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CRU Group
Real-time, self-service analytics on the modern stack
Data modernisation that empowers 290+ analysts with continuous access to insight.
The client
CRU is a leading business intelligence company, providing market analyses, strategic consulting and data for the global mining, metals and fertilisers industries.
Its clients depend on CRU for accurate, timely insight into fast-moving global markets, so speed and depth of data matter as much as the analysis itself. That demand meant CRU needed a platform able to keep pace with hundreds of analysts working on complex, high-stakes information every day.
Key results and metrics
Self-serve data exploration for all data users
Users upskilled to keep scaling the platform
CRU’s challenge
CRU's data infrastructure could not keep up with the pace its analysts and clients needed. Collecting and preparing data took up to six weeks, which left little room for experimentation or A/B testing and meant insight often arrived too late to be useful. Much of the work relied on manual processes, adding operational overhead and stretching the time between a question being asked and an answer being ready.
For a company whose business is built on timely market intelligence, this gap between data and decision was a real constraint on growth.
The Solution
CRU needed a platform that could deliver data fast, scale with the business and put insight directly in the hands of the people who needed it, without always routing through the data team.
dbt FOR SCALABLE DATA WORKFLOWS
We built CRU's data transformation layer on dbt, giving the team scalable, reusable workflows and automation. This replaced ad hoc, manual processes with a consistent, repeatable foundation that could grow alongside CRU's data volumes.
Streamlined data flow with Snowplow
We introduced Snowplow to bring near-instant data availability across all media. This streamlined the flow of information between business, technology and data teams, closing the gap between data being collected and being ready to use.
Semantic layer
We built a semantic layer, the business context layer that AI depends on, encoding CRU's business logic and definitions in one place and making the platform ready for AI and agentic use cases. Paired with a BI tool on top, this gave CRU intuitive, self-service data analysis and reporting, including voice-driven analytics that business users can work with directly, without needing to go back to the data team for every question.
Knowledge transfer
Alongside the new platform, we worked to upskill CRU's data team and business users, so they could get the most from the new tools rather than simply inherit them. This shifts the data team's role from handling routine requests to supporting higher-value work, and gives business users the confidence to explore data on their own terms. It leaves CRU with a foundation it can keep building on as its needs evolve.
The result
CRU's data is now ready when its people need it. What once took six weeks now takes 15 minutes, letting decisions happen in real time rather than after the fact. The data team spends 70% less time on data preparation and dashboards, freeing capacity for work that adds more value than routine upkeep.
Across the business, 290+ subject matter experts and the CEO now use self-service analytics daily, exploring data independently through fast, intuitive tools rather than waiting on manual reports. For a company whose value lies in timely market intelligence, that shift from delayed access to real-time exploration reaches directly into how CRU serves its own clients.
Let’s walk the walk together
Our data expertise translates into cutting-edge, modular solutions that empower people and help organisations thrive in the era of AI.
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