Electrical Manufacturer
Turning Data into Executive-Ready Insights and Modernized Dashboards in 12 Weeks
An electrical manufacturer's Power BI reports told supervisors what was happening on the shop floor—but left executives without the integrated insights required for strategic decisions. Allata stepped in to audit the existing data architecture, led to a comprehensive discovery process, and rebuilt the electrical manufacturer's Power BI dashboards. In just twelve weeks, the engagement produced modernized dashboards, actionable architecture recommendations, and a scalable foundation for advanced analytics and AI adoption.
OVERVIEW
The electrical manufacturer’s reporting infrastructure served supervisors well, offering real-time production visibility; however, reports needed more analytical depth and the ability to surface synthesized insights from transactional data. Adding to the imperative: the organization was simultaneously modernizing its technology stack with ERP migration and AI adoption, making robust reporting essential.
Allata deployed a collaborative, phased approach combining discovery, data architecture review, and modernized Power BI development. The engagement established not only immediate reporting improvements but also a sustainable foundation for advanced analytics.
Key Outcomes:
- Delivered modernized Power BI dashboards (executive scorecard, revenue analysis, production cell reporting, production readiness) with professional design and multi-level storytelling
- Provided actionable data architecture recommendations supporting future analytics growth and AI enablement
- Established repeatable design framework and visual standards for consistent, high-quality reporting
THE CHALLENGE
The Power BI dashboards tracked supervisor-level metrics such as operational efficiency, machine utilization, and shift performance. Frontline teams used them daily to respond to bottlenecks and drive continuous improvement. But the same dashboards offered nothing of value to executives who needed synthesized insights, multi-dimensional business analysis, and the ability to understand root causes.
The client’s data model had been built for transactional processing, not analytics. Early attempts to create summary-level reporting came at a cost: the ability to slice data by customer, product, or time was lost in the process. What the organization needed was a more sophisticated architecture, one that could preserve transactional integrity while also enabling the flexible, multi-dimensional exploration and drill-down analysis of executives required to make sense of the business.
Additionally, the client was also in a broader technology transformation, migrating from Microsoft Dynamics to Business Central, automating its configure-price-quote process, and laying out the groundwork for AI-driven automation. But none of those initiatives could succeed without a reliable reporting foundation. Trustworthy data and clear visibility had to come first; without them, every downstream investment was at risk.
Key Challenges:
- Supervisor-level reporting unable to serve executive decision-making; reports lack design sophistication and advanced analytical capability
- Data architecture limited the ability to slice, drill, and answer multi-dimensional business questions
- A technology transformation spanning ERP migration, configure price quote (CPQ) automation, and AI initiatives required a trustworthy reporting foundation before any downstream investment could succeed
OUR SOLUTION
Allata structured a twelve-week engagement around three overlapping phases — discovery, data architecture review, and Power BI development. Rather than working in isolation, the team embedded directly alongside the electrical manufacturer’s technical and business stakeholders, allowing for rapid iteration and real-time responsiveness as new findings surfaced throughout the engagement.
Phase 1: Discovery and Documentation
Allata began by conducting targeted stakeholder interviews across engineering, BI, and business leadership, surfacing pain points, mapping current workflows, and aligning business objectives. The team reviewed existing Power BI implementations, pinpointed high-impact opportunities for improvement, and secured executive buy-in. By the end of this phase, both teams had a shared definition of success and a clear path to get there.
Phase 2: Data Architecture Review and Recommendations
The Allata team audited the electrical manufacturer’s data ingestion methods, transformation processes, and Power BI data modeling practices — identifying where the existing architecture was holding analytics back. From those findings, practical recommendations were developed for evolving toward an analytics-oriented schema that preserved transactional detail while enabling flexible slicing, efficient drilldowns, and room to scale. The result was an architectural foundation capable of supporting advanced analytics and AI without requiring a costly re-architecture later.
Phase 3: Power BI Development
A modernized suite of Power BI dashboards was designed and built — including an executive scorecard, revenue and price-volume-mix analysis, production cell reporting, and production readiness dashboards. Each dashboard was developed with best-practice design principles at the forefront: intentional color use, strategic slicer placement, clear visual hierarchy, and data narratives that guided decision-making rather than simply displaying numbers. Frequent working sessions with stakeholders kept development aligned and allowed for rapid course correction as priorities evolved.
THE RESULT
In twelve weeks, the manufacturer achieved real-time data visibility across the entire operation—from the shop floor to the C-suite. The solution delivered three critical capabilities:
- Shop-Floor Operations: Manufacturing workers now access real-time dashboards showing daily progress, remaining queue items, machine defects, and workflow status—enabling faster decisions and reducing manual coordination overhead.
- Strategic Scheduling: The scheduling department gained real-time visibility into manufacturing flow and shipping status, allowing them to dynamically reprioritize orders based on capacity and emergency requests without delay.
- Executive Revenue Insights: The C-suite gained access to revenue and profitability data for the first time, providing the strategic visibility needed to drive business decisions.
technology
The engagement was delivered entirely within the manufacturer’s existing Microsoft ecosystem, leveraging the following platforms and tools:
- Power BI
- SQL Server (on-premises)
- On-premises data gateway
- Microsoft technology stack
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