Case Study
GTI keeps on trucking with an IBM Cognos solution
Overview
Challenge Consolidate data from disparate systems to obtain a clear view of the companys service to customers Why IBM? The IBM Cognos solution impressed GTI with its reliability and scalability, and above all with the look and feel of the easy-to-use, Web-based product Solution An IBM Cognos 8 BI system that makes it easy for GTIs non-technical business analysts to improve customer service levels and realize significant time and cost savings Key Benefits Reliable and accurate data for making better daily business decisions; a 50 percent decrease in report processing time; an easy-to-use interface for increased user adoption; easy management of the system without programming skills Gordon Trucking Inc. (GTI) has a proud tradition of family ownership starting with Jay Gordon and is still run by the Gordons today. GTI primarily operates Century and Columbia class 8 Freightliner trucks, among others. Its trailer fleet is made up of combinations of 2-, 3- and 4-axle high-cube sets and 53-foot and 48-foot temperaturecontrolled trailers. GTI has more than 50 years of experience in trucking, and its executive board has given the company the vision to see the future of the long-haul industry. GTI has long been a believer in using the power In 2006, GTI decided it was time to do something about its data, stored on disparate systems across the company. Its business analysts were finding it increasingly difficult to develop advanced reports because they lacked access to the data and insight on how the data was designed. Management needed to find an easyto-use BI solution that could provide a central repository of information of technology to create an efficient workplace staffed with effective people. Today, GTI serves the continental states, Canada and Mexico.
that was reliable, accurate and scalable. GTI selected an IBM Cognos solution, and has realized a 50 percent decrease in report processing time. In addition, the company has been able to use the data to streamline business operations, providing significant labor and cost savings. Challenges faced Recently, Gordon Trucking realized that the majority of its data resided on multiple servers and within multiple databases. According to Nathan Anderson, Data Warehouse Architect at GTI, one of the companys challenges was trying to draw all the data into one report. GTI had been using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and various in-house reporting tools to mine its data, but found these tools were insufficient. We decided we needed to build a data warehouse. To do this, we needed a solution that was affordable and easy to use, and did not require in-depth programming skills, states Anderson. One of GTIs goals was to help alleviate a portion of the workload from its IBM AS/400 in an effort to make the reports run faster and provide a level of data visibility that wasnt available using
Excel and the other in-house tools. GTIs biggest challenge was finding a solution that was easy to use for its nontechnical business analysts, who would be accessing the system the majority of the time. The solution also needed to be Web-based, provide reliable data, and scale easily to accommodate future growth. Strategy followed GTI evaluated several BI vendors, including Business Objects and Microsoft, before selecting the IBM Cognos solution. It was a close decision among all of the solutions, but we felt Microsofts offering would not integrate well, so we passed on their product. The decision came down to Business Objects and IBM Cognos systems. Ultimately, we selected the IBM Cognos solution because we liked the look and feel of its Web-based product, and because we were very happy with the level of service we received from their customer service rep, remarks Anderson. GTI went live with IBM Cognos 8 BI in July of 2007, and worked with systems integrator, Perkins Consulting, to implement the solution. Currently, IBM Cognos 8 BI has been rolled out to Marketing, Sales, and Operations,
Now management can identify processes for improving our customer service levels more thoroughly. Prior to using the IBM Cognos solution, we lacked a detailed and accurate analytical view of our companys service to all our customers. Using the IBM Cognos system has helped us discover details like which days and hours of the week affect our customer service greatest, and allowed us to make effective adjustments.
Nathan Anderson, Data W arehouse Architect, Gordon Trucking Inc.
and has been integrated with GTIs IBM DB2 database. According to Anderson, the company is in the process of standardizing on the IBM Cognos product, and the companywide roll-out is taking place in phases through each department. Anderson estimates that each phased roll-out will take about six to nine months to complete from start to finish. Currently, GTI has 100 IBM Cognos system users, and expects that number to grow to 400 to 500 people once all of the phased roll-outs are completed. The majority of users are business analysts and managers who need to run reports related to operations and sales. Benefits realized Before the IBM Cognos system, GTI had a number of reports that would take four hours to build on a computer using Excel. With IBM Cognos 8 BI, it now takes 20 seconds. In addition, there is no programming involved, as the data is always present and can be pulled into any type of report or scorecard. At the outset, we just wanted to replicate four reports and maybe six or seven tables using IBM Cognos 8 BI.
We now run 40 tables and more than 50 reports due to the power of the IBM Cognos system and the recognition that it could help people do their jobs better and more efficiently. In no time, it went from this little success project to a big, company-wide initiative, states Anderson. With the IBM Cognos system, GTI estimates that report times dropped by more than 50 percent! Now, weekly reports are ready for clients by Monday 8:00 a.m. instead of midweek or later. The saved time allows GTIs business analysts to study the results and investigate details the same day, and the users can be much more confident in the data. According to Anderson, employees are most impressed with the IBM Cognos solutions ease of use. With Excel, we had to program a code using a specific driver that was not familiar to everyone in the company, says Anderson. This would often inhibit use, because people did not know how to program the code. IBM Cognos 8 BI has been a great replacement tool that everybody just loves because there is no programming and its so simple to learn and use.
In terms of performance and results, GTI has realized significant time and cost savings by being able to monitor and adjust the data in its transactional system. IBM Cognos 8 BI provides an open window to the operating floor, enabling management to see all the activities and transactions, which allows them to make critical business adjustments and reduce unnecessary cost. Now management can identify processes for improving our customer service levels more thoroughly. Prior to using the IBM Cognos solution, we lacked a detailed and accurate analytical view of our companys service to all our customers. Using the IBM Cognos system has helped us discover details like which days and hours of the week affect our customer service greatest, and allowed us to make effective adjustments, says Anderson. Going forward, all reports developed will be based on processes that identify criteria for success and failure. These reports will drill down into details matching the structure of the process document, which will streamline operations across the company, concludes Anderson.
About IBM Cognos BI and Performance Management IBM Cognos business intelligence (BI) and performance management solutions deliver world-leading enterprise planning, consolidation and BI software, support and services to help companies plan, understand and manage financial and operational performance. IBM Cognos solutions bring together technology, analytical applications, best practices, and a broad network of partners to give customers an open, adaptive and complete performance solution. Over 23,000 customers in more than 135 countries around the world choose IBM Cognos solutions. For further information or to reach a representative: www.ibm.com/cognos Request a call To request a call or to ask a question, go to www.ibm.com/ cognos/contactus. An IBM Cognos representative will respond to your enquiry within two business days.
Copyright IBM Corporation 2009 IBM Canada 3755 Riverside Drive Ottawa, ON, Canada K1G 4K9 Produced in Canada July 2009 All Rights Reserved. IBM, the IBM logo, ibm.com, Cognos, AS/400 and DB2 are trademarks or registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both. If these and other IBM trademarked terms are marked on their first occurrence in this information with a trademark symbol ( or ), these symbols indicate U.S. registered or common law trademarks owned by IBM at the time this information was published. Such trademarks may also be registered or common law trademarks in other countries. A current list of IBM trademarks is available on the Web at Copyright and trademark information at www.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml. Microsoft and Excel are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both. Other company, product and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others. This case study is an example of how one customer uses IBM products. There is no guarantee of comparable results. References in this publication to IBM products or services do not imply that IBM intends to make them available in all countries in which IBM operates. Any reference in this information to non-IBM Web sites are provided for convenience only and do not in any manner serve as an endorsement of those Web sites. The materials at those Web sites are not part of the materials for this IBM product and use of those Web sites is at your own risk.
IMC14305-CAEN-01
