In This Article
Share this
EFC International is improving its distribution by connecting Microsoft Power BI with its SAP and CRM systems. This change provides teams with real-time business analytics and interactive dashboards that align with their goals and performance measures.
For instance, the sales team recently used these dashboards to identify customer buying trends and pinpoint underperforming regions. With these insights, they quickly changed their outreach strategy, leading to higher sales in those regions and improved customer engagement.
Key Takeaways
- EFC has implemented Power BI and connected it to its SAP operating system and CRM software.
- The integration gives executives, engineers, sales managers, sales staff, and business development teams access to real-time, interactive dashboards.
- This upgrade lets teams create custom visuals for business strategy and performance metrics.
- EFC was an early adopter of SAP in its market space, implementing it in 2000, and has also been an early adopter of CRM.
Advanced Analytics for Strategic Decision-Making
EFC International, a global provider of specialized engineered fasteners, is using new technology to improve its distribution operations. By adding Microsoft Power BI to its SAP and CRM systems, the company has taken an important step in its digital transformation.
With this integration, EFC’s leaders and teams now have a strong business analytics tool. Executives, engineers, sales managers, sales staff, and business development can all use real-time, interactive dashboards. These dashboards are tailored to match the company’s goals and key performance indicators in every area.
Leveraging Existing Systems for Deeper Insights
Matt Dudenhoeffer, CEO at EFC, explained the benefits of the new system. “Our SAP and CRM systems have always been incredibly versatile and useful in enabling customized reports and detailed data for our suppliers and customers at the click of a button,” he said. “And now we can take that a step further with interactive visualizations through a simple interface.” Since adding Power BI, EFC has cut report generation time by 40 percent. This helps teams get important business insights faster and make decisions more quickly.
EFC has always welcomed new technology. It was one of the first distributors in its field to use SAP in 2000, staying ahead of many customers and suppliers who later adopted it. EFC also started using CRM early on. To bring in Power BI, EFC used a step-by-step plan.
The team first worked with stakeholders to set data needs and main goals. Then, they teamed up with IT experts to connect Power BI to SAP and CRM, ensuring data was secure and systems worked together.
They tested the system to verify data accuracy and dashboard features before launching it company-wide. After that, they trained users to help everyone get the most out of the new tool. Tom Mansholt, vice-president of operations, said the whole global organization now uses these systems, including Power BI.
About EFC International
EFC International is ISO 9001:2015-certified and specializes in engineered fasteners. Its products include plastic injection-molded parts, spring steel stamped fasteners, hose clamps, panel fasteners, routing components, and many other engineered parts.
EFC serves customers worldwide with help from regional field engineers, customer service teams, and warehouses in key locations. With advanced analytics, EFC can now better track product demand in different markets, improve supply chain operations, and respond faster to customer needs. These new data tools help the company spot trends and adjust strategies to serve customers around the world.
Sources
- EFC implements Power BI, linked to SAP and CRM, Fastener + Fixing Magazine.
Spargent Analytics
Microsoft Fabric consulting, implementation, analytics modernization, and long-term support for enterprise data teams.
Microsoft Fabric
Project Review
Free Expert Session