Edrington’s Planning Evolution, Powered by Spitfire Analytics

Edrington is a global leader in premium spirits, home to iconic brands like The Macallan, Highland Park, and Glenrothes. With over 3,500 employees, most of them based outside the UK, Edrington needed a faster, more flexible approach to planning and reporting, especially as demand grew in the US market.

<10s

Shipments data now loads in under 10 seconds

20s

Financial calcs down to 20 seconds (from 2+ minutes)

3+ years of trusted partnership with Spitfire Analytics

The Challenge

Edrington’s US finance team had outgrown its depletion-based planning system. It was:

Slow and error-prone, with processes dragging on for hours
Overly complex, with too much detail and not enough value
Unable to scale, struggling to handle growing data volumes and evolving business questions

And when the system wasn’t crashing, it was freezing mid-report. Not ideal.

The Solution

Spitfire Analytics rebuilt the planning environment from the ground up, without interrupting day-to-day operations.

Here’s how we delivered:

Stripped back unnecessary SQL steps to dramatically reduce data load times
Built and tested a brand-new solution in parallel, so teams could keep working
Upgraded to IBM® Planning Analytics Cloud, unlocking better performance and flexibility
Added overhead analysis and open order tracking, expanding visibility across the board
Introduced IBM® PAX and PAW for a smoother, more intuitive user experience

The Result

<10-second data loads (down from over an hour)
20-second financial calcs, without the wait
No more crashes, freezes, or lockouts
Live, flexible reporting when and where it’s needed
Tailored planning tools that fit real-world finance workflows

Client Testimonial

Spitfire Analytics have partnered with us for over three years, complementing our internal teams. They’ve provided consultancy, support, development, and turn-key solutions.

What sets them apart is not just technical expertise, but deep subject matter knowledge in financial accounting, budgeting, and process improvement. This combination has driven a truly innovative and transformational evolution in our systems and capabilities.