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A next-generation energy company prepares for the next stage

KPMG uses Microsoft Dynamics 365 to transform finance and operations

Client

A large-scale power and critical minerals production company strategically positioned to provide clean power and lithium

Industry

Energy and chemicals

Primary goal

Transform finance and operations functions

Platform

Microsoft Dynamics 365

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When an acquisition doubles your revenue in your largest market, there are some big numbers at play—especially when you’re a $48 billion CPG company. And the bigger the numbers, the bigger the impact of every strategic and tactical decision you make. You can’t afford to have your visibility clouded and your decision-making hampered by having two disparate financial operations functions each with its own systems, software, and people. So, when a global CPG company found itself in this situation, it called on KPMG to drive fast, smooth, cost-efficient integration of financial operations.

Key outcomes

1

Increased engagement 

and global alignment between cross-functional teams

2

Greater visibility

 into consolidated spend driving meaningful insights and more proactive decisions

3

Days shaved off

the monthly close cycle

4

More accurate

revenue and sales forecasting

As a leading-edge renewable energy provider prepared to redomicile from Australia to the United States, it needed to take a major step forward in its finance and supply chain functions. With plans for a major lithium extraction site and geothermal energy facility underway and an initial public offering (IPO) possibly on the horizon, accurate reporting and better insight into materials and services would be critical for management and investors. KPMG was chosen to configure and deploy Microsoft Dynamics 365 to meet these challenges first, with further functionality to be added in the future.

KEY OUTCOMES

Making a measurable difference

  • One source of information for finance and supply chain functions
  • A full transition from IFRS to US GAAP reporting standards as the primary basis of accounting
  • A flexible platform for future production

Client transformation journey

Click on each part of the journey to learn more about our client’s transformation.

Client transformation journey

Before

Poor visibility threatened business objectives.

Acquiring a large organic food and beverage business helped a global CPG company expand its operations and nearly double its revenue in the U.S. However, as with most mergers, the integration posed some challenges. Two disparate IT environments with different accounting and reporting models, separate enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, and multiple business intelligence (BI) tools required extensive manual intervention and offline data manipulation, preventing uniform reporting and analysis. Data was trapped in silos. Visibility was insufficient. A new CFO and the finance and accounting teams lacked the insight to support effective forecasting and both strategic and tactical decision-making. In a sector as competitive and fast-changing as food products, this company needed to increase visibility quickly.

After

Unified financial operations support global success.

While this CPG company’s business is spread across two continents (and originates from a number of acquired companies), its financial operations are now centralized and unified. A cloud-based platform extracts and loads data from numerous global sources, then configures and stores it in a central location. Accounting staff across multiple back offices work within a single governance structure and with a single set of streamlined processes, enabling effective reporting and supporting a swift, accurate close. Across the enterprise, visibility is excellent, and insights are at the ready, because analysts can perform real-time calculations and drill down swiftly to the meaning behind the numbers. Unified financial operations helps this $48 billion player predict accurately, plan effectively, and act swiftly—all crucial in a sector where windows of opportunity close as suddenly as they open.

Future

A strong foundation that can keep pace with continued growth.

There will be more acquisition targets in the company’s future. And with a cloud-based platform, governance framework, and standardized processes in place, integrating financial operations will be a swift, sure process. A successful integration inspired the CFO and global finance team to consider other areas for transformation. From evolving multiple layers of the target operating model within Finance, to jump-starting transformation across other functional areas, a powerful ripple effect began and continues across the enterprise. Having the right tools and processes to support a grander vision driven by meaningful insights will continue to empower positive change.

Before

Poor visibility threatened business objectives.

Acquiring a large organic food and beverage business helped a global CPG company expand its operations and nearly double its revenue in the U.S. However, as with most mergers, the integration posed some challenges. Two disparate IT environments with different accounting and reporting models, separate enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, and multiple business intelligence (BI) tools required extensive manual intervention and offline data manipulation, preventing uniform reporting and analysis. Data was trapped in silos. Visibility was insufficient. A new CFO and the finance and accounting teams lacked the insight to support effective forecasting and both strategic and tactical decision-making. In a sector as competitive and fast-changing as food products, this company needed to increase visibility quickly.

