More efficiency and governance for master data
More efficiency and governance: how Grupo Ferroeste automated 80%+ of its master data process with MDM+ BRO
- Domains
- Material
- Applied product
- MDM + BRO
- Segment
- Industry
Founded in 1968, Grupo Ferroeste is a Brazilian industrial conglomerate with diversified operations in steel, renewable energy and agribusiness. With operational units in Minas Gerais, Maranhão and Espírito Santo, it stands out for producing nodular pig iron, green steel, cement, anhydrous and hydrated alcohol and industrial gases. A key innovation milestone is AVB – Aço Verde do Brasil, recognized worldwide for producing carbon-neutral steel by using charcoal from its own eucalyptus forests to replace fossil fuels in the steelmaking process. Committed to sustainability and operational excellence, the group invests continuously in clean technologies, reforestation and industrial solutions combining efficiency, environmental responsibility and value creation.
Even with a dedicated master data team in place, Grupo Ferroeste faced significant challenges around standardization and information quality in Material and Service master data. A key pain point was the lack of uniform criteria for filling in registration fields, which hindered descriptive standardization and correct tax classification — such as the precise definition of NCM codes — directly impacting procurement, tax compliance and decision making.
Requests for new records or changes were sent to the Central Registry via forms and emails. Requests often came with incomplete or non-standard information, generating rework and stretching validation and registration lead times. The high volume of requests, combined with dependence on manual processes, made it hard to ensure quality, agility, accuracy and traceability across every step.
As a result, symptoms typical of low automation and governance appeared: duplicate records, information divergence and difficulty standardizing the master data base. It became essential to find a solution to deliver higher efficiency, automation of critical steps and stronger information governance across the company.
To improve master data management and address the identified challenges, Grupo Ferroeste adopted MDM+ BRO, an akquinet Brasil solution integrated with SAP and focused on governance and master data automation. The implementation was completed in just five months, with active participation from 16 business areas and six key users, delivering more agility, reliability and control.
- Centralization and traceability with a structured flow and full interaction log
- Bulk registration of multiple materials at once
- PDM-based standardization with automatic reading of technical characteristics
- Duplicate prevention with intelligent alerts
- 80%+ of the steps automated, reducing manual effort and lead time
- Smart task distribution via business rules
- Workflow and validation management aligned with corporate guidelines
- Governance and SLA control monitored on the platform
- Decentralized and secure access, empowering business areas
“Deploying MDM+ BRO was an important milestone in the master data management of Grupo Ferroeste. The new system allowed us not only to automate more than 80% of manual steps but also to significantly raise the quality, compliance and reliability of information — fundamental elements for strategic decisions in procurement, planning and tax. Today we have a secure, auditable governance process fully aligned with the company's data governance guidelines. The change went far beyond technology: it represented a real evolution in the way we treat data within the organization. I want to thank and congratulate the akquinet team for the excellent work delivered throughout the implementation. The technical leadership, close follow-up and commitment to the success of the project were decisive to achieve the expected results.”
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