Context & Starting Point

A company operating in the consumer goods and leisure equipment market provides services to its customers through an e-shop and a B2B portal.
As order volumes grew – especially during the peak season – the company started to hit the limits of its logistics processes.
Customers were sometimes receiving goods later than expected, and management wanted to pinpoint exactly where delays were occurring and how to eliminate them.

Each step of the order lifecycle – from its receipt to warehouse processing to final delivery – was managed by multiple systems (e-shop, ERP Helios, WMS, and carriers).
As a result, data was fragmented, making it difficult to track the order’s journey across the systems and identify which stages of the process are experiencing delays.

Project Challenges & Goals

The goal of the project was to create a solution that allows you to track the entire order lifecycle in real time, evaluating its effectiveness and uncover its weaknesses.
The company leadership requested the ability to compare actual order progress with predetermined SLA limits, i.e., the time limits by which an order should move to the next stage.
At the same time, the leadership emphasized that the system should work with the most up-to-date data, ideally in real time.

The main goals of the project:

• unifying data from different systems (e-shop, ERP Helios, WMS, carriers);
• visualizing the order progress across all phases;
• automatically evaluating compliance with SLA limits;
• ensuring regular data updates in almost real time;
• allowing users to change SLA values according to the current needs;
• providing management and warehouse with real-time performance insights.

Solution

A Business Intelligence solution was created as part of the project that connects data from the e-shop, ERP system and WMS warehouse system.
Data is consolidated in a data warehouse (DWH) where it is linked and evaluated against set SLA limits.

Each order goes through predefined stages:

1. creating an order in the e-shop or B2B portal;
2. setting up an order in the ERP Helios system;
3. creating an issue slip in the ERP Helios system;
4. transferring the issue slip to the WMS warehouse system;
5. packing of the goods;
6. loading;
7. shipping;
8. delivering the order to the customer.

Time limits (based on SLAs) are set for each stage, defining when a step should be completed.
These values are imported into the data warehouse and compared to real event times.
The result is a clear Power BI environment that highlights where delays occur and, on the other hand, shows the parts of the process that move faster than expected.

The Power BI report allows for two perspectives:

• Detailed level – tracking individual orders down to a specific product or issue slip (useful, for example, for split shipments).
• Aggregated overview – summarized statistics for warehouse management and administration: the number of orders delayed, points in the process that create the most frequent slowdowns, main trends in the peak season.

The solution also includes the ability to dynamically change SLA values. For example, during seasonal fluctuations or process changes.
Changes are immediately reflected in reports so managers can see the current status without the need for IT intervention.

Real-Time Reporting – A Technological Challenge

One of the key requirements of the project was that the data be updated in real time or near real time.
This posed a significant technical challenge, as data warehouses are not inherently designed for instant recalculations and refreshes.

However, by optimizing the data computation processes and using Microsoft Azure services, we were able to achieve data recovery every 20 minutes.
As a result, both management and operational teams have almost real-time view of order developments. The entire solution runs with minimal operating costs – just units of thousands of Czech crowns per month for operation in the Azure cloud.

This ratio of performance, speed and cost is exceptional. Delivering such frequent refreshes for large volumes of data is usually quite challenging and expensive.
From both operational and financial perspective, the project represents a very successful implementation of real-time BI reporting.

Results

The BI solution has provided the company with a vital insight into the performance of the entire supply chain.
For the first time, it allowed us to see exactly where delays occur, what are their causes and how to eliminate them.

With this insight, the company was able to adjust warehouse processes, enhance teams in busy phases and reduce delivery times.
Results:

• average delivery time reduced by 1-2 days;
• SLA performance improved by more than 20%;
• increased efficiency of the warehouse;
• better shift planning during seasonal peaks;
• a clear overview of the current status of orders in almost real time.

The company leadership now works with concrete data, not just estimates.
What used to be a reactive process of “finding problems retrospectively” has become a proactive logistics management system – one that flags an issue before it impacts the customer.

What it Means for Logistics Managers?

This case study shows that a modern BI solution can fundamentally transform logistics and supply chain management.
By interconnecting data from ERP, e-shop and warehouse, the company can now:

track the progress of each order in near real time;

detect weaknesses and delays;

streamline key stages of the process;

and speed up delivery to customers.

The result? Customers receive their goods sooner, the company reduces costs, and its reputation as a reliable supplier grows stronger.

As one logistics manager said:
“We only used to find the problems in retrospect. Today we have data that allows us to act immediately. That makes all the difference.”

Summary

With the new BI solution in place, the company gained full control over the entire order lifecycle – transforming operational data into a measurable competitive advantage.
The reporting environment provides real-time visibility into current performance, helps identify weak points, and enables logistics processes to be optimized in near real time. This approach leads to more satisfied customers, faster deliveries and more efficient logistics – output that has a real impact on business.

Client:

MARIMEX CZ s.r.o.

Specialisation:

B2B and B2C retail

Services Provided:

Logistics reporting in Power BI based on a data warehouse

The customer receives their goods faster, the company saves costs, and strengthens its reputation as a reliable supplier. As one logistics manager summarized: “Previously, we only saw problems retrospectively. Today, we have data that allows us to act immediately. That is a fundamental difference for us.”

Summary:
Thanks to the new BI solution, the company gained full control over the order lifecycle and turned data from operational systems into a measurable competitive advantage. The report provides an overview of current performance, helps identify bottlenecks, and enables optimization of logistics processes in near real time. This approach leads to more satisfied customers, faster deliveries, and more efficient logistics—delivering results that have a real impact on the business.

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