel has positioned itself at the forefront of innovation and efficiency.