PHOENIX, a premier residential mortgage industry advisor, faced the challenge of collecting and analyzing extensive quantities of data for its over 250 customers. The information required for efficient, effective, and compliant mortgage production and servicing came from multiple sources due to the variety of systems employed by these firms. For instance, a Mortgage Servicing Rights (MSR) owner might use multiple third-party subservicers to manage its MSR portfolio, complicating the process of viewing performance data. It was increasingly difficult to sift through and focus on salient information on a consistent and timely basis to enable informed, smart decisions and to monitor outcomes. A lot of specialized effort was spent gathering the data, understanding what happened with a particular loan, realizing what it means, and then planning a course of action.

MAPCO Express, Inc., a leading convenience store operator in the Southeast United States, was struggling with inaccurate reporting due to the use of Excel as its only reporting tool. The company had significant amounts of valuable data but lacked the ability to extract meaningful information from it. For instance, it was unable to track customer loyalty trends per store. The timeliness of the data was another issue, with reports taking weeks to aggregate, which hindered efficient business decision-making. MAPCO needed a single source of truth and the ability to see the underlying trends and patterns that led to discrepancies.

The customer, a global tech giant, was facing a significant challenge in communicating with its users worldwide. The company supports millions of people around the globe, and it was crucial for them to be available at any time, in any language, and for every challenge. The users demanded a personalized experience, and language was a key aspect of this personalization. The users wrote emails in various languages from different time zones to request support, answers, and advice for the products supported by the customer. Initially, the customer used a Machine Translation (MT) solution to translate the content into English. Agents would then write a response in English, using MT to send a message back to the users. However, the MT solution was unable to produce high-quality responses due to the complex nature of the customer's services.

The production process of biofuels from plant-based materials poses significant economic barriers to widespread use. Despite the benefits of biofuels being renewable, clean-burning, and carbon-neutral, their availability is limited, particularly for vehicle use. As of 2014, only 2% of retail fueling stations in the U.S. offered ethanol-based fuel E85. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) aims to overcome these barriers by gaining a better understanding of the physical processes behind biofuel conversion. Supported by the Computational Pyrolysis Consortium, NREL is developing computational models that accurately represent biomass particle geometry to improve reactor design and operation for mass production of biofuel.

The Finance team was creating hundreds of spreadsheets, distributing and collecting them through email, and then manually consolidating them. Each received template was formatted differently and needed manual adjustments. The manual consolidation process was long and painful, usually taking months. The uncontrolled nature of the spreadsheets allowed anyone to change a formula, calculation, or line of data, potentially skewing budget numbers.

It was a paper jungle at Regensburger Energie- und Wasserversorgung and Stadtwerke Regensburg. Some orders were placed using forms, while others were made electronically. Purchases were numerous, since Regensburger Energie- und Wasserversorgung AG & Co KG (or REWAG for short) supplies electricity, natural gas, heat, and water to more than 200,000 private households and business customers in the region. It spends between 30 and 32 million euros annually on operations and between 12 and 15 million euros on strategic procurement. The primary goal was to consistently digitalize and optimize their processes. “We wanted systems for simpler and more transparent processes,” Brandl explains. He knew the value of data in various IT systems – what was missing was simply the ability to properly process that information. Neither Excel nor SAP standard reporting provided the necessary flexibility and dynamics. “Tedious, rigid, and not very expedient,” is Brandl’s assessment in retrospect. “We wanted more scalability and dynamics. And we wanted to be able to easily analyze and optimize the purchasing processes.”

Farmindustria, a leading pharmaceutical laboratory in Peru, faced challenges in managing its quality standards and adhering to national and international ISO 9001 norms and Good Manufacturing Practices. The company needed a robust system to systemize and electronically control documents within its Quality and Good Manufacturing Practices system. Additionally, there was a need to standardize and order processes such as corrective actions, change control, complaints, and occupational health and safety. The existing manual processes were inefficient and prone to errors, leading to delays and potential compliance issues.

Roche, a leading biopharma company, was facing challenges in the analytical process of developing oligonucleotide-based drugs. The process involved the use of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) to determine the number, amount, and identity of impurities in crude oligonucleotide samples. However, the number and complexity of samples combined with the laborious nature of the data analysis generated a significant bottleneck in the analytical process. The company was struggling to meet high analytical throughput demands due to the laborious manual operations for impurity quantification and any requested deeper analysis. The samples often contained many impurities, translating into the analytical challenge of assessing 20–30 peaks arising from 50–100 closely coeluting impurities. The large number of manual operations in the previous quantification process often required 5–6 hours of an analyst’s time, limiting the ability of MS experts to perform required deeper characterization in a timely manner.

