This case study highlights how a leading Spanish filtration solutions company strengthened strategy execution, alignment, and transparency through a scorecard-based system.
Introduction to the Company
The company is a Spanish industrial group specialising in filtration solutions and material treatment systems across multiple industrial sectors including manufacturing, energy, construction, and transportation.
With more than 50 years of experience, it operates from warehouses in Spain and maintains a broad product portfolio with over 80,000 product references and more than one million filters in stock. These indicators reflect a well-established group with a substantial logistics footprint and a solid position in the filtration industry.
Challenges Faced
The company launched a strategic improvement initiative to address key issues in its existing performance management approach. Several pain points were identified during the diagnostic phase:
“Power BI is great for data visualisation, but it’s not designed for managing or discussing strategy.”
Additionally, the company faced a commercial challenge common in the filtration industry: finding and converting new customers in markets where buyers often rely on long-term relationships with existing suppliers. Traditional sales approaches were insufficient to effectively position their value and differentiate their offering.
“We know that we need to move to a digital strategy platform, but we are concerned about how complex it will be to migrate our existing 2025–2027 strategy into it.”
These statements reveal three main challenges:
- Over-reliance on spreadsheets and basic BI tools for strategic management, which created limitations in scalability and structure.
- A fragmented approach between data visualisation and strategic execution, resulting in a lack of an integrated framework for objectives, KPIs, and initiatives.
- Concerns about migrating an existing multi-year strategy without disrupting ongoing operations.
Implementing a Structured Scorecard Framework with BSC Designer
The BSC Designer team worked with the client to implement a structured, scorecard-based framework adapted to their industrial context. The solution focused on establishing a clear strategic architecture, linking operational functions, and integrating risk management.
Key implementation steps included:
- Defining the main strategic scorecard for the 2025–2027 period with four perspectives (Financial, Customer, Processes, Learning & Growth) aligned with the company’s growth and operational efficiency objectives.
- Creating functional and departmental scorecards (such as logistics, technical services, and sales) connected to the main strategy. This modular approach allowed flexibility and scalability instead of one large, hard-to-maintain structure.
- Integrating risk indicators (probability, impact, mitigation) alongside initiatives. Typical risks included supply chain disruptions and equipment downtime — both critical in the filtration sector.
- Activating automated visualisations and reporting, including strategy maps, Gantt charts, dashboards, and scheduled reports, as well as AI-assisted suggestions relevant to the company’s objectives.
This structured implementation created a single platform for the company’s strategic planning, execution, and monitoring activities.
A specific focus was placed on strategic sales. Instead of relying solely on traditional prospecting methods, the company developed a structured customer acquisition scorecard aligned with its commercial objectives. This included mapping the strategy of target accounts, identifying alignment between customer needs and product offerings, and tracking initiatives aimed at demonstrating value to potential buyers. This approach helped address the challenge of entering markets with entrenched suppliers.
Results & Achievements
After adopting BSC Designer, the company achieved measurable improvements across several areas:
- Accelerated migration: The Excel import functionality allowed for rapid onboarding of their 2025–2027 strategy without extensive rework.
- Improved alignment: Linking functional scorecards to the main strategy improved clarity and accountability for different teams.
- Better transparency: Change logs and cascading views helped stakeholders understand how objectives and KPIs were interconnected.
- Streamlined reporting: Scheduled reports and dashboards reduced manual spreadsheet work and saved time for strategic decision-making.
- Integrated risk management: Monitoring performance and risks in one interface enabled proactive mitigation rather than reactive problem solving.
Key Takeaways for Industry Peers
For companies in industrial sectors seeking to move beyond spreadsheets and basic BI tools, this case offers practical lessons:
- Segment your strategy: A layered architecture of a main scorecard with linked departmental scorecards provides structure and flexibility.
- Facilitate migration: Smooth import from existing Excel strategies and structured onboarding lowers the barrier to adoption.
- Integrate risk and initiatives: Connecting initiatives and risk indicators to KPIs turns the scorecard into an execution and governance tool, not just a reporting one.
- Automate reporting: Automation frees up valuable time for analysis and decision-making instead of data collection.
How to Move Beyond Spreadsheets to Execute Strategy?
To summarize, industrial companies can move from spreadsheet-based planning to a more structured and scalable approach to strategy execution.
- Create a Clear Strategy Structure – Start with one main scorecard and link departmental scorecards to it for clarity and alignment.
- Connect KPIs, Initiatives, and Risks – Treat the scorecard as a management tool by tying objectives to concrete actions and risk controls.
- Automate Reporting – Use dashboards and scheduled reports to reduce manual work and improve the quality of strategic discussions.
- Use a Dedicated Strategy Platform – A tool such as BSC Designer provides a scalable way to maintain alignment and monitor progress over time.
BSC Designer is strategy execution software that enhances strategy formulation and execution through KPIs, strategy maps, and dashboards. Our proprietary strategy implementation system guides companies in practical application of strategic planning.