Logistics real estate came out on top during the pandemic, with changes to supply chain, delivery models, and increased investor demand. As asset managers continue to navigate the short-to-medium term business adjustments to sustain the pandemic, access to fast, reliable data is integral for value creation and deal-making.

Throughout the pandemic, real estate has continued to be an asset class able to generate returns at a time of low or negative interest rates. While the security of income from office, retail and hospitality has been affected by ongoing lockdowns and reduced capacity, logistics and industrial investments have become more attractive. The significant growth in e-commerce contributed to logistics become the third most invested real estate asset class for H1 of 2020 (PERE).

Growing demand for reliable insights and reporting

With ongoing uncertainty of Covid-19’s impact on real estate investment decisions, fast access to meaningful data is important. Investors are seeking regular insights to understand where their funds are best placed, and asset managers need reliable data to perform ‘what-if?’ calculations, fund modeling, forecasting and scenario planning.

As new logistics and industrial investments are brought on board, varying leases need to be managed to ensure 100% occupancy and with the current demand for logistics assets exceeding supply, opportunities must be evaluated quickly in order to grow successful portfolios with attractive returns. If the method used by asset managers for preparing reports and gathering insights is reliant on siloed spreadsheets and systems, this becomes increasingly difficult, time-consuming and error prone.

When it comes to data aggregation and performing superior modeling and forecasts, the tool we recommend most commonly, and work with clients to implement is Anaplan.

Anaplan: Orchestrating performance with one platform

Combining the flexibility of a spreadsheet, the scalability of a database and rapid calculation speed in a single cloud-based solution, Anaplan’s multi-dimensional platform has a wide range of use cases for industrial investments. This enables investors to view scenario analyses in real-time at any level in the organisation whether at the asset, portfolio, fund or corporate level. Its ease of use and flexibility allows the solutions to be tailored to each investor’s requirements.

  1. ANAPLAN WORKS ACROSS YOUR ENTIRE BUSINESS by connecting the front, middle and back office to create a line of sight for collaborative, agile and IT-independent modelling and decision making.  From corporate and fund modelling, valuation, portfolio monitoring and operational asset modelling, Anaplan provides a holistic platform to support all facets of an infrastructure investor.
  2. ANAPLAN CAN PLUG INTO ANY EXISTING ECOSYSTEM via its flexible data model and calculation engine, connecting and unifying your CRM, portfolio monitoring and investment accounting solutions to empower the entire organization with a single data ecosystem.
  3. ANAPLAN COMPLEMENTS YOUR EXISTING TECHNOLOGY OPTIONS as it integrates with your existing, foundational systems and combines traditionally offline data sources, such as Excel.  Anaplan de-risks modelling processes through applying a common framework across all relevant assets and seamlessly updating actuals with source system data feeds.
  4. ANAPLAN IS A CLOUDBASED, SCALABLE DIGITAL PLATFORM that sits across your core systems and provides a centrally connected source for all planning, forecasting and modelling. Anaplan provides a simple user interface with familiar Excel-like functionality. Internal and external teams are able to collaboratively access the software and make data-driven decisions in real time.

Summary

To help asset managers navigate economic uncertainty and balance investor demands, they need access to reliable data for informed decision making, value creation and facilitating deals.

Lionpoint has helped leading asset managers and investors implement a digital transformation roadmap across processes, technology, and data governance. When it comes to data aggregation, reporting and planning, a useful tool we regularly recommend based on the needs of our clients, is Anaplan.

As an Anaplan Gold Partner our expertise with the platform includes a suite of models we have developed to address the key challenges faced by logistics asset managers, including acquisitions and disposal, asset budgeting and forecasting, managing occupancy, fund and waterfall modelling, and other key areas of the investment life cycle.

To learn more about managing data and reporting in your organization, or for an overview of Anaplan and its benefits contact the Lionpoint team.

In this article
Joe Corlett
Associate Director, Real Assets
Neil Elliott
Executive Director, Real Assets

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