Polarbröd streamlines its budgeting process with Aimplan in Power BI
Polarbröd is a family-owned company from northern Sweden with five generations of baking tradition. The company has grown from a small bakery to become Sweden’s third-largest producer of bread, with operations in Älvsbyn, Bredbyn, and Umeå. In 2024, the group had a turnover of SEK 1.4 billion and sold approximately 30,000 tons of bread. The group also includes Polarrenen, which operates wind turbines, and PolarVentures, which invests in new food systems. The entire business is driven by the vision of making sustainable bread meals accessible to everyone.
Background
For a long time, Polarbröd worked with budgeting in Excel, where each cost center used its own spreadsheets that were sent back and forth between the finance department and the organization. This way of working had functioned for many years, but it became increasingly inefficient and demanding. The previous budgeting process was based on many manual steps, making it difficult to keep the work consistent and unified.
Over time, the process became both slow and unreliable. The many files made it difficult to know which version was valid, and the manual handling increased the risk of mistakes and uncertainty in the numbers. This way of working also meant that the finance department had to spend a lot of time collecting, checking, and compiling files instead of working on analysis and business support.
“With Aimplan and Power BI, we have gained a modern budgeting process that truly works in practice. I’ve worked as a controller for a long time, but this is the first time the work feels so fast, simple, and reliable.” - Roger Öberg
Controller
Challenges
Manual budgeting process
The entire budgeting work was based on Excel files circulated throughout the organization, making the process extensive, difficult to coordinate, and creating a heavy workload for the finance department.
Limited overview
Since everyone worked in different files, there was no control over which version was the latest, which could lead to mistakes and uncertainty in the figures.
Lack of security
Handling salary and personnel data in shared files made it difficult to protect sensitive information and ensure the right access levels.
Needs and Solution
Polarbröd needed a modern, reliable, and efficient process for budgeting and financial planning. The goal was to replace manual Excel files with a shared model where everyone could work simultaneously and see aggregated figures in real time. Polarbröd had already implemented Aimplan in Power BI for sales and campaign planning, which made it natural to continue working in the same tool to support the financial budgeting process.
Aimplan is now used directly in Polarbröd’s existing Power BI environment and creates a unified budgeting structure where department managers can enter costs for OPEX, personnel, and operations. Revenue data is automatically retrieved from sales planning, allowing the planning model to automatically handle relationships between expected sales, COGS, transport costs, and other variable costs.
The shared solution provides a clear overview of the entire budgeting process, reduces the number of manual steps, and makes it easier to follow developments directly in Power BI. Budgeting has become an activity where responsibility and insight are shared by more people in the organization.
Implementation
The project was carried out by Polarbröd together with the consulting firm Dizparc, which was responsible for implementing and configuring Aimplan for Polarbröd’s budgeting process. The collaboration between Polarbröd and Dizparc was characterized by frequent meetings, joint requirement-setting, and an ambition to make the process as simple and secure as possible.
Dizparc had previously implemented Aimplan for Polarbröd’s sales and campaign planning and was therefore very familiar with their Power BI environment. This made it possible to build on the existing model and configure the budgeting solution in a way that could be quickly put into use. By involving controllers and department managers in the design, the solution could reflect Polarbröd’s actual way of working. The project went live during the budgeting process in autumn 2024 with very positive results.
Key Components
Impact
Polarbröd has achieved a modern and integrated budgeting process where the entire organization works in the same Power BI environment. Budgeting is now faster, more reliable, and significantly easier to follow up. The finance department can monitor developments in real time and focus more on analysis than administration, while managers take ownership of their figures and are accountable for their results.
The lead time for budgeting has been halved, data quality has improved, and collaboration between finance and operations has strengthened. It has also become easier to compare budget versus actuals, providing better follow-up and decision support. Polarbröd can now plan more proactively and make decisions based on updated and reliable information.
Summary
In summary, Polarbröd faced the challenge of modernizing a time-consuming and manual budgeting process. Excel sheets were sent back and forth within the organization, leading to errors, uncertainty, and a lack of control over finances.
With Aimplan in Power BI, a shared and more automated solution was created that makes the budgeting work both simpler and more secure. Dizparc was responsible for the implementation, ensuring that the model was built according to Polarbröd’s needs and working methods.
Today, budgeting takes place directly in Power BI with full transparency and real-time data. The process is faster and more reliable, giving both the finance department and the organization greater control, clearer accountability, and better decision support.
