Dunapack Packaging Achieves Real-Time Cost Reconciliation With Power ON

Dunapack Packaging's controllers had a problem most manufacturers know too well: they couldn't see actual unit costs for their custom corrugated packaging. Production data lived in specialized software, costs lived in SAP, and reconciling the two took an entire day using manual Excel processes that punched holes in their cloud security. Power ON solved it. Controllers now see transparent unit costs instantly—across products, machines, and customers. They can run accurate profitability analysis on their customized products for the first time. Dunapack Packaging specializes in the production of high-quality corrugated cardboard packaging, using mainly recycled paper. Part of the Austrian Prinzhorn Group, Dunapack prides itself on delivering innovative and competitive packaging solutions. After proving the value of using Power ON with cost reconciliation, Dunapack expanded to nearly 20 use cases across financial planning and data management. Points of Success

• From 24 hours to immediate: Cost reconciliation results now are visible instantly instead of the next day.

• Security enhanced: Power ON eliminated the need for external Excel connections requiring firewall exceptions.

• 25,000-100,000 lines processed: Monthly reconciliation handles massive data volumes automatically.

• 20 use cases deployed: Dunapack started with cost reconciliation, then expanded across financial planning and data enrichment.

Dunapack was dealing with a common problem for manufacturing companies. Their ERP housed the financial data, and their specialized production system held everything else. For Dunapack, the actual production costs were stored in the SAP data lake, and their Witron Corrugated Production Management System (CPMS) managed the operational side—ordering, planning, production scheduling, and delivery. In corrugated packaging, every box is custom designed for specific customer needs. Each product requires complex calculations considering components, batch sizes, volumes, machine capabilities, and color requirements. Without proper cost reconciliation between systems, controllers couldn't determine actual unit costs per product, customer, or machine. Profitability analysis? Nearly impossible. "Production data comes directly from machines, but using Power ON we have validation, comments, and the ability to override results with professional audit logs," explained Paweł Zieliński, Head of Data and Analytics at Dunapack Packaging. "In an integrated ERP like SAP, normal controlling processes immediately reveal cost under-absorption or over-absorption. With data in completely separate systems with incompatible data structures, cost reconciliation wasn't possible through standard interfaces."

The Excel Workaround (And Why It Failed)

Dunapack tried the usual solutions—QlikView and macro-based Excel processes. But they struggled with downsides. Security risks: To move data between Microsoft Azure and users' desktops, they had to create special firewall exceptions. Not exactly IT's favorite request. Productivity loss: Controllers had to step out of Power BI—where they did everything else—to wrestle with clunky Excel macros. Delayed visibility: Uploading the SAP data to Excel meant delays in seeing the reconciliation results and identifying problems. An unprofessional process: Dunapack didn’t have clear audit trails or workflows, so they had no way to clearly explain decisions to auditors later.

Finding the Right Tool

Dunapack had successfully consolidated financial, planning, production, and sales information on a single cloud data platform. They could visualize everything through Power BI. What they couldn't do was interact with users, capture reconciliation decisions, and write those results back to the database—all while maintaining security and governance standards. “One use case for Power ON was a game changer,” Zieliński said. At Dunapack, every box they create is customized for specific customer needs. So they need updated data on cost of components, batch size, colors, and so on to be sure each product is profitable. Power ON allowed the finance team to bring together actual costs from SAP with production data from their specialized software. “Actual costs are properly allocated, and everyone in the business has transparency and clarity about the unit costs,” he said. Controllers can interactively allocate cost variances and see the results immediately. “Let's be frank. That small piece of data processing was very crucial for the entire performance control of our business. That was the game changer." [customer_testimonial] During the proof of concept, Power ON demonstrated the solution using Dunapack's actual data, covering 50% of their complex requirements in just three to four days. "Power ON combines data—something we already had in Azure and Power BI—but it allows user interaction and saves the results. These elements changed everything for us."

