Implementation of a Performance Dashboard for Key Performance Indicators Monitoring in a Furniture Manufacturing Company

The increasing competitiveness in manufacturing sectors demands efficient performance monitoring systems to support strategic decision-making. This study presents the implementation of a comprehensive business intelligence dashboard for monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) in a Portuguese furniture manufacturing company. The dashboard integrates eight product categories tracked over three years (2021-2023), monitoring metrics including sales volume, average selling price, production costs, profit margins, customer complaints, production defects, average production time, and production line efficiency. The implementation followed the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle methodology, utilizing Microsoft Power BI as the primary visualization tool integrated with the company's ERP system. Additionally, a pilot inventory control system was developed to address the company's lack of stock management capabilities. Results demonstrate significant improvements in operational visibility, with production efficiency increasing from 64.7% in 2022 to 98.8% in 2023. However, the analysis also revealed concerning trends, including a 30% decrease in sales volume from 2021 to 2023 and declining profit margins across several product categories. The dashboard enabled data-driven identification of bottlenecks in furniture production, quality issues in specific product lines, and opportunities for pricing optimization. The system successfully centralized fragmented data sources, reducing decision-making time and providing management with real-time performance insights. This research contributes practical insights for small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises seeking to implement business intelligence solutions while highlighting the challenges of data standardization and the critical importance of organizational change management in digital transformation initiatives.