VR Leasing, a large European leasing company, was using spreadsheets for its planning process which had become inefficient. It wanted to streamline planning, improve reporting, and involve field staff. It implemented an IBM Cognos TM1 system to accelerate planning, allow scenario comparisons, and produce dynamic reports. This reduced consolidation time by 90% and analysis time by 60%, improving the planning process despite increased complexity and users.

1. Case Study
VR Leasing accelerates planning with
an IBM Cognos solution
Overview
 Challenge  Solution greater complexity and more users –
Accelerate and improve the com any’s
p An IBM Cognos TM1 system that 90% time saving in the consolidation of
planning process, replac ng its existing
i streamlined and speeded up planning for planning data and around a further 60%
spreadsheet-based planning, and link VR Leasing, and improved reporting, in the creation of analyses; ability to
field sales staff directly to the planning incorporating financial calculations and compare actual data and planning data in
application introducing ad hoc and tailored reports the same application; familiar Microsoft®
 Key Benefits Excel® interface
 Why IBM?
“What-if” planning and comparison of
The IBM® Cognos® TM1 solution offered
scenarios at all aggregation levels;
a single, comprehensive system, the
ad-hoc analyses and dynamic, con-
“best IT infrastructure available on the
figurable reports with short response
market,” with its high-performance and
times, even for large volumes of data;
flexible Turbo Integrator extract,
considerably faster planning despite
transform and load (ETL) tool to handle
automatic data imports and exports

2. The VR Leasing group is one of Europe’s Challenges Faced “ Planning is now much
leading leasing companies, providing “At the time, we were looking for a
faster, despite the
thousands of customers in Germany single and comprehensive solution to
with all kinds of leasing services for cover planning, analysis and reporting
greater complexity of the
property and contents. The company’s at all levels: from regional sales planning logic and the
sales are handled by an extensive agents right up to top management,” considerable increase in
network of 14 branches, and through says Dr. Bodo Chrubasik, Business the number of persons
banks from the cooperative banking Controlling Division Manager at VR
involved in the process…
sector. Leasing, explaining the background
of the modernisation project. “We also
We have achieved a
In February 2006, as part of the wanted a continuously up-to-date view 90% time saving in
reorganisation of its sales processes, of the performance of our divisions and the consolidation of
VR Leasing launched a comprehensive branches in relation to the plan. We had planning data and
modernisation project to accelerate no means of doing this with our previous
around a further 60%
and improve its planning processes – at planning process, based on countless
the time based on hundreds of Excel isolated Excel spreadsheets and
in the preparation of
spreadsheets. Manual consolidation standard IT reports.” analyses. Recently, the
was very complex and inflexible – even CEO was informed of
small planning changes triggered These criteria meant that a database- the results just three
countless time-consuming correction supported solution was essential,
hours after the end of the
flows at all levels. The company also as the only means of meeting the
needed its field sales staff to be more requirement for real-time planning and
planning process. An all-
involved in the planning process, on the reporting. The specific features of the time record!”
one hand to improve quality and validity, leasing business and the required user- Erik Bär,
and on the other to provide a more friendliness of the interface also called Project Manager,
VR Leasing
transparent view of the responsibility for a number of tailored amendments in
of all parties involved in the company’s the implementation, configuration and
business results. programming of market applications.
VR Leasing therefore enlisted the
VR Leasing’s second key objective for services of conunit GmbH, a specialist
the project was to significantly improve planning and controlling consulting
its reporting. At the time, it had no firm, to develop and implement a
means of producing ad hoc analyses, suitable solution. conunit GmbH is
or simulating and testing alternative one of Germany’s leading business
business scenarios. The company was intelligence consulting firms and has
also seeking to incorporate automatic extensive expertise of the industry and
calculations of the typical cost and profit technology.
items in leasing contracts in its reports,
easier access to the latest data and a
wider selection of tailored analyses of
relevant business information for its
departments.
2