How Power ON Gets the Job Done for Dunapack

Interactive cost reconciliation: Controllers allocate cost variances right in Power BI—the interface they already know. First pass: handle the obvious issues. Then refine the tricky bits until reconciliation is complete. Each save triggers database procedures that process anywhere from 25,000 to 100,000 lines monthly. "The reconciliation process requires iteration," Zieliński explained. "You allocate what you know for sure, then find allocation keys for the remaining differences. With Power ON, when you press save, the results are visible immediately. If something looks wrong, you can immediately do another iteration until you're satisfied." Enhanced security: All data and user interactions stay within the Microsoft Azure cloud. No more firewall exceptions. No more data moving to and from desktops. Immediate visibility: No more waiting until tomorrow. Controllers refine reconciliation in real-time, seeing results instantly instead of 24 hours later. Professional data enrichment: Beyond cost reconciliation, Dunapack uses Power ON for data validation, commenting, and overriding production data—all with proper workflow and audit trails. "We can enrich data in a professional way—with workflows, with audit trails, like professionals do," Zieliński said.

Beyond the Original Use Case

After successfully implementing cost reconciliation, Dunapack expanded Power ON across nearly 20 use cases, including: Budget data collection. Replacing previous Excel-based processes Production data enrichment. Adding validation and business context to machine-generated data Financial forecasting and planning. Currently implementing Power ON Quick Planning for their central division Performance management. Tracking initiatives, providing comments, entering and tracking targets "We paradoxically started from the most sophisticated use case because there was nothing else capable of handling this scenario," Zieliński said. "Now we have the flexibility to use the right tool for the right problem.” They use PowerApps for simple cases. For complex scenarios requiring interaction with large data volumes and sophisticated database operations, Power ON is the solution.

When evaluating solutions, Dunapack found that other write-back tools either lacked extended database communication capabilities (like triggering stored procedures) or could only work with fixed tables. Most tools lock you into fixed table structures. If your data model changes, you're stuck waiting for IT to update everything. Power ON uses database views instead—meaning Dunapack can adapt their reconciliation on the fly without touching the underlying tables. "We can define views almost ad hoc during the process of using the application," Zieliński noted. He also emphasized high value of being able to write back and update data at the source. “Even if 99% of the data comes directly from company systems, there's always this 1% that requires interaction, write backs, and enrichment,” Zieliński said. “In terms of importance, sometimes without this enrichment, the entire process makes no sense."

The Decision That Mattered Most

Three to four months into implementation, Dunapack made a decision that says everything about Power ON's impact. Dunapack stopped using VBA workarounds to create external Excel connections, Zieliński recalled. Not all the solutions they needed, like budget data collection, were ready yet. “But we were 100% sure we could create them, and there was no need to keep compromising cloud security,” he said. “We were like conquistadors. We burnt our ships, so we had no way back.” So Dunapack got rid of the VBA workarounds and committed fully to using Power ON.

With Power ON, Dunapack saw multiple valuable benefits.

Transparency and Control

Controllers have a complete overview of actual unit costs at any level—product, product line, customer, and machine. For the first time, they can run accurate profitability analysis and justify investment decisions with real data.

Security Enhanced

By keeping all data interactions within Azure, Dunapack eliminated the security compromises required by previous Excel-based approaches. IT's happy. Security's happy. Controllers are happy.

Productivity Gains

Users work in the familiar Power BI interface they already use for data visualization, now extended to include interactive reconciliation. Results appear immediately rather than next day, enabling real-time refinement. That day-long reconciliation process? Now it's continuous, iterative, and satisfying.

What's Next

Dunapack plans to expand Power ON Quick Planning from their central division to plant level, making it more universally available. More teams can then replace Excel-based financial forecasting processes with Power ON. "By working directly on the data lake with frequently updated actuals and clean data, you don’t need to do the normal Excel work of downloading from SAP and uploading to Excel," Zieliński said.

We asked what Zieliński would tell other finance leaders considering Power ON: "It's highly recommended for active teams. The model you proposed makes absolute sense for us—you teach us how to use your visuals, and this model works. My advice is don't be scared of using it on your own. Using your components in practice is easier than it looks and can be handled by in-house teams." Zieliński also said Power ON’s continuous improvement model is a great help to Dunapack’s business. “Quick Planning perfectly demonstrates that you listen to customer needs. I'm deeply grateful that you exist."

Still reconciling production and financial data with Excel macros? Still waiting until tomorrow to see if your numbers work? Still punching holes in your firewall to move data around? Learn more about eliminating those delays—and those security headaches using Power ON to get control of your reconciliation processes.