ASM Aerosol-Service AG gains end-to-end transparency in the Order-to-Cash process with Qlik
Advanced analytics with Qlik and iVIEW-enabled integration of curated SAP data
„With Qlik, we are able to present data to our colleagues in a clear and accessible way, spark their interest in the numbers, and actively engage them. Our goal is to deliver reports that create value not just for Finance, but for the entire organization – Qlik and iVIEW are powerful tools that support us perfectly in this mission.“
Benjamin Fürst, Head of Finance, Controlling & IT, ASM Aerosol-Service AG
The customer
ASM Aerosol-Service AG (ASM), headquartered in Möhlin (Aargau, Switzerland), is a well-established, independent, and internationally oriented contract manufacturer of sophisticated products in liquid to semi-liquid form. Founded in 1953, the family-owned company employs around 200 people and combines decades of experience with state-of-the-art technology. ASM supports its customers in the development and production of customized solutions for the global pharmaceutical, cosmetics, perfume, and technical industries – from product idea to packaging.
| Industry Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics and Technology | Function Sales, Production, Purchasing, Warehouse |
| Region Möhlin, Switzerland | Data Sources SAP |
| Utilized Technologies Qlik Cloud Analytics, iVIEW Dataflow, iVIEW Library, iVIEW for SAP | ROI & Time-to-value 30 hours less analysis effort per month – enabling faster decision-making and higher productivity through automated data provisioning and centralized KPI management |
Initial Situation
Since 2019, ASM has been using SAP S/4HANA as its ERP system. The analysis of various SAP data from areas such as Sales, Production, Finance, and Warehouse Management had previously been carried out in Excel. Due to the high manual effort involved and the growing requirements for data analytics, the company decided to implement a dedicated data analytics solution.
“We wanted to achieve the highest possible level of automation in data provisioning in order to always work with up-to-date information,” says Ramona Vogel, Business Controller at ASM Aerosol-Service AG. “It was also important for us to ensure a consistent structure for KPI calculation and reporting.”
In addition, the solution needed to be available for self-service use across departments and operated in the cloud.
Solution
Qlik stands out with powerful technology and exceptional ease of use
Several data analytics solutions were evaluated. Qlik Cloud Analytics proved to be the best fit for ASM’s requirements. The choice was driven by both the robust technology and the outstanding user-friendliness. “Thanks to the various filtering options, users are guided smoothly through the analyses without requiring in-depth IT knowledge,” adds Ramona Vogel. “Qlik also impressed with its versatile visualization capabilities, enabling us to present complex data structures in a clear and meaningful way.”
Implementation and initial application development were carried out by Qlik Elite Partner Informatec. “We wanted to work with a partner close to us, who could provide both technical expertise and personal support. Informatec delivered exactly that,” says Benjamin Fürst, Head of Finance, Controlling & IT at ASM. “In addition, our former Head of IT had already implemented data projects with Informatec and was very satisfied.”
At the outset, a joint workshop was held to define the required KPIs and identify which SAP tables from the relevant SAP modules would be needed for data generation.
SAP Data Transfer with iVIEW
To make optimal use of cloud capacities and ensure high-performance SAP data transfer, Informatec recommended the principle of integrating curated SAP data.
Data pipelines are purposefully managed and orchestrated to efficiently control and monitor data flows – supported by iVIEW Dataflow. The visual front-end interface, developed by Informatec, enables ETL processes (Extract, Transform, Load) to be modeled visually without deep programming expertise, while leveraging automated, documented code generation based on Qlik best practices. This ensures maintainable and consistent data processing.
A central component of the overall concept is the iVIEW for SAP module, which handles the extraction and structuring of SAP data. Within a seamless workflow, the required data is retrieved from the SAP system, prepared, and readied for further processing. iVIEW Dataflow then takes over the transformation and modeling of the data within standardized ETL processes. As a result, visualizations and dashboards with valuable insights into business operations can be created much more easily and quickly, since the data is already optimally prepared and structured.
By integrating curated SAP data, only the data that is truly needed – quality-assured and optimally prepared – is transferred to the cloud. This not only reduces the volume of data to be transferred but also optimizes the use of cloud resources and ensures high efficiency in SAP data transfer. The final data pipelines are deployed directly in Qlik Cloud, allowing users to create interactive dashboards and visualizations based on up-to-date SAP data. After the initial data provisioning, the Qlik environment is loaded exclusively incrementally – meaning only new or changed records are processed.