Zvezda, a leading Russian toymaker, faced challenges in maintaining its lead in the domestic market and securing its entry into the international market. The company needed to reduce product development time and modernize its operations with state-of-the-art technology used in modern toy manufacturing. The company's traditional methods based on outdated drawing technology were insufficient for creating exact replicas of modern aircraft, which have exceptionally sophisticated interior layouts. Increased competition in domestic and international toy markets forced Zvezda to adopt a new strategy that ensures technological support of its production process. The company's main business goals, such as constantly replenishing its stock, improving product quality, and focusing on innovation, necessitated the implementation of a more powerful system for automated design.

BorgWarner Cooling Systems, a subsidiary of U.S. Automotive Supplier BorgWarner, aimed to optimize production at their German plant. The plant, which houses a total of 40 machines, was in need of a system that could systematically collect and process machine and operating data, visualize current process states online, and precisely analyze weak areas. The goal was to increase overall production efficiency. The challenge was to develop and implement an individual, custom-fit production management system that could meet these needs.

C.S.YAP Group of Companies, a market leader of metal parts to different industries in Malaysia, faced significant challenges in their manufacturing process. The process was complex and could be impacted by many factors such as supplies, equipment, factory overhead, the need for special parts, and the people who work at all points in the process. The more variables there were, the greater the possibility of disruption to the smooth operations of the factory. Management styles and workforce could also have an impact on this process. For instance, human insight into a manufacturing process leading to more labor-efficient and cost-effective methods of production could affect the manufacturing process in a positive way. Not only did the operator need to understand the basic machining operations, correct tool usage, and correct speed of operation but also detect tool wear and replacement patterns. Skilled machinists usually made these decisions based on experience with no written instructions other than a blueprint of the designed part. Often this involved setting up the machine tool, running a few pieces through to test the arrangement, and then adjusting the setup until an acceptable part was produced. This could be a time-consuming and a tedious process.

Cancer Research UK, a leading global charity dedicated to cancer research, has a vast retail division with 13 superstores and 580 shops. The organization was seeking to enhance the transparency of the ethical performance of its retail supply chain as part of its sustainability strategy. The challenge was to understand the supply chain better and continuously improve the ethical performance of their suppliers. The organization needed a solution that could provide a comprehensive view of the ethical performance of their global supplier base, thereby enabling them to drive continuous improvement in this area.

Co-op, a company with a strong commitment to ethical trade, faced the challenge of managing a large, complex, and growing supply chain. They aimed to increase transparency and maintain high labour standards across their supply chain, while also reducing audit fatigue among suppliers. The company recognized the need for collaboration with other retailers and industry stakeholders to address common responsible sourcing challenges. They sought a solution that would allow them to standardize audits and share them with multiple businesses. Additionally, Co-op wanted to build strong supplier relations based on trust and transparency, with the goal of achieving long-term and sustainable improvements to working conditions in their supply chain.

Ethical Merch Co, an Australian manufacturer and reseller of promo goods and branded apparel, faced a significant challenge as it began to grow and acquire large non-profit customers. While price was a crucial factor for their customers, Ethical Merch Co understood that brand reputation was even more critical. The company was faced with the challenge of providing their clients with ethically sourced products, a task that required a deep understanding of their supply chain and the ability to ensure ethical practices at every level. The company's Managing Director, Nathan Kingston, recognized the need to partner with a company that shared their strong business ethics and could help them meet this challenge.

Kellogg Company, a global leader in the food industry, was facing significant challenges in managing its supply chain sustainability in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world. The company's SVP of Global Supply Chains, Alistair Hirst, identified four key challenges that were impacting the stability, risk, and sustainability of their global supply chains. These included political instability, climate change, food security, and urbanization. Political instability, such as wars and socio-economic imbalances, was affecting the company's sourcing and sustainability at a high level. Climate change was altering the world's growing regions, posing a threat to the company's food production. Food security was a major concern, especially in developing markets where the company hoped to expand its business. Lastly, urbanization was expected to increase the world's population to nine billion by 2050, with 70% living in urban areas, thereby increasing the demand for food while the resources remained limited.

