A retail company partnered with aBCD Consulting to strengthen its market presence by leveraging the robustness of its supply chain.
The challenge
The lack of timely sharing of forecasted sales data, promotions—both within the organization and across the external supply chain—and inventory levels was compromising procurement capabilities.
This lack of visibility hindered effective demand planning, leading to:
Supply delays
Inefficiencies in reordering and transportation
Risk of stockouts or excess inventory
As a result, the company faced operational disruptions and struggled to respond promptly to market demands.
The solution
aBCD Consulting implemented a targeted intervention structured in three phases:
1 - Initial analysis and situation mapping
The first step was a detailed assessment of the company’s supply chain to identify key pain points, areas for improvement, and to map information flows and operational processes. This phase included:
Mapping information flows
between the company, product suppliers, and the logistics provider.
Analyzing demand planning
and inventory management processes.
Identifying inefficiencies
in reordering and logistics, with a focus on demand peaks driven by promotions.
Engaging stakeholders
to gather specific needs and identify improvement opportunities.
The insights gathered enabled the development of a structured intervention plan, ensuring both internal and external supply chain visibility.
2 - Identifying key information and defining process logic
Based on the findings from the analysis phase, aBCD Consulting identified key process stakeholders and defined the information and logic necessary for enhanced visibility:
Sharing
relevant information internally and externally with process owners.
Defining logical requirements
to be communicated to the client’s software provider, ensuring clear and comprehensive data visibility.
Supporting communication
management with the software provider.
Training and aligning stakeholders
on new processes and tools to ensure effective adoption of the implemented solutions.
3 - Establishing a monitoring process
To ensure the long-term sustainability of the implemented solutions, a monitoring and continuous improvement process was put in place, including:
Supporting the creation of control dashboards and KPIs
to periodically measure supply chain performance and identify potential issues.
Assisting in the development of feedback sessions with suppliers and logistics partners
to gather improvement insights and foster a more collaborative workflow.
Results
Thanks to aBCD Consulting’s intervention, the company achieved tangible improvements:
- Optimization of supply lead times;
- Reduction of supply disruptions caused by an undersized logistics partner fleet;
- Increased efficiency in communication management and operational processes;
- Enhanced capabilities and tools to independently manage future supply chain challenges.
A company looking to build a resilient supply chain should
rely on aBCD Consulting's supply chain risk management advisory services. We provide tailored consulting solutions designed to help businesses grow and thrive.
