The challenge of creating robust financial models in order to consolidate multiple activities and develop different scenarios.

In this article, we adress Nedato’s challenges: the time-consuming and costly process of investigating synergy in a merger, the limited flexibility and static output of scenarios, and the high dependence on external parties. Discover how Metics addressed these challenges by enabling rapid calculations of various scenarios, utilizing No-code modelling for enhanced flexibility, and providing reduced dependency through the platform’s simple and transparent operation.

Challenge

To respond to changing market conditions and strengthen its market position, the cooperative of potato growers, Nedato, recently initiated a strategic reorientation. Together with another cooperative, they explored the synergistic benefits of collaboration. To investigate this, Nedato needed to analyze various scenarios. “The challenge for us lay in creating robust financial models, as we had to consolidate multiple activities and develop different scenarios,” said Jeffrey Janssen, CFO of Nedato. “Especially in discussing these scenarios with non-financial personnel. The important assumptions often got lost in Excel’s myriad of tabs, making the model hard to follow, and difficult to engage people effectively.”

Mapping out the various scenarios was a time-consuming and costly process. “We hired an external party for this, as we are not allowed to look into the kitchen of other parties due to competition law. This is an expensive undertaking because building an Excel model is labor-intensive and error-prone. It also requires validation,” explained Janssen. “Furthermore, the output of scenarios was always static. When I had new input for a scenario, it took a while before I got new insights. And then, it was unclear which knobs to turn and in what proportion to achieve certain growth. Limited interaction with non-financial colleagues and a high reliance on an external party. Janssen believed that could be different.

“The challenge for us lay in creating robust financial models, as we had to consolidate multiple activities and develop different scenarios”

Solution

To address these challenges, Nedato enlisted Metics. Metics empowers Nedato to create a transparent financial model easily and quickly, facilitated by the platform’s No-code modelling. Janssen no longer needs to program any formulas himself, and it’s straightforward to set the model’s boundaries. “Metics provides a lot of comfort because it’s always clear what the crucial parameters are and how they work in the model. This information is available to me in a concise overview, making it easier to communicate about the model with others and involve them as co-owners, increasing their trust.”

Additionally, Metics enables Nedato to perform much faster calculations for different scenarios. The aforementioned transparency contributes significantly to this, but Metics’ patented Two-way® Technology also plays a crucial role. With this technology, calculations can be made both from top-down mainline information, such as revenue and EBITDA, and from detailed information (bottom-up). “I am now able to translate desired financial results back to the underlying business drivers and vice versa. This allows me to know which knobs to turn to see the impact of different scenarios,” Janssen said.

Result

With Metics on board, Nedato has increased buy-in for its strategic reorientation. “I can show everyone how the financial model works in just one overview. Where Excel initially had 20 tabs, we reduced that to 2 pages with the use of Metics. Can you imagine the comfort that offers?” said Janssen. “This gives me more time to engage in value-driven discussions with my colleagues, leading to better decisions.”

Moreover, the implementation of Metics has resulted in significant time and cost savings. With the No-code feature, Jeffrey can easily adjust the model to new circumstances without investing much time and money. “With Metics, we can analyze 20 scenarios for Nedato in the same time it took to do 3 before. This provides us with much more information, making us much more agile in responding to market changes,” Janssen stated, concluding with, “Our costs have decreased by almost 90%, and we can accomplish the same work in 25% of the time. I wish I had Metics 20 years ago.”

About Nedato

Nedato is a cooperative with over 500 potato growers focused on cultivating, sorting, packaging, and marketing potatoes and potato products. Founded in 1963, the company delivers top-quality potatoes to retailers, wholesalers, and the food industry, both domestically and internationally. With a production of 300,000 tons of potatoes, Nedato is among the major players in the European market.