Little Freddie, a premium organic baby food brand, was seeking to partner with reputable suppliers that not only met legal requirements but also shared their values on enhancing worker welfare and safeguarding good working conditions. The company used Sedex's risk assessment tool, Radar, to review countries' inherent risk ratings and identify specific risks when sourcing from these countries. The tool helped Little Freddie identify its Madagascan pineapple supplier, HavaMad, as a high-risk due to its location and the economic difficulties affecting businesses across Madagascar. The challenge was to reduce this risk and ensure a sustainable and ethical supply chain.

Oliver Bonas, a UK-based independent lifestyle retailer, was facing challenges in monitoring and improving the working conditions within their global supply chain. The company, which sources high-quality products from various countries with diverse cultures and economies, was committed to maintaining long-standing, trusting relationships with its suppliers. However, the administrative burden on their suppliers was high, and there was a lack of visibility into the ethical audits and factory and workforce details of their suppliers. The company's values of 'Work Hard, Play Hard and Be Kind' extended to their supply chain, and they were committed to doing business that was beneficial for everyone involved. Therefore, they needed a solution that would allow them to gain deeper visibility into their supply chain and engage with suppliers to monitor and improve working practices.

Reckitt, a global company with over 43,500 employees of 120 different nationalities, operating in 60 countries, is committed to diversity and inclusion. They believe it is their collective responsibility to build inclusion into everything they do, representing their people and the global community they serve. However, given the scale of their global supply chain and its structural gender inequalities, they faced a challenge. They wanted to identify and address the barriers to gender equality within their supply chain. The goal was to use the insights gained to drive change and promote gender equality within their supply chain.

Rémy Cointreau, a French family-run Group specializing in the production of cognacs, liqueurs, and champagne, was seeking to ensure responsible sourcing practices throughout their entire value chain. The company wanted to ensure that their suppliers, regardless of their location or industry, adhered to their responsible sourcing principles and guidelines. They aimed to set an example for their value chain that embodied their sustainability values, including policies that protect workers’ rights and respect the environment. Rémy Cointreau also wanted to promote transparency across their value chain and improve the lives of workers within their supply chain.

Suntory, a global beverage company, was facing challenges in managing its supply chain responsibly and sustainably. The company had a mission to create harmony with people and nature, which required sourcing more responsibly. However, the company was struggling with managing both reputational and actualized risks at supplier sites. Suntory was independently managing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) to mitigate supply chain-related risks. However, the company's global operations had different approaches to managing suppliers, with modern slavery legislation varying between the different countries Suntory operates within. Suntory recognized that to make a greater impact and deliver positive change for workers within their global supply chain, they needed to work within a broader framework.

Waitrose & Partners, a major British supermarket chain with over 300 locations, was seeking to ensure ethical practices throughout their supply chain. The company believes in maintaining high standards of environmental responsibility and community wellbeing, which they consider integral to good business. However, they faced challenges in ensuring that all sites in their supply chain were carrying out ethical due diligence in line with industry standards. They needed a way to understand more about their suppliers and their ways of working, and to identify any issues that needed to be addressed. They also wanted to ensure that workers in their supply chain had safe and hygienic working conditions, were treated fairly, and were paid correctly.

HaulMatch, a leading online automobile shipping broker, was facing significant challenges due to a lack of visibility over shipments. The company's shipments, which often took 20-30 days of transit time, were difficult to track, leading to numerous queries from shippers about the status of their shipments. This required HaulMatch’s internal team to invest several hours in fetching the latest update on their customer’s shipment location. The team had to visit third-party websites for updates on shipment location and then share the details with their customers, a process that was time-consuming, tedious, and prone to errors. Furthermore, their customers could not leverage crucial insights such as visibility on the carriers offering them the best service, trade routes that ensure cost optimisation and speedy deliveries. The inefficiencies in tracking updates led to numerous queries regarding the status of the shipment, leading to customer dissatisfaction.