After

Unified financial operations support global success.

While this CPG company’s business is spread across two continents (and originates from a number of acquired companies), its financial operations are now centralized and unified. A cloud-based platform extracts and loads data from numerous global sources, then configures and stores it in a central location. Accounting staff across multiple back offices work within a single governance structure and with a single set of streamlined processes, enabling effective reporting and supporting a swift, accurate close. Across the enterprise, visibility is excellent, and insights are at the ready, because analysts can perform real-time calculations and drill down swiftly to the meaning behind the numbers. Unified financial operations helps this $48 billion player predict accurately, plan effectively, and act swiftly—all crucial in a sector where windows of opportunity close as suddenly as they open.

Future

A strong foundation that can keep pace with continued growth.

There will be more acquisition targets in the company’s future. And with a cloud-based platform, governance framework, and standardized processes in place, integrating financial operations will be a swift, sure process. A successful integration inspired the CFO and global finance team to consider other areas for transformation. From evolving multiple layers of the target operating model within Finance, to jump-starting transformation across other functional areas, a powerful ripple effect began and continues across the enterprise. Having the right tools and processes to support a grander vision driven by meaningful insights will continue to empower positive change.

Client transformation journey

  • Before

    Poor visibility threatened business objectives.

    Acquiring a large organic food and beverage business helped a global CPG company expand its operations and nearly double its revenue in the U.S. However, as with most mergers, the integration posed some challenges. Two disparate IT environments with different accounting and reporting models, separate enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, and multiple business intelligence (BI) tools required extensive manual intervention and offline data manipulation, preventing uniform reporting and analysis. Data was trapped in silos. Visibility was insufficient. A new CFO and the finance and accounting teams lacked the insight to support effective forecasting and both strategic and tactical decision-making. In a sector as competitive and fast-changing as food products, this company needed to increase visibility quickly.The preconfigured assets and technology accelerators delivered by KPMG Powered Enterprise let ambitious leadership teams take advantage of embedded leading practices to speed up the decision-making process while instilling confidence.

  • After

    Unified financial operations support global success.

    While this CPG company’s business is spread across two continents (and originates from a number of acquired companies), its financial operations are now centralized and unified. A cloud-based platform extracts and loads data from numerous global sources, then configures and stores it in a central location. Accounting staff across multiple back offices work within a single governance structure and with a single set of streamlined processes, enabling effective reporting and supporting a swift, accurate close. Across the enterprise, visibility is excellent, and insights are at the ready, because analysts can perform real-time calculations and drill down swiftly to the meaning behind the numbers. Unified financial operations helps this $48 billion player predict accurately, plan effectively, and act swiftly—all crucial in a sector where windows of opportunity close as suddenly as they open.

  • Future

    A strong foundation that can keep pace with continued growth.

    There will be more acquisition targets in the company’s future. And with a cloud-based platform, governance framework, and standardized processes in place, integrating financial operations will be a swift, sure process. A successful integration inspired the CFO and global finance team to consider other areas for transformation. From evolving multiple layers of the target operating model within Finance, to jump-starting transformation across other functional areas, a powerful ripple effect began and continues across the enterprise. Having the right tools and processes to support a grander vision driven by meaningful insights will continue to empower positive change.

Our Microsoft Dynamics 365 cloud implementation became the vehicle for helping the client define entirely new processes based on KPMG Powered Enterprise leading practices. It also helped them consider how to scale and grow team structures and roles and responsibilities with the system to meet the evolving needs of a fast-maturing organization.

Christopher Alagna

Principal, KPMG Advisory Platforms

KPMG helps plan and deliver true transformation from the ground up

1. Vision and validation phase

Setting goals and defining processes

The KPMG Australia Enterprise team had provided financial guidance to the client throughout its early years. As the prospect of a move to the US and a possible IPO grew nearer, the need for a full transformation of accounting and finance as well as procurement and supply chain management became apparent. To plan for this change, KPMG in the US assembled a multifunctional team covering finance, tax, accounting services, and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).

