Turning Complexity into Clarity: How Nordic Paper Modernized Its Data Platform with Microsoft Fabric and Cegeka

With five mills across Sweden, Norway, and Canada, Nordic Paper delivers greaseproof and kraft paper to over 70 countries. But behind that global footprint lies a challenge familiar to many manufacturers: fragmented data systems that limit visibility and slow down decision-making. 

To overcome that, Nordic Paper partnered with long-time tech ally Cegeka — paving the way for a scalable, unified, and cloud-driven modern data platform based on Microsoft Fabric

Breaking Through Fragmentation

"IFS Cloud runs our core IT and admin processes," says Marcus Kvarnström, Data Analytics Expert at Nordic Paper. "Its built-in analytics were a good start — Cegeka helped us set them up — but that out-of-the-box solution couldn’t keep pace with our growing complexity."

That complexity included operational technology (OT) data from machines and production lines, which sat outside IFS. On top of that, the Quebec mill ran on a completely different ERP system, not on IFS. 

“We needed a platform that could talk to everything,” says Kvarnström. “Microsoft Fabric gave us that — source-agnostic, flexible, and built for scale.”

“We needed a platform that could talk to everything. Microsoft Fabric gave us that — source-agnostic, flexible, and built for scale.”

Marcus Kvarnström, Data Analytics Expert, Nordic Paper

Building a Unified, Accessible Platform

Microsoft Fabric provided more than just connectivity — it created a foundation. With Microsoft OneLake at its core, Nordic Paper could ingest and align data from across systems, locations, and formats.

“It’s not just a data lake. It’s a full platform,” says Kvarnström. “We can reuse models, speed up development, and maintain consistency across reports and dashboards. It also helps reduce bottlenecks — we’re moving away from manual exports and email chains toward self-service access.”
This was critical in an organization where automation is still evolving. “We’re shifting a culture that’s been driven by longtime routines,” he adds. “Fabric helps make data accessible to more people, not just the really tech-savvy ones.”

More than a technology upgrade, this was a strategic shift. Power BI has replaced legacy tools like QlikView and Reporting Services, providing a modern, intuitive visualization layer on top of Fabric. It is much appreciated by its business users as well. 

Cegeka Craftsmanship 

"Cegeka, who initially implemented IFS analytics, returned to help us develop the infrastructure and several data pipelines. This included using a custom-built IFS accelerator with API loaders to pull data directly from IFS into the Fabric-powered lakehouse"

“Cegeka comes with a lot of hands-on technical craftsmanship,” Kvarnström notes. “Their people are embedded in our team and report to me. That approach makes a real difference in driving results.”

“Cegeka comes with a lot of hands-on technical craftsmanship.”

Marcus Kvarnström, Data Analytics Expert, Nordic Paper

Laying the Groundwork for Business Impact

With the platform in place, Nordic Paper is now turning its attention from engineering to enablement.

“Until now, the work has been mostly technical — integrating, building, setting the foundation,” says Kvarnström. “Now it’s about surfacing insights that matter to the business — like understanding actual spend, improving planning, and so on.”
Next (technical) steps include rolling out Microsoft Purview for governance, developing near real-time data flows, and expanding dashboards with push alerts that bring insights to the forefront faster.

“We’ve modernized the backbone,” Kvarnström concludes. “Now, we’re ready to make that data matter.”