“What used to take hours, we view today with a single click.”
At A-kwadraat, everything revolves around people. For over 60 years, this sheltered workshop has been providing opportunities for people with a distance to the labor market. With hundreds of employees, various business units, and a strong social mission, the need for clear insights and efficient reporting is also growing. To further support this growth, A-kwadraat sought a partner who could assist them with Business Intelligence and data visualization. They found that partner in scapta.
An organization with impact
A-kwadraat has existed since 1964 and currently has around 700 employees. In addition, a team of about 120 people supervises the customized workers within the organization on a daily basis.
Katrien Boonen, Manager of Finance & IT at A-Kwadraat, has been part of the company for nine years and knows the organization inside and out.
“Our focus is on creating employment for people with a distance to the labor market. That remains our absolute core.”
With such a large organization comes a lot of administration, follow-up, and reporting. The need for more structure and overview, especially in financial matters, grew.
From Excel to Smart Dashboards
Three years ago, A-kwadraat implemented a new ERP system: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations. This formed the basis for further digitalization.
“After the ERP system, we wanted to take the next step: better reporting and dashboards,” says Katrien.
Until then, reporting was mainly done via Excel files.
“Every month, it was a real exercise to bring all the data together. That took an enormous amount of time.”
The introduction to elem3nts came about through a presentation of their approach and expertise. Additionally, A-kwadraat heard positive experiences via Ranobo, a client with whom they closely collaborate.
“When we saw what was possible with Power BI, we knew immediately: we need this too.”
A collaboration with rapid impact
In the first quarter of 2026, both parties began. During workshops, the main needs and reporting requirements were identified.
“Together, we looked at which insights we needed and which dashboards would have the most impact.”
From there, elem3nts began building the Power BI environment. The collaboration was very hands-on: weekly follow-ups, short lines of communication, and room for adjustments along the way.
“Yasciny Liriano Paulino (Consultant scapta) regularly visited to build everything up. Small adjustments were made quickly and flexibly.”
Within one quarter, the entire basic environment was operational.
Real-time insights for management and business units
Currently, about 16 to 18 employees actively use the dashboards, including management and lead foremen.
The reports provide insight into various domains within the organization:
Performance Reporting
Business units can track how many hours employees spend on assignments and what return that yields.
“Our employees perform the work on the floor. Then it is important that we can perfectly track how efficiently certain assignments are progressing.”
Cash flow and outstanding invoices
Management can track in real-time today which invoices have been paid and which customers still have outstanding amounts.
“Previously, people had to wait for monthly reports. Now they can check how their department is doing on a daily basis.”
Analytical P&Ls
Each business unit has its own analytical income statement, allowing for quicker evaluation and adjustment of performance.
KPI Dashboard
Strategic KPIs related to safety, work accidents, quality, and social objectives are also monitored centrally.
Time savings as the biggest advantage
For Katrien, the greatest added value lies primarily in the enormous time savings.
“Today we spend much less time collecting and building data. This finally allows us to focus on its analysis and interpretation.”
Transparency within the organization also increased significantly.
“Managers now have live insight into their figures and can make decisions more quickly. That really makes a difference.”
Why scapta?
According to Katrien, the added value was not only in the technology, but especially in the expertise and approach.
“The knowledge was there from the first conversation. Additionally, we also received strong references from other companies that already worked with elem3nts.”
The flexibility and accessibility during the process were also impressive.
“They think along with us, respond quickly, and effectively deliver what is asked.”
Ready for the next phase
The collaboration may be continued. A-kwadraat is currently examining how personnel data can also be integrated into Power BI in the future.
“That is not immediately planned for 2026, but by 2027 we definitely want to look at how we can proceed with that.”
Get more out of your data too?
Do you want to report faster, gain better insights, and save time, just like A-squared? Scapta helps organizations transform data into clear dashboards and actionable insights.