Cognos out, QlikView in

BANGALORE, INDIA: QlikTech announced that concrete and aggregate products supplier and manufacturer Aggregate Industries is replacing Cognos with the QlikView Business Discovery platform to improve efficiency and the access and usage of information.

Aggregate Industries is developing specific QlikView apps for finance, commerce, procurement, haulage and security, with plans to access QlikView on iPad and other mobile devices, as per a press note.

Aggregate Industries is one of the UK's suppliers and manufacturers of heavy building materials to the construction industry. A member of Swiss-based global building materials company Holcim Group, Aggregate Industries chose QlikView for faster and easier access to information on commercial and business performance, as stated. In an industry where fast information is crucial, using QlikView enables the company to remain compliant, while at the same time improving its ability to find internal cost efficiencies and external commercial opportunities.

"When we chose QlikView we wanted to do more than save costs," said Mike Gibbons, Chief Information Officer of Aggregate Industries Europe. "The recession has changed the landscape of the construction sector and now we have to think innovatively and strategically about how we run our business, without simply implementing technology for initial cost savings. QlikView Business Discovery is enabling employees to extract relevant data much faster than with the previous Cognos solution and, with direct access to the data, our staff can spend more time on analysis instead of data collation working with one single version of the truth. We're changing the way we see ourselves as a business and ultimately changing the overall culture around how we operate day-to-day. QlikView not only gives us visibility on performance internally, but it also allows us to evaluate our sales strategy and client priorities."

Working closely with QlikView Elite Solution Provider Data Technology, Aggregate Industries initially trialled the solution with a financial performance app and is now expanding the capability of QlikView across the business. It has been well-received by staff due to its intuitive nature and easy-to-use dashboard and has also reduced reliance on the IT department. The company will also be taking advantage of consumerisation by extending QlikView to its Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiative allowing access via employee tablets and smartphones.

Sean Farrington, RVP Northern Europe & MD UK & Ireland at QlikTech continues: "Our clients increasingly face tough economic conditions and we welcome how innovatively Aggregate Industries has been using QlikView Business Discovery to improve operational efficiency and drive user adoption of the solution. Developing specific apps in different business areas such as procurement, haulage and security as well as using the solution widely for reporting and compliance across the organization shows how integral QlikView can become to a business, and we are pleased to see it is having such a positive effect on the culture of the company. Rolling out the software on employee iPads and smartphones will only further encourage these transformations."