WOLTERS KLUWER N.V. 
By Munich, Germany (January 29, 2013) -
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At a recent press conference in Munich that took place late January, the German tax and accounting software unit - ADDISON - had the opportunity to present its pragmatic concept for cost control and accounting management for SMEs to members of several German trade media. Together with customers and subject matter experts, Addison was able to demonstrate how helps it customers reduce expenditure and increases the effectiveness of cost control and management accounting.
The integrated accounting solutions that Addison offers its customers in Germany all rally around the core concept that in the accounting industry, it is no longer additional data and analyses that count, but a lean, integrated solution that enables flexible planning and reporting and concentrates on the essential workflow.
Prof. Dr. Volker Steinhübel, CEO of the Institut for Controlling, explained in his opening speech how cost control is developing in SMEs . "Cost control and management accounting is an instrument and a management philosophy with which the efficiency of the structures and resources and the effectiveness of services and targets in companies and other organizations can be optimized for the long term." Cost control must be further developed in medium-sized enterprises, but "not in terms of more figures and more paperwork but a greater focus on the future and pragmatism."
User-oriented reporting
The lack of strategic thinking in planning is often compensated by a disproportionate level of detail and convoluted planning processes. The aim, however, is for "an effective planning system that organizes planning more roughly, flexibly and quickly." Information technology has contributed to the figures and information in reporting being captured and analyzed in a matter of seconds today, which would have required considerable manual input just a few years ago. "And yet these possibilities often encourage authors of reports to try to include every conceivable detail in the reporting structure. The result is a well-intentioned 'information overflow' that the user finds challenging, making the search for the really important information cumbersome and time-consuming." Prof. Dr. Steinhübel called for a lean system of reporting with aggregated, user-oriented information that focuses on deviations from the plan.
Andreas Hermanutz, ADDISON Sales and Marketing Director, highlighted how cost control is implemented in the SME sector using ADDISON software, which key features are:
- Integration: ADDISON cost control and management accounting is fully integrated with ADDISON solutions for accounting, finance, and HR. Extracting data from the accounts and other operating applications to the data warehouse and compiling reports on planning and reporting functions are integral parts of a global solution. A consistent data flow is guaranteed as a result.
- Convenient planning: The development of a corporate plan is supported through detailed planning on sales, cost of sales, personnel, investment and finance. This offers companies the opportunity of having a fast and flexible planning process.
- Concise reporting: Automated analysis of variances, forecasts for the income and cash flow position, highlighting success factors and weaknesses, as well as important KPIs provides recipients of the reports specifically with the information that is relevant to them.
- Wide range of financial control instruments: Balanced scorecards, scenario analyses, portfolio analyses and risk management functions offer wide greater support to business management.
"Our approach to cost control and management accounting is pragmatic, as the business culture requires in the SME sector," said Andreas Hermanutz. "The complete integration of cost control and management information in our accounting system allows us to generate the key figures, reports, and analyses in a largely automated process. This can be used by companies as a basis for their strategic action, as demonstrated by numerous client examples."
Absolute transparency
Manuela Murari, Head of Accounting and HR Manager at Staudigl-Druck GmbH & Co. KG in the Bavarian town of Donauwörth, explained how this medium-sized printing house manages the
accounts, HR, cost control, and management accounting with ADDISON. The printing house, a specialist for calendars and posters, has annual sales of more than 20 million euro and a workforce of about 170. "The software offers comprehensive functionality in areas of payroll, financial, and asset accounting and the cost control and management information systems are already linked to the accounting solutions."
It enables the company to produce a three-year plan, while variance analyses make it possible to drill down to the causes for any deviations from the plan. "We are therefore able to follow business progress on a daily basis, quickly identify any variances and react to them. We have an analysis and planning tool that is tailored to the needs of a medium-sized company and offers transparency both for senior and technical management."
The German trade press clearly welcomed Addison's expertise and insights, which resulted in various online and print coverage, among others by IT trade publication Computerwoche.
