From Industry Leader to Finance Hero: Danish Crown’s Transformation Journey

Danish Crown, a global leader in food processing, recognized the urgency to modernize their financial operations to keep up with the changing world and business environment. Facing an increasingly complex regulatory landscape and a competitive market, they encountered several critical issues:

• Manual Processes: Month-end close tasks relied heavily on manual workflows, consuming significant time and resources.
• Compliance Risks: Limited transparency and inconsistent documentation increased the potential for errors and regulatory scrutiny.
• Lack of Visibility: Teams struggled to access critical financial data quickly, delaying decision-making.

They aimed to implement user-friendly processes and technology with clear roles and responsibilities, highly automated systems to free up time for value-adding activities, and better control over their GBS operations.

With Cadency, we’ve achieved unprecedented efficiency and transparency in our financial processes. It’s not just a tool; it’s a transformation enabler.”

The Solution

Determined to address these challenges, Danish Crown partnered with Trintech to implement its Cadency Platform—a unified solution designed to optimize financial operations and ensure compliance.

The solution focused on three core objectives:

• Automation: Streamline month-end close processes to reduce manual effort
• Centralization: Create a single source of truth for financial documentation
• Scalability: Support global operations across multiple business units and countries

The Journey

Danish Crown’s transformation journey began in 2018 and unfolded in three key phases:

Initial Deployment

Piloted Cadency across five countries and two business units, addressing critical pain points in reconciliation and close processes.

Expansion & Adoption (2019-2023)

Gradually expanded usage to include eight countries, seven business units, and 26 company codes.

Ongoing Optimization

Continued upgrades, user onboarding, and integration of advanced features like Cadency Certification, Cadency Journal Entry, and Cadency Close Task Management. By 2024, the Cadency Platform supports 260 active users, managing 2,100 reconciliations, 2,500 close tasks, and 3,300 journal postings.

Key Outcomes

The implementation of Cadency delivered measurable, transformative results:

Compliance Excellence Efficiency Gains Enhanced Visibility

Compliance Excellence

Cadency became the primary source for audits, ensuring real-time access to audit-ready documentation. Over 99% of journals required no rework, minimizing errors and reducing risk.

Efficiency Gains

Automated 25% of balance sheet reconciliations, saving time for value-adding activities. Standardization processes across eight countries, improving collaboration and consistency.

Enhanced Visibility

Real-time tracking of month-end activities provided clear oversight for all stakeholders.

The Partnership

Danish Crown credits their success to a strong, collaborative relationship with Trintech, built on:

Conferences Dedicated Workshops Governance Model

Conferences

Active participation in user conferences to stay updated on innovations.

Dedicated Workshops

Customized sessions to address specific challenges and plan future enhancements.

Governance Model

Regular updates, quarterly reviews, and proactive issue monitoring ensured alignment and progress.

Future Goals

Looking ahead, Danish Crown remains committed to leveraging the latest advancements in Cadency to stay at the forefront of financial innovation. By staying on the most up-to-date version, they ensure access to cutting-edge features and continuous improvements. As part of their broader finance transformation journey, they are preparing to transition to SAP® S/4HANA, focusing on seamless integration with external systems like Cadency to enable best-in-class workflows.

Collaboration and knowledge sharing remain central to Danish Crown’s strategy. Through active participation in user groups and maintaining a strong partnership with Trintech, they ensure their insights shape meaningful product enhancements. This proactive approach keeps their teams aligned with best practices and poised to adapt to emerging industry trends.