Brickworks is attempting to transition its legacy data structures from isolated, point-to-point connections into a centralized, high-speed "highway" to drive enterprise-wide business outcomes. By deploying the Boomi Enterprise Platform, the Australian building products manufacturer aims to eliminate the data silos that previously trapped critical information in disconnected systems and static documents. This strategic shift is designed to replace slow, costly, single-use integration builds with a scalable, reusable architecture. The move is intended to provide the necessary data foundation for future growth and the planned expansion of agentic AI capabilities across the organization’s global manufacturing and distribution network.
Brickworks Replaces Point-to-Point Connections with Reusable Architecture
Historically, Brickworks relied on a fragmented integration landscape characterized by single-use, point-to-point connections. This architecture limited the company's ability to access, share, and act upon its enterprise data, often leaving valuable information trapped within disconnected systems. To address these limitations, Brickworks engaged Boomi partner Atturra to implement the Boomi Enterprise Platform alongside the Atturra Integration Accelerator (AIA) and Boomi Companion. This implementation focused on connecting the company's product information management system with its content management system, establishing a more cohesive data flow.
The deployment utilized an AI-driven approach to compress delivery timelines significantly. While a traditional integration build might have required more than 80 business days, the team completed the setup of 18 interfaces in just 12 days. This method also produced maintainable documentation, allowing the team to handle late-stage changes through simple iteration rather than restarting the development process. The company is positioning this new architecture as a core strategic enabler, moving integration from a background capability to a primary driver of business value. This shift has already resulted in a 700 per cent increase in platform usage, according to Brickworks CIO Keiren Lawrence, while costs only rose by 50 per cent.
Activating Inaccessible Data via Boomi and Atturra Integration
The modernization effort has already yielded specific data activation results, particularly within procurement workflows. By orchestrating mailbox extraction and routing 135,000 PDFs through Azure Document Understanding, Brickworks unlocked over 40,000 records of previously inaccessible spend data. This process captured line-level details that now feed directly into category management analytics, providing the company with increased visibility for vendor negotiations and pricing decisions. This capability illustrates how the company intends to use the Boomi platform to move data from static formats into actionable enterprise assets.
Beyond procurement, the new architecture has supported complex marketing integrations, such as migrating product data to a newly launched website. The company reported that the team delivered the full set of integrations without disruption, even when faced with tight timelines and last-minute changes that would traditionally have caused delays of weeks or months. Looking forward, Brickworks plans to leverage this scalable foundation to expand its use of agentic AI capabilities within the Boomi Enterprise Platform. The organization aims to maintain strong governance across data integration and automation as it continues to scale its global manufacturing, design, and retail operations.
Key Takeaways
- Brickworks reduced integration delivery time from an estimated 80+ business days to just 12 days by utilizing an AI-driven approach with Boomi and Atturra.
- The implementation resulted in a 700 per cent increase in platform usage, while only incurring a 50 per cent increase in associated costs.
- The company successfully unlocked over 40,000 previously inaccessible spend records by routing 135,000 PDFs through Azure Document Understanding.
TechInsyte's Take
In our view, Brickworks’ move represents a textbook example of shifting integration from a technical "tax" to a strategic asset. By moving away from the high-maintenance, low-visibility world of point-to-point connections, the company is effectively building the "data plumbing" required for the next generation of enterprise AI. The most telling metric is not just the speed of the 12-day deployment, but the massive 700 per cent surge in platform usage against a controlled 50 per cent cost increase. This suggests that the company has successfully achieved economies of scale through reusable architectural patterns. For CIOs, the Brickworks case highlights that the value of an integration platform is realized not when it connects two systems, but when it enables the extraction of deep, granular data—like the 40,000 procurement records—that was previously invisible to the business.
Questions & Answers
How does the new architecture impact the cost-to-value ratio of Brickworks' IT operations?
The company has successfully decoupled usage growth from cost growth. While platform usage increased by 700 per cent, costs only rose by 50 per cent. This indicates that by defining reusable architectural patterns, Brickworks can scale its data capabilities without a linear increase in integration expenses.
What specific technical process enabled the recovery of lost procurement data?
Brickworks utilized a combination of Boomi orchestration and Azure Document Understanding to automate the extraction of data from 135,000 PDFs. This process allowed the company to capture line-level detail from mailbox extractions, turning previously inaccessible documents into 40,000 usable spend records for analytics.
Can this integration model handle high-pressure, last-minute project changes?
Yes. The company reported that during a complex marketing integration involving a website launch, the team delivered all required integrations without disruption, despite a tight timeline and last-minute changes that would typically have caused delays of weeks or months.
What is the long-term strategic goal for Brickworks regarding this technology investment?
Brickworks intends to use the scalable and secure foundation established by the Boomi Enterprise Platform to expand its use of agentic AI capabilities. The goal is to maintain strong governance over data integration and automation as the business continues to scale globally.
Source: Businesswire
