Minkels
Simplifying server cabinet configurations for Minkels.
Minkels a division of Legrand, teamed up with SME Datalab to achieve their growth goals. Together, they set out to explore the configurations of their sold server cabinets. With a wide range of customizable options available, their goal was to improve inventory management and make the customer configuration process smoother.
The Challenge
Minkels, a division of Legrand, took proactive steps to support their growth ambitions by gaining in-depth insights into the configurations of sold server cabinets. With a wide range of customizable options, they aimed to streamline inventory management and enhance the customer configuration process.
What the student did
Within a single project, armed with Python, Pandas, and Excel, our student conducted a thorough analysis of the sold server cabinet configurations. He actively searched for patterns and common combinations of components. This analysis gave valuable insights that were used to improve processes, especially for product and supply chain managers within Minkels.
The result
His solution involved a detailed descriptive analysis of server cabinet configurations. The student segmented this analysis into three phases: producing statistics to provide an overview of the data, analyzing component frequency by cabinet size, and actively identifying common component combinations. Using these proactive insights, Minkels was able to implement targeted improvements to increase process efficiency and proactively support their growth plans.
The impact of working with SME Datalab
The impact of working with SME Datalab
“We have experienced the collaboration with Sjoerd from SME Datalab as very pleasant. Throughout the 8-week project duration, we had regular progress meetings with Sjoerd every 1-2 weeks. During these meetings, he provided us with updates on his work and we discussed the next steps. This continuous communication enabled us to gain insights throughout the process, allowing us to work towards the desired end result step by step.
With the analysis conducted during the project, we have defined a fast delivery program that covers approximately 75% of the sold configurations. In this program, we have included common combinations as well as defined alternatives. The goal of this program is to meet customer expected delivery times while still offering a comprehensive modular portfolio. Additionally, with this specific portfolio, we can optimize our inventory and assembly line.
“This project with SME Datalab has provided us with insights from the sold product configurations that were difficult for us to gain visibility into on our own.”
– Maarten Marks | Product manager at Minkels
Why collaborate with JADS SME Datalab?
The JADS SME Datalab supports Dutch SMEs that want to make the transition to a more data-driven way of working. The JADS SME Datalab carries out projects with SME entrepreneurs and Data Science students. In addition, they offer several tools to help you define a Data Science project with impact, such as workshops, a Data Maturity Scan and a Data Project Canvas.
So, if you want to take on a specifically designed short-term data science project for your SME with a JADS MSc student, visit the JADS SME Datalab Website. 150 SMEs have already participated!