Kotahi uses cloud-based business intelligence and predictive analytics to acquire a competitive edge

Challenge:

To accurately forecast cargo demand for more than 400 global destination ports and facilities
To replace manual demand forecast method using specialised employees
Reduce the requirement for human intervention in the forecasting process

Solution:

Exceed Analytics, a next-generation BI application built for Microsoft Dynamics AX
Microsoft Power BI, Microsoft Azure SQL DB and Microsoft Machine Learning
‘Try before you buy’ option enabling minimal financial outlay

Results:

Significant savings by reducing demand forecasting from three days to less than thirty minutes
Improved accuracy while reducing the time spent on the forecasting process
Putting the power of reporting into the hands of users

Annually Kotahi handles cargo worth billions of dollars primarily originating in New Zealand, the world’s most remote nation, moving it to more than 400 destination ports or inland facilities around the world. Demand forecasting for each of these destinations is a key challenge for Kotahi as it optimises ocean freight and landside transport supply and demand to create an efficient global supply chain.

Challenge

Demand forecasting for each of these destinations is a key challenge for Kotahi as it optimises ocean freight and landside transport supply and demand to create an efficient global supply chain.

Importantly, being able to accurately forecast demand was an essential ingredient in Kotahi’s ability to achieve ongoing growth. The organisation wanted to use its data to achieve a competitive advantage. However, its existing visibility of demand made this difficult.

Neville Richardson, Group IT Manager, Kotahi/Coda, said, “Kotahi needed to automate forecasting processes and vastly reduce the time and effort needed to compile reliable demand forecasts. The company also needed to improve forecast accuracy, which would translate to more efficient logistical decisions, such as choosing the right sized container ships, at the right times, and dispatching them to the right ports.

“Using our previous methods, it was possible to estimate demand but there was still potential to miss opportunities to streamline operations because of small errors in the predictions, or because it simply took too long to identify opportunities. Kotahi needed a powerful business intelligence solution that would let us forecast demand accurately and quickly.”

Solution

Kotahi reviewed different solutions before selecting DXC Eclipse, to implement their business intelligence (BI) solution, Exceed Analytics.

Exceed Analytics is a next-generation BI application built for Microsoft Dynamics AX, delivering powerful insights through pre-built reports and dashboards within a self-service environment. It helps Kotahi answer the right questions at the right time. It is built on a highly-scalable, near real-time analytical platform with an agile architecture that delivers simplicity - making it easy for Kotahi employees to use.

Neville Richardson said, “Kotahi considered a number of vendors and products and, in the end, the Eclipse solution let us engage without the same high level of financial risk as the other options. The ‘try before you buy’ option was particularly attractive as it meant we could achieve our goals with minimal financial outlay.”

Kotahi also chose Eclipse for its comprehensive understanding of Kotahi’s business requirements and strong relationship with Microsoft.

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