The Courier and Freight Group (CFG), part of the South African Post Office (SAPO), operates a network dedicated to the delivery of parcels, containers and freight in an environment that relies on accurate reporting and tracking of all its information.
Since CFG already uses SAP Business Warehouse (SAP BW), its key requirement was for a tool that would complement and integrate with SAP BW to provide for more cost-effective and flexible reporting across its business.
In order to fulfil this requirement, the company turned to Synergy Computing, specialist in business intelligence solutions, to implement the Cognos ReportNet enterprise-wide query and reporting tool.
"Synergy leverages best-of-breed products from leading global vendors, such as Cognos, to provide an end-to-end BI solution that can provide fast and easy access to critical corporate data," says Brent Aitken, sales executive, Synergy Computing.
He points out that since both CFG and SAPO already run SAP BW, the Cognos ReportNet solution - which delivers accurate and timely information about customers, suppliers, products and services - was the logical choice, due to the functionality and added value that it delivers through the SAP portal.
"The key reasons for using ReportNet are to identify trends, identify problem areas and see if there are new opportunities for CFG, while in addition, we would like our managers to be able to get the information they need themselves, as this saves time and allows them to make quick decisions," says Noko Ngoepe, IT executive at CFG.
"The point of these tools is to ensure data integrity. We're trying to eliminate working from spreadsheets, as errors can easily be made when using these and such errors can impact management decisions.
"We are currently very internally focused, since our users are still familiarising themselves with the tools and are not yet mature enough to take full advantage of them, but as people become more confident in how it works, we will extend it into our operations both in terms of our customers and the tracking of parcels and freight."
He says that because executives have more control over operations in terms of overspend and overtime, and have the ability to drill right down to the individual employee level to find out exactly who is, for example, claiming lots of overtime, CFG has been able to save anywhere between R500 000 and R1 million through identifying such problem areas.
"At CFG we want ReportNet to help our executives to have access to quick snapshots of what is happening at the company, and the fact that you can access the information from anywhere in the world is a fantastic bonus," says Ngoepe.
"The aim is for our branch managers to have more responsibility and hands on control. We want to develop a culture of performance, because the courier and freight market is a very competitive one, so you need to understand your costs really well to make it in this game."
He points out that CFG is also using the tool to identify patterns where there are potential security and safety risks, as ReportNet can help with everything from identifying major crime patterns to the classic danger faced by postmen, that of being bitten by a dog.
"Ultimately we want to reach a point of maturity with this technology where it becomes the heart of what our managers do, and that just like the heart, our managers cannot live without it," concludes Ngoepe.
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