After conducting pilot programs and demonstrations with the client to evaluate their needs, a KPMG finance transformation team then defined a target operating model (TOM) built around the Dynamics 365 ERP solution. This allowed the client to draft process flows, control points, and report templates that would be used to manage finance and related functions, including a financial model to support business planning and assessment of future supply contracts.

2. Design and construction phase

From finance to supply chain management

Our transformation plan started by enabling finance functions the client would need as it relocated to the US, solicited private investments from other players in renewable energy, and looked ahead to an IPO. These included using the Dynamics 365 Finance application to manage general ledger, accounts payable, fixed and capital asset accounting, and project accounting and reporting. Once these functions were up and running, the Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management application would be implemented to manage processes including planning, procurement, inventory, warehousing, and transportation. Mastering the supply chain will become increasingly important to the client as it begins to acquire the materials and services needed for the construction of its new facilities for extracting and refining lithium. 

3. Delivery phase

A fast track to finance, with supply chain changes to follow

After starting the ERP project in October 2022, the initial launch of Dynamics 365 Finance came less than six months later in March 2023. The planning and testing executed at the outset helped to speed development, as did the minimal customization required. While only a small number of client personnel are using the new system today, the total number of users will increase into the hundreds as more finance and supply chain functions are deployed.

The transition to Dynamics 365 has made managing financial data faster and easier, and has allowed the client to share data across multiple regions, currencies, and legal entities. It has also helped the client to shift from IFRS to GAAP reporting as it prepares to file US financial statements and tax returns. Initial procurement functions have also been enabled for requisitions and purchase orders.

4. Evolution phase

From procurement to production and manufacturing

The next phase for the client’s Dynamics 365 transformation will be to add further functionality for procurement, including a Request For Quote (RFQ) and vendor portal feature, followed by inventory management, tracking of warehoused items, and transportation. Once these are in place, production applications will be deployed to help plan for and manage the development of refined lithium. The move to Dynamics 365 should also help the client to meet the extensive compliance requirements for tracking, shipping, and protecting these leading-edge products.

As these new modules and functions are added to the Dynamics 365 implementation, KPMG will support the client by providing specialized user acceptance training to review new processes and prepare personnel to use the new system effectively.

Over time, the power of the Dynamics 365 platform will likely allow the client to build stronger internal finance and supply chain teams and lessen reliance on outsourced contractors.

Microsoft, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Dynamics 365 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

KPMG and Microsoft bring new value to finance and supply chain management

KPMG Powered Enterprise is our methodology for delivering rapid business modernization. Combined with the power of Microsoft Dynamics 365, we can help you uncover value and prepare for growth by transforming finance and supply chain functions.

Finance transformaton Supply chain transformation

Meet the team that made the difference in getting cloud transformation right

Let’s talk about how we can help you use the right techniques and technology to manage transformation.

Image of Shari Mager
Shari Mager
Partner, U.S. National Leader, Capital Markets Readiness, KPMG US
Read bio
Image of Christopher Alagna
Christopher Alagna
Principal, Advisory, Platforms, KPMG US
Read bio
Image of Prashant Giridhar
Prashant Giridhar
Director Advisory, Platforms, KPMG US
Read bio
Image of Shine Thomas
Shine Thomas
Advisory Managing Director, Finance Transformation, KPMG LLP
Read bio
Image of Shari Mager
Shari Mager
Partner, U.S. National Leader, Capital Markets Readiness, KPMG US
Read bio
Image of Christopher Alagna
Christopher Alagna
Principal, Advisory, Platforms, KPMG US
Read bio
Image of Prashant Giridhar
Prashant Giridhar
Director Advisory, Platforms, KPMG US
Read bio
Image of Shine Thomas
Shine Thomas
Advisory Managing Director, Finance Transformation, KPMG LLP
Read bio

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