Polymers International, a global player in the plastics and rubber industry, was facing significant challenges in tracking the movement of its approximately 200 monthly shipments. The lack of efficient tracking mechanisms led to difficulties in keeping customers informed about shipment statuses, resulting in confusion and subpar customer service. The operations team had to visit multiple carrier websites to gather updates on shipment locations, a process that was not only time-consuming and prone to errors but also diverted the team from focusing on more critical tasks. The inaccuracies in tracking updates led to a surge in customer queries regarding shipment statuses. The team also struggled with accessing timely information on changes in departure and arrival timings, making it challenging to provide customers with accurate delivery dates. Furthermore, the company was unable to leverage crucial insights such as visibility on the carriers offering the best service, trade routes ensuring cost-effectiveness and speedy deliveries, thereby compromising their ability to identify cost-saving opportunities and make informed decisions.

Corstorphine + Wright, a UK-based architecture firm, was facing challenges in fostering collaboration and promoting effective working across its eight offices due to an expanding project portfolio and increasing design file sizes. The larger files were putting pressure on the firm's virtual private network (VPN), leading to longer upload and download times. The inability to update Building Information Modeling (BIM) models in real time was causing inefficiencies, as architects had to take notes during meetings and then return to the office to make edits. Clients, who typically want to interrogate a live model before making decisions, had to wait for follow-up meetings or calls to discuss the latest revisions. Additionally, the firm was grappling with data-protection issues and the high costs associated with the local storage required for each project.

Nine, Australia’s largest locally owned media company, faced significant challenges in the fast-paced media industry. With a diverse set of technological needs and engineering challenges, Nine needed to ensure time-sensitive media delivery to over 12 million readers across its platforms. The speed of media delivery directly impacts audience reach, conversion, and ad revenue. Therefore, Nine needed to ensure up-to-date content delivery, requiring a powerful, programmable, secure Content Delivery Network (CDN) and innovative IT partnerships. The company also faced a 50% spike in users and subscribers since the start of 2020, necessitating the ability to scale at pace. Furthermore, Nine recognized the need for a modern approach to CDN, with access to source code management for agile publishing and rapid change cycles.

OFX, an international financial transfer platform based in Sydney, Australia, processes over $22 billion annually through its web application. After a three-year migration to the cloud, OFX sought to increase visibility and protection against Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) attacks and authentication abuse in its cloud-first microservices infrastructure. Partners interact with the OFX platform via APIs that communicate with internal microservices. Richard Lane, Head of Digital Security at OFX, wanted to ensure that their microservices weren't implicitly trusting others and sought a product that would provide visibility. He was looking for a solution that was easy to install, use, and could effectively block malicious traffic automatically, including logins, without causing production incidents.

Split, a global provider of a feature delivery and experimentation platform, was seeking a scalable and reliable edge cloud network to deliver feature flags to its customers. The company's customers use these feature flags to introduce and roll back changes swiftly, thereby reducing the median time to recovery. However, Split was facing challenges with conventional Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), experiencing purge times ranging from 10 to 30 minutes, which was unacceptable for their business model. Furthermore, as a company with a worldwide customer base, Split needed to maintain high uptimes in every location, a task that was proving difficult due to the potential for human error and the challenges of performance at scale.

The city of Mission, located in British Columbia, Canada, is a rapidly growing community with a population projected to double over the next quarter century. The city's IT team, led by Chris Knowles, Manager of Information and Telecommunications Systems, is tasked with managing networking, security, telecommunications, and other technology needs across the city’s 17 locations. However, the team is small and does not have enough staff to dedicate most of their time to security remediation. The city was running security solutions from eight different vendors, leading to a complex infrastructure that made it difficult to achieve security goals. In 2020, an external security audit indicated that while the team was doing well in some areas, a network redesign could provide better resiliency and streamline security.

One Medical, a membership-based primary care practice, was faced with the challenge of securing customer data in line with their cloud-first strategy. The healthcare industry is particularly vulnerable to identity theft, and organizations like One Medical have to manage a multitude of electronic medical records. The company takes the security and confidentiality of their customers’ Personally Identifiable Information (PII) seriously, adhering to industry best practices in software development, testing, and internal and external security practices. However, they needed a security solution that could scale with their cloud-first strategy, improve their overall security posture, and remain compliant with HIPAA. They also faced issues with false positives in their environment, which could potentially block doctors from performing critical functions such as submitting prescriptions. Other solutions they evaluated were difficult to deploy into their cloud-first technology stack and caused false positives.

With the boom in connected vehicles and the increase in the range of models, customers’ needs and requirements have evolved significantly. One example is the desire to integrate lighting systems into door handles. For automakers, light plays an essential role in practicality and comfort, but it also contributes to the visual signature of the vehicle by differentiating brands and making them recognizable.