Real-time reporting, reduced manual work, and agile digital solutions enabled Espoo Catering to elevate its financial management to a new level with the help of Solu Digital.
Espoo Catering is a company under the City of Espoo that prepares meals for daycare centers, schools, and the city’s representative events and meetings. The company employs approximately 460 people, and its turnover in 2024 was approximately 41.3 million euros.
The company’s operations are large-scale, with more than 77,000 meals prepared daily, necessitating financial monitoring that keeps pace with this scale.
A company’s financial management is a key part of the continuity and quality of operations. Espoo Catering’s Financial Manager, Minna Hanhinen, is responsible for the company’s financial monitoring and reporting, budgets, forecasts, and risks. As a member of the management team, she also plays a significant role in achieving the company’s strategic goals.
Minna has been heavily involved in the implementation of new solutions. In addition to implementing the reporting and analytics environment, she has contributed to the development of sustainability reporting and the piloting of AI-related solutions.
“I am currently leading a project where we are preparing the implementation of AI and thinking about how agents can be activated as part of everyday life,” she describes.
From manual reporting to automated data-driven management
Before the start of the collaboration, reporting at Espoo Catering was primarily based on Excel spreadsheets. Customer register management, billing information, and other key figures were collected manually from different sources. The data was often incomplete or outdated. Updating changes was slow and error-prone, as it required searching for essential information across various systems.
In practice, the monitoring that was the responsibility of supervisors relied on the income statement and balance sheet from the accounting system, which limited analysis possibilities and made reactions slow.
The organization identified the need for a real-time and reliable reporting model to support decision-making and reduce manual work. The goal was to ensure that supervisors could utilize information reliably and with a consistent database.
”We now have a multidimensional reporting system that allows for easy editing and filtering from different perspectives. This makes it easier to analyze the economy and enables a quick response to changes.”
Minna Hanhinen
Financial Manager, Espoo Catering
Solu Digital’s solutions brought efficiency, clarity, and better data management
Solu Digital delivered several complementary Microsoft-based digital solutions to Espoo Catering. The core consists of a data warehouse and Power BI reporting, which are used to monitor key metrics such as performance, invoicing, customer numbers, inventories, and losses. The solution consolidates all essential figures into a single view and automates their updates.
“Getting information from the depths of the ERP system required much investigation, but together with Solu’s experts, we managed to build reporting that serves us well”, says Minna.
The reporting is complemented by the Power Apps application, which monitors the schools’ daily customer numbers in real time. Monitoring customer numbers is critical, as they form the basis for invoicing. “Daily customer numbers are now mandatory to be recorded in the system. We can see immediately if data is missing, and we can react straight away”, she describes.
Customer and contract management have been moved to a modern environment using CRM, SharePoint, and Assently, which enables electronic signatures. “The Excel-based customer register was not reliable. Now the information remains up-to-date and manageable,” says Minna.
In addition, Espoo Catering uses an application implemented with Power Apps as a means of internal communication, which acts as a discussion channel on the intranet.
Real-time automation enhances Espoo Catering’s financial management
With the solutions, data is updated automatically, so that supervisors always have an up-to-date picture of the situation. When changes occur in operations or finances, they can react quickly. Automatic data updates also ensure that figures remain comparable and up-to-date between different cost centers.
“The systems are good: supervisors can monitor results, customer numbers, contracts, and losses reliably and easily,” says Minna.
The new tools have significantly accelerated reporting and freed up time for data analysis and operational development.
Supervisors can also check the accuracy of data themselves and detect missing information. The new operating model has increased accountability and improved reporting transparency. The organization has moved towards a culture where information is available to everyone in real time.
”Solu Digital’s solutions have significantly reduced manual reporting work, and the information is now easily accessible from one system.”
Minna Hanhinen
Financial Manager, Espoo Catering
Users praise the clarity, reliability, and ease of use
User feedback has been very positive. Supervisors can monitor reporting deficiencies and ensure that schedules are adhered to, which has improved the quality of information and accountability. “Reporting is now faster and more accurate, and end users are satisfied when the information is easily accessible.”
At the same time, new operating models have been created that ensure the quality of information. Users have been given instructions on how and when to record information, empowering them to contribute to the accuracy and reliability of the data.
“We have developed monitoring tools that allow us to see immediately if information has not been recorded, which allows us to intervene quickly,” Minna explains.
Monitoring the number of customers in schools and daycare centers is a good example of practical benefits. When figures are recorded in the system on time, invoicing is based on reliable data, and everyday operations run more smoothly.
Stakeholders also benefit from better visibility into reporting information, which supports collaboration and the quality of decision-making. “Management of the customer register and contracts has also improved,” Minna says.
Trusted partnership with Solu Digital enables smooth development
Solu Digital stood out as a partner with its flexibility and solution-oriented approach. The decision was made based on the company’s ability to solve problems quickly and agilely.
”Fast, solution-oriented and flexible service – we have received help very easily and quickly. Things are progressing on schedule, often even faster than we expected.”
Minna Hanhinen
Financial Manager, Espoo Catering
Joint development work has continued on various projects. “We have always been in contact with Solu when we have had a challenge. They have found a solution, and there have been no unpleasant surprises. Everything has gone great,” Minna describes the partnership.
The collaboration has provided not only technical solutions but also a reliable partnership, which has allowed the organization to focus on producing high-quality meal services.
The difference is also visible on the practical level of the service. While in the city’s IT services, things are queued in a ticket system, with Solu Digital, things are handled directly and quickly without unnecessary intermediaries.
”I can warmly recommend Solu Digital to others: the cooperation has been smooth and reliable from start to finish.”
Minna Hanhinen
Financial Manager, Espoo Catering
