As a waste management and raw materials company, DAR operates in a complex environment where reliable data is critical to both day-to-day operations and long-term strategic decision-making.
With information spread across more than twenty source systems, DAR needed a modern data platform that could bring consistency, accessibility, and scalability to its reporting environment.
Working with Axians, DAR implemented a Microsoft-based data platform built around TimeXtender and Power BI, creating a strong foundation for data-driven decision-making and setting the business up for future innovation.
DAR’s modernisation journey began with a familiar challenge: fragmented reporting.
Some dashboards were still running in QlikView, while a newer reporting environment had already been introduced using TimeXtender and Power BI. The result was multiple versions of the same data, creating inefficiencies, confusion, and inconsistent reporting.
When teams can’t trust the numbers, decision-making slows down. Time gets spent debating which figures are correct instead of acting on insights.
There was also an operational risk. Much of the knowledge behind DAR’s existing reporting environment was held by a single specialist nearing retirement, creating a clear need to reduce dependency on individual expertise and build a more sustainable long-term approach.
DAR recognised the need for a strategic transformation, one that would establish a single source of truth while future-proofing the organisation’s analytics capabilities.
DAR’s new BI strategy needed to align with its existing Microsoft technology investments while providing a scalable, manageable architecture capable of integrating data from more than twenty source systems.
The chosen solution combined Microsoft Azure, TimeXtender, and Power BI to create a flexible and scalable modern data platform.
This architecture gave DAR a simplified way to ingest, transform, and govern data while making trusted information readily available for reporting and analysis.
Axians supported DAR in defining the architecture and implementing the technical foundation.
Rather than attempting a large-scale transformation all at once, DAR took a phased approach focused on delivering business value early.
The first focus area was workforce time tracking, a domain with direct operational impact due to its connection to payroll, productivity, and labour compliance requirements.
Starting here allowed DAR to realise value quickly while testing and refining the new platform in a live business environment.
During this phase, Axians and DAR worked together to build the data warehouse, connect source systems, and develop dashboards designed for real operational use, not just reporting for reporting’s sake.
At the same time, DAR invested in building internal expertise to ensure the team could independently manage and expand the platform over time.
The results were visible quickly. The workforce time domain was successfully migrated to the new platform, and the dashboards are now used across the organisation.
Users can move beyond static reports, drilling into detailed analysis to understand anomalies and investigate performance drivers.
DAR also introduced a centralised management dashboard that brings together KPIs from across the business, giving leadership a clearer, organisation-wide view of performance.
The transformation has also strengthened DAR’s internal capabilities.
"In a short period of time, our employees developed strong expertise in TimeXtender and Power BI. As a result, we’re now able to build many new dashboards ourselves and respond quickly to new business requirements."
— Patrick van Drunen, DAR
Technology alone doesn’t create transformation; adoption does. That’s why DAR placed strong emphasis on ensuring dashboards became part of everyday business operations. Axians supported users with training, enablement, and hands-on guidance, helping teams build confidence in the new tools.
Leadership also played a key role by embedding dashboards into regular meetings and decision-making processes. This made data-driven working tangible across the organisation, turning analytics from a reporting function into a core business capability.
A central goal of the partnership was to enable DAR to take ownership of its own data platform. From the outset, the focus was on knowledge transfer and creating an environment that DAR could manage, maintain, and evolve independently.
According to Christian Pilon, Manager Data & Analytics at Axians, that’s where the real value lies:
"This project reflects exactly what we stand for at Axians: helping customers take control of their own data platform. The combination of TimeXtender and Microsoft technologies creates a strong foundation for independence, while ensuring organisations are well positioned for future innovation within the Microsoft ecosystem."
DAR sees this transformation as the beginning, not the finish line. Next steps include continuing the migration from QlikView to Power BI, expanding dashboard coverage, and increasing self-service analytics capabilities across teams.
The organisation is also exploring advanced use cases such as forecasting and AI-driven process optimisation. With the right data foundation now in place, DAR is positioned to continue evolving without needing another major platform overhaul.