Heineken lays foundation for data-driven strategy with IBM

Data is the new gold. Particularly for a multinational company such as Heineken that has to take into account both regional and international economic aspects and consumer preferences. To be able to take well-considered decisions in the future based on internal and external data, Heineken wants to make its organisation data-driven. First step? Migrate the most important programs to a Business Intelligence-platform (BI) in the cloud.

The previous platform did not have enough capacity to handle future data growth. “And that is precisely what you need for flexible and innovative operations in the future”, says Joost van Heusden, CoE lead MDM/BI at Heineken. How can we use advanced analytics to stay ahead of the competition? Heineken decided to build a data platform in the cloud as the foundation for its data-driven business.

Solid and scalable foundation
The brewer contracted IBM to provide support during the first steps on the road to a data-driven operational management. IBM’s foundation is a BI-platform in the cloud based on SAP HANA. Important Finance & Procurement, Supply chain, Commerce and Human Resources applications, etc. operate on this. The capacity is unlimited, which means Heineken need not worry about converting all its applications and data.

Cross-business insights
Heineken now has one centralised platform for all applications and data. Van Heusden explains: “Our work is cross-business. All domains use the platform for their own programs. The Spend Analysis Tool, for example, which gives Finance & Procurement a better insight into purchases and their return. Or the Global Media Hub that allows marketeers to analyse which aspects of what campaigns are more and less successful.”

Keeping promises
Heineken’s data platform in the cloud gives it sufficient capacity. “That is crucial because the more data the better the insights. Application and data-usage can suddenly soar. We need to be prepared for this”, says Van Heusden. In addition, I can now be confident that I can deliver on my promises to internal stakeholders.” And perhaps more importantly, the various departments and teams within Heineken can in turn deliver on the promises made to their suppliers, customers and consumers.

Curious how Heineken experienced its first step on the road to a data-driven organisation?