Data Transformation Enables Scalable FP&A for a Fiber Products Company

The challenge

A private equity-backed, vertically integrated fiber products company was struggling with an increasingly complex data and financial reporting landscape. Rapid expansion across multiple business segments created a fragmented data and financial reporting environment with manual consolidations, inconsistent data definitions, and limited governance.

Financial reporting functioned primarily as a consolidation exercise rather than a source of insight, slowing decision making and reducing transparency. Planning processes varied by business segment, relied heavily on spreadsheets, and focused on short-term horizons, limiting visibility into performance drivers and longer-term scenarios.

Without a centralised data strategy or formal governance framework, the finance function struggled to scale and support growth, integration, and future transaction readiness.

The solution

The company partnered with Protiviti to modernise its data and reporting infrastructure. Protiviti worked closely with finance and IT leaders to assess current processes, identify bottlenecks, and define a unified future-state vision. The engagement delivered four interconnected outcomes, using an FP&A tool Protiviti developed using Microsoft Fabric:

Established a modern data platform

• Improved scalability and ease of integration for potential future acquisitions.
• Formalised consolidation and data integration processes with centrally managed universal mappings.

Formalised data governance strategy

• Modernised data infrastructure with a supporting governance strategy.
• Built a unified "single source of truth" platform to enable data democratisation, source control, and data quality.
• Established formal policies and processes defining roles, responsibilities, and dependencies.

Automated, standardised financial consolidations and reporting

• Formalised consolidation processes leveraging ERP data integration and centrally managed universal mappings.
• Established efficient automated reporting developed on a modern data platform accessed through visualisation software.
• Standardised reporting across business segments, enabling consistent reviews and analysis of financial results and metrics.

Enhanced financial forecasting

• Improved forecast accuracy through development of driver-based financial forecast models and business segment inputs.
• Improved long-term planning utilising a multi-year, three-statement model aligning financial operations with company strategy.
• Coordinated formal planning processes with increased business partnership through re-establishment of roles, responsibilities, and dependencies.

The results

This transformation delivered faster decision making, improved collaboration, and greater transparency for management and PE sponsors. Operating from a single source of truth, leadership gained consistent, timely visibility into performance, drivers, and risks across business segments. Standardised reporting and automated consolidation increased confidence in financial results, improved sponsor reporting, and enhanced oversight.