With iVIEW, ASM has the flexibility to make adjustments independently, both in SAP data extraction and in the data model. This allows new business requirements to be implemented quickly or existing KPIs to be adapted – without external support. “In iVIEW, we can target individual SAP tables, model the data, rename fields into meaningful business terms, define KPIs, and then push the data into Qlik Cloud,” explains Ramona Vogel. This flexibility makes it easier to continuously evolve analyses and respond quickly when needed.
Central KPI Management and Provisioning
The iVIEW Library module ensures the required consistency in KPI definitions and calculations. Acting as a central “Single Point of Truth” for all KPIs, variables, and metadata, it guarantees that these are maintained and managed in one place only. This eliminates redundancies and contradictory definitions, significantly improving the quality and comparability of analyses across all Qlik applications. Centrally defined content can be rolled out automatically and in a controlled manner into compatible Qlik applications – without manual adjustments. Thanks to versioning and change tracking, users always have full visibility into the development status of their KPIs and can revert to previous versions if necessary.
iVIEW Data Automation Framework
The Qlik-integrated toolkit for all your business intelligence needs
Application Areas and Benefits
Analytics for Sales, Production, Purchasing, and Warehouse
In the first project phase, the existing reporting was migrated to Qlik in collaboration with Informatec, starting with Sales. The focus was on key metrics such as revenue, sales volume, and forecasts, which can be analyzed from multiple perspectives including customer, period, and product.
Using Qlik Application Automation, reports based on Qlik applications are automatically distributed via email to users both inside and outside the Qlik Cloud environment. “This allows employees to consume information without needing their own license,” explains Ramona Vogel.
Through knowledge transfer during the implementation and training provided by Informatec on both Qlik technology and the iVIEW framework, ASM was able to independently develop a production application in a subsequent project.
This application visualizes KPIs such as produced units, which can be analyzed by dimensions such as customer, workstation, and time period ranging from yearly down to weekly views. Data can also be explored at any desired level of detail, from workstation to individual order.
Furthermore, the application allows capacity utilization in production to be forecast by analyzing all open orders with their planned completion dates. It shows the quantities to be produced as well as the number of shifts or resources required. These required shifts are then compared with the actual available capacity, making it immediately visible if and when a production line is overloaded and whether orders need to be rescheduled.
Applications for the Purchasing and Warehouse departments are currently in development. In Purchasing, key base data is visualized such as order volumes per supplier, delivery date deviations, and variances between ordered and delivered quantities. In addition, the evolution of purchase prices over the past four years is displayed, with the option to filter the data per customer. In Warehouse, the focus is on analyzing storage space utilization, enabling better tracking of inflows and outflows and providing early visibility into whether sufficient capacity exists for certain storage types or if reallocation is required.
30 Hours Saved per Month
By using Qlik in combination with iVIEW Dataflow and iVIEW Library for automated data provisioning and KPI management, ASM was able to significantly reduce the monthly reporting effort in Sales and Production. Thanks to a high degree of automation – both in transferring SAP data into Qlik Cloud and in maintaining the applications – approximately 30 hours per month are saved.
Future
ASM is planning a further expansion of its Qlik landscape. A dedicated app for analyzing SAP FI data is in preparation, and promising approaches in the field of process mining are currently being evaluated.
In the medium term, ASM aims to empower around 50 percent of its workforce with Qlik-enabled insights.
Customer Spotlight
“The combination of Qlik together with iVIEW Dataflow and iVIEW Library has largely automated data provisioning and KPI management at ASM. As a result, the monthly reporting effort in Sales and Production has been significantly reduced. Thanks to the high level of automation – from transferring SAP data into Qlik Cloud to maintaining the applications – around 30 hours per month are now being saved.”
Ramona Vogel, Business Controller, ASM Aerosol-Service AG
Summary
Challenges
Increasing efficiency and automating SAP data analysis previously performed manually in Excel; standardizing the KPI structureSolution
Qlik Analytics with Qlik Cloud Analytics, iVIEW Data Automation Framework (Dataflow, Library, SAP module)Results
- Automated data provisioning
- More efficient analysis processes
- Self-service use of analytics tools by business departments
- Centralized KPI management and provisioning
- Improved decision-making based on reliable data