3. Strategy Followed sessions with the option of copying all levels. And we know the planning
On the basis of a detailed analysis of the and overwriting data from a previous status of all persons involved. The new
situation, and interviews and workshops session, and finally consolidating sales IBM Cognos solution also processes
with decision-makers, conunit drew up a and cost-centre planning to create a completed plans ‘at the touch of a
comprehensive concept that in the end comprehensive break-even analysis. button.’ We have achieved a 90% time
met with general approval. The Turbo Integrator exports completed saving in the consolidation of planning
planning/projection sessions to the data and around a further 60% in the
“The conunit consultants really thought existing data warehouse. preparation of analyses. Recently, the
of everything. They had excellent CEO was informed of the results just
knowledge of the intricacies of the conunit created user-friendly entry and three hours after the end of the planning
banking/leasing business and offered calculation masks for sales and cost- process. An all-time record!”
us the best IT infrastructure on the centre planning in Excel according
market to map our processes: IBM to VR Leasing’s requirements. This Controlling Manager, Guido Quicker,
Cognos TM1. My initial scepticism ensured high levels of acceptance adds: “These labour and time savings
in relation to feasibility was quickly among employees from the very start, are freeing up additional capacity
replaced by great enthusiasm for the on the one hand, because all users to interpret results and work out
new IBM Cognos solution,” says Guido are familiar with Excel and because meaningful actions. We are also making
Quicker, Controlling Manager of VR it offers more design and calculation intensive use of the ability to compare
Leasing, looking back on the early days functionalities than a Web mask. actual and planning data in the same
of the project. application. Automatic forecasting of
Benefits Realised
actual tenant revenue and standard
Around 100 users currently work with
IBM Cognos TM1’s Turbo Integrator costs for each contract is also very
the new system. The multi-dimensional
handles data imports and exports. This useful. We are very happy with the IBM
database allows comparisons of any
high-performance and flexible ETL tool Cognos solution, and with the conunit
required scenarios at all aggregation
automatically structures dimensions consultants and their adherence to
levels. Ad-hoc analyses and dynamic,
and hierarchies – for example, sales deadlines throughout the entire project.”
configurable reports can be created
hierarchy, cost-centre structure, BD1
easily in the familiar Excel interface
object groups or sales channels – “After these excellent results, our
and then displayed on screen in HTML
thus creating standard structures for employees are now working hard
format. The solution also guarantees
actual, planned and projected data to further improve the performance
short response times, even when
across application borders. The tool of the new tool. We are just at the
processing large volumes of data.
also imports actual data from the data beginning,” explains Dr. Chrubasik. “In
warehouse, and user authorisations at the near future, we plan to incorporate
“Planning is now much faster,” states
sales and cost-centre structure level. the profit and loss statements of
Erik Bär, VR Leasing Project Manager,
Further features include complex all our subsidiaries and to improve
“despite the greater complexity of the
calculations for planning and data user friendliness and automation
planning logic and the considerable
imports (such as determination of for reporting and tailored real-time
increase in the number of persons
standard costs and tenant revenues for analyses. Thanks to the flexibility
involved in the process. Each planner
lease contracts, or generation of a sales available to us, this should not be a
can now immediately see the effects
scorecard), creation of new planning problem.”
of the values he or she is entering at
3

4. About conunit About IBM Cognos BI
and Performance Management
A certified IBM Business Partner,
IBM Cognos business intelligence (BI)
conunit supports its clients with
and performance management solutions
all aspects of business process
deliver world-leading enterprise planning,
optimisation and implements
consolidation and BI software, support
demanding projects. From its two sites © Copyright IBM Corporation 2009
and services to help companies plan,
in Frankfurt/Main and Düsseldorf, IBM Canada
understand and manage financial and 3755 Riverside Drive
conunit supports large international
Ottawa, ON, Canada K1G 4K9
operational performance. IBM Cognos
groups as well as successful medium-
Produced in Canada
solutions bring together technology,
sized companies. August 2009
analytical applications, best practices, All Rights Reserved.
and a broad network of partners to IBM, the IBM logo, ibm.com and Cognos
Further information about conunit can
are trademarks or registered trademarks of
give customers an open, adaptive and
be found at http://www.conunit.com International Business Machines Corporation
complete performance solution. Over in the United States, other countries, or both.
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