Motivation
GROLI Schädlingsbekämpfung GmbH has been active in pest control and prevention as well as in wood and building protection for over 30 years. GROLI serves a broad customer base throughout Germany (e. g. hotel trade, catering, industry, monument maintenance).
At GROLI, data on the regional occurrence of recurring pests (time, place, quantity, changes, type) are collected on the basis of the respective customer orders and evaluated via the ERP system and Excel. This database is currently used to inform customers in specific regions about possible pest occurrences in a timely manner and according to their needs. However, the already available data stocks still offer unused potential for new analysis and evaluation methods, taking into account GROLI's expertise and experience. This extended data evaluation and use is intended to support the further expansion of GROLI's preventive and consulting business.
Objective
The aim of the pilot project is to investigate the potential of previously unused analysis and evaluation methods of the already existing data stock at GROLI. The key question is how the historical data including empirical knowledge on recurring pest incidents can be used for more targeted and proactive (new) customer approaches and geomarketing. Additionally, the aim is to derive further or new findings from the data analyses which will contribute to the expansion of GROLI's prevention and consulting business (e. g. identification of interest groups and new data correlations to be investigated; exploitation purposes).
Project contents and results
The pilot project combines results from the interaction of business informatics and data science expertise. In addition, value-adding considerations of the Fraunhofer IMW as well as the expertise and experience of the pilot company GROLI are incorporated. The present findings are based on the following prototypical data analysis:
- Structuring, analysis and enrichment of GROLI's customer data
- Analysis and enrichment of GROLI's order data
- Accompanying concept development for entrepreneurial potentials of data analyses
Formats of the project work are individual research, analysis and “data hackathon” phases as well as joint discussions of interim and final results in work phases or workshops. In addition, suitable experts or interested parties are involved wherever possible (e. g. at industry conferences). Furthermore, the respective knowledge is to be combined in the best possible way and expanded in the context of data analysis for proactive geomarketing.
