Case study
Storskogen: one integration layer for around 350 group companies and 60 source systems
Storskogen Group uses Otisco as the central integration and automation layer between its companies' local systems and AARO, its consolidation system.
The companies keep their own systems and ways of working. Group finance gets structured, auditable data flows, and new acquisitions are onboarded step by step.
Overview
- Customer: Storskogen Group
- Group structure: ~350 group companies
- Operating model: Decentralised ownership model
- Source systems: ~60 different financial source systems
- Consolidation system: AARO
- Otisco role: Central integration and automation layer for financial data into AARO
“Otisco has strengthened our ability to follow up and control group reporting. Having structured, auditable data flows makes it significantly easier to ensure correct reporting in line with our IFRS requirements.”
Anders Eriksson, Head of Group Accounting, Storskogen Group
Background
Storskogen Group operates with a decentralised ownership model in which portfolio companies are managed independently and typically retain their local systems, processes, and ways of working. The group focuses on long-term ownership and supports its companies’ development without imposing centralised operational structures.
With around 350 group companies and a continuous acquisition strategy, this approach results in a highly diverse system landscape at group level — particularly within finance, where companies use a wide range of ERP and supporting applications.
As the group continues to grow, the number of systems, data structures, and local setups increases accordingly, creating rising complexity in group-wide financial data collection, consolidation, and reporting.
The Challenge
Storskogen’s decentralised structure is a deliberate and strategic choice. However, from a group finance perspective, it introduces a number of practical challenges:
- A large and growing number of different ERP and accounting systems
- Variations in charts of accounts, dimensions, and reporting structures
- Significant manual effort to collect, validate, and align financial data
- Increasing pressure to onboard newly acquired companies into group reporting quickly, without disrupting local operations
At group level, Storskogen uses AARO as its consolidation system. Ensuring that financial data from many different source systems could be delivered into AARO in a consistent, structured, and auditable way was therefore a key requirement.
Prior to Otisco, local companies used a wide range of different methods and tools to report financial data to the group. From a group perspective, this made the reporting setup difficult to support and maintain. Troubleshooting issues was time-consuming, and onboarding new colleagues often required extensive explanations of local reporting solutions.
Traditional approaches — such as enforcing system standardisation or driving ERP migrations — were not aligned with Storskogen’s operating model.
The Solution
Otisco as the Integration Layer Between Local Systems and AARO
Storskogen uses Otisco as a central integration and automation layer for financial data.
Otisco connects Storskogen to approximately 60 different types of source systems, including local ERP systems, accounting platforms, and other finance-related applications used across the group.
Rather than replacing local systems, Otisco acts as an intermediary layer that:
- Extracts financial data from local source systems
- Applies centralised mappings and validation rules
- Delivers harmonised data directly into AARO for consolidation
With Otisco in place, reporting processes are standardised at group level while remaining intuitive and easy to use for local finance teams. This has reduced the effort required to support reporting processes and made it easier to introduce new colleagues to how reporting works.
Implementation Approach
Storskogen began working with Otisco through a pilot phase, initially connecting around 10 group companies. The first companies included in the pilot were selected from parts of the group where reporting processes had been most challenging to support.
Starting with a limited scope made it possible to evaluate the benefits of Otisco quickly, without requiring changes to existing systems or disrupting established ways of working. Feedback from the pilot phase was strong, and the scope was gradually expanded.
Rather than following a large, upfront implementation model, Storskogen added new companies continuously, with several onboarded each month. This step-by-step approach allowed the group to remain fully in control of pace and priorities, while Otisco was scaled across an increasing number of group companies.
Onboarding Services
As Otisco was rolled out to more companies within the Storskogen group, Storskogen made use of Otisco’s onboarding services to support the phased expansion. Through this engagement, Otisco supported local finance teams by:
- Connecting their local systems to Otisco
- Migrating account mappings from existing reporting setups
- Validating that reported figures remained consistent with prior reporting methods
This structured onboarding approach helped ensure continuity in group reporting while making it easy for new companies to start using Otisco. It also reduced the support burden on group finance by providing a repeatable and well-defined onboarding process as Otisco was scaled across the organisation.
“Storskogen has been a very enjoyable customer to work with. I’ve met many engaged financial controllers who were genuinely excited to start using Otisco — and often positively surprised by how simple and intuitive the solution is. That made onboarding new companies both efficient and rewarding.”
Jane-Ly Melin, Otisco
How It Works
- 1. Connect Local Source Systems. Each subsidiary’s ERP or accounting system is connected to Otisco, regardless of vendor, country, or local setup.
- 2. Central Mapping and Validation. Financial data is mapped and validated in Otisco to align with group-level structures and AARO requirements.
- 3. Efficient Onboarding of Acquisitions. When new companies are acquired, existing connector types and mappings can often be reused, reducing onboarding time and manual work.
- 4. Automated Delivery to AARO. Structured, quality-controlled data is transferred into AARO with full traceability from source system to consolidated figures.
User Perspective
Alexandra Pechhold, Group Accountant, Storskogen Group
As a Group Accountant at Storskogen, Alexandra Pechhold works closely with group-level reporting and consolidation processes. With a strong interest in automation, her focus is on establishing consistent, repeatable reporting methods that scale across a decentralised group structure.
A key priority has been to reduce manual work for local financial controllers, while ensuring that reporting processes remain clear, reliable, and easy to use — even as the group continues to grow.
Previously, the diversity of local reporting solutions made the process difficult to support from a group perspective. A significant amount of time was spent troubleshooting issues and explaining different local setups to new colleagues. With Otisco, reporting workflows are more intuitive and consistent across the group, making them easier to support and easier to introduce to new team members.
“Otisco is clearly ahead of other solutions we’ve evaluated, particularly when it comes to usability and support for group reporting.”
Alexandra Pechhold, Group Accountant, Storskogen Group
Results
With Otisco in place, Storskogen has established a financial integration setup that supports both its operating model and its consolidation process:
- Scalable consolidation without system enforcement. Around 350 group companies can be integrated into AARO without requiring changes to local systems.
- Improved control and auditability. Structured data flows and full traceability support follow-up, internal controls, and audit requirements.
- Reduced effort to support reporting processes. Standardised workflows have replaced a wide range of local reporting methods.
- Improved onboarding of new colleagues. Intuitive and consistent processes make it easier to introduce new users.
- A future-proof architecture. With around 60 different source system types already connected, the setup supports continued acquisition-driven growth.
Key Takeaway
For decentralised groups with hundreds of group companies using AARO for consolidation, system diversity at source level is unavoidable.
Otisco enables Storskogen to start small, stay in control, and scale confidently — combining structured onboarding services with a non-disruptive integration platform that works across a complex and growing organisation.
“It’s a privilege to work with Storskogen and their highly structured way of working. They have a strong focus on continuously improving processes, and their feedback has been a real driving force in how we develop Otisco — both the core platform and add-on products. Many of those improvements have since created value for other customers as well. Storskogen consistently challenges us to raise the bar.”
Scott Reed, Founder & CEO, Otisco
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