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One of the world's largest beer companies, with over 400 different beer brands, faced significant challenges in its end-to-end planning process. The company was using SAP/APO, which was not providing the desired level of accuracy in forecasting. The use of lagging indicators in the forecasting process resulted in low forecast accuracy. Additionally, the company was unable to run fast and intelligent demand and supply scenarios, leading to suboptimal decision-making. All key scenarios were developed in spreadsheets, which was inefficient and error-prone. Furthermore, key planning processes such as demand planning, supply planning, S&OP, and S&OE were all executed in silos, without the ability to connect the dots across different time horizons. This lack of integration and visibility was a major obstacle in the company's planning process.

One of the world's largest publicly traded international oil and gas companies was grappling with highly manual and Excel-driven planning processes. The company was facing significant data challenges and a lack of inventory visibility. The data structures were complex and unorganized, making it difficult for the company to maintain an overview of all data and processes. This led to the absence of a single source of truth. Furthermore, the company's forecast accuracy was low, and it relied heavily on manual, lagging indicators in the forecasting process. This resulted in excessively high inventory levels. The company's focus was more on execution rather than on planning, leading to a lot of day-to-day volume management and firefighting.

One of the world's largest tire and rubber companies, delivering a wide range of tires to customers globally, was facing significant challenges in its operations. The company was struggling with inaccurate forecasting, which was predominantly based on lagging indicators. This lack of precision in forecasting led to a lack of visibility into supply risk and capacity prioritization. Additionally, the company was unable to effectively use drivers of demand to predict future trends. This resulted in frequent excesses and shortages in inventory, leading to potential inventory liabilities and the need for additional price promotions to clear inventory. The company's current Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process was inefficient and lacked visibility into supply risk and capacity prioritization based on financials.

The case study revolves around a major global tire producer that was grappling with highly manual, Excel-driven planning processes across various functions and time horizons. This outdated approach resulted in suboptimal decision-making and inaccurate plans. The company's strategic planning for the next 5-7 years was conducted without leveraging key market trends and macroeconomic developments. Furthermore, the company was unable to execute long-range rough-cut capacity plans due to the majority of constraint information existing as spreadsheets or tribal knowledge. The core planning cycles, including strategic, tactical, and operational, were not interconnected, leading to silos and suboptimal decision-making.

AFS Logistics, a third-party logistics company based in Shreveport, La., was faced with the challenge of tracking all shipments for its shipper customers. The company needed a technology partner that could provide visibility of shipments in transit. The solution had to offer document retrieval, electronic bill of ladings (eBOLs), and in-transit visibility of shipments. The company also required a solution that could provide one-to-many connections between shippers and carriers. The challenge was further compounded by the need for a solution that could automate redundant and laborious tasks, including shipment order recognition, quoting, booking, dispatching, tracking, document retrieval, and shipment reporting.

Mondiale VGL, the largest privately-owned international freight forwarding and logistics company in Australasia, was facing a significant challenge in maintaining visibility and control over its vast supply chain. The company, which handles over 500,000 containers and 25 million kilograms of air freight per annum, was struggling to provide its customers with real-time information about their cargo. The traditional method of manually checking ship and container status was not only time-consuming and inconsistent, but also impractical given the volume of cargo the company handles. Furthermore, the company operates in an environment where teams do not have the time for unnecessary phone calls or emails, making it crucial to rely on automated workflows, exception management, and predictive analytics to keep its customers informed.

A renowned chocolate and confectionary company was facing significant challenges in its supply chain. The company's primary goal was to monitor their active cooling Full-Truckload (FTL) transport, which moved chocolates from the manufacturing unit to depots using domestic transportation. This process involved several transporters, making quality compliance both essential and complex. The company was struggling with two main challenges. The first was a breach in quality compliance. The company noticed spoilage in some of their consignments, but the data from their 3PLs was delayed, second-hand, inaccurate, and unverifiable. Many packages were reaching the destination spoiled due to unchecked temperature excursions. The second challenge was the lack of actionable information. The company depended on vendors and transporters for data, but the data was often delayed, inaccurate, and sometimes even inaccessible. The company was unable to make timely decisions due to the lack of real-time visibility on the shipment’s location and condition.

The case study revolves around one of the world's largest ice cream manufacturers, with a yearly revenue of over $5.5 billion in the South Asia market alone. The manufacturer was grappling with challenges in its ice cream supply chain, particularly in maintaining the storage temperature between -18°C and -25°C. The company operates 20 plants in India, serving around 700 million customers with a diverse product portfolio. Each of these plants has several large cold chain-specific warehouses that need to comply with stringent norms. The company also has warehouses in distribution centers that need to adhere to the same compliance norms. The manufacturer was using a passive cold chain monitoring system, which was leading to inefficient operations and product spoilage. The passive system, enabled by temperature data loggers, was creating product loss at two places: warehouses and during transit. The company was also dealing with inefficient operations due to a lack of data repositories and fragmented temperature monitoring duties.

Cancer Research UK, a leading global charity dedicated to cancer research, has a vast retail division with 13 superstores and 580 shops. The organization was seeking to enhance the transparency of the ethical performance of its retail supply chain as part of its sustainability strategy. The challenge was to understand the supply chain better and continuously improve the ethical performance of their suppliers. The organization needed a solution that could provide a comprehensive view of the ethical performance of their global supplier base, thereby enabling them to drive continuous improvement in this area.

Co-op, a company with a strong commitment to ethical trade, faced the challenge of managing a large, complex, and growing supply chain. They aimed to increase transparency and maintain high labour standards across their supply chain, while also reducing audit fatigue among suppliers. The company recognized the need for collaboration with other retailers and industry stakeholders to address common responsible sourcing challenges. They sought a solution that would allow them to standardize audits and share them with multiple businesses. Additionally, Co-op wanted to build strong supplier relations based on trust and transparency, with the goal of achieving long-term and sustainable improvements to working conditions in their supply chain.

Ethical Merch Co, an Australian manufacturer and reseller of promo goods and branded apparel, faced a significant challenge as it began to grow and acquire large non-profit customers. While price was a crucial factor for their customers, Ethical Merch Co understood that brand reputation was even more critical. The company was faced with the challenge of providing their clients with ethically sourced products, a task that required a deep understanding of their supply chain and the ability to ensure ethical practices at every level. The company's Managing Director, Nathan Kingston, recognized the need to partner with a company that shared their strong business ethics and could help them meet this challenge.

Kellogg Company, a global leader in the food industry, was facing significant challenges in managing its supply chain sustainability in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world. The company's SVP of Global Supply Chains, Alistair Hirst, identified four key challenges that were impacting the stability, risk, and sustainability of their global supply chains. These included political instability, climate change, food security, and urbanization. Political instability, such as wars and socio-economic imbalances, was affecting the company's sourcing and sustainability at a high level. Climate change was altering the world's growing regions, posing a threat to the company's food production. Food security was a major concern, especially in developing markets where the company hoped to expand its business. Lastly, urbanization was expected to increase the world's population to nine billion by 2050, with 70% living in urban areas, thereby increasing the demand for food while the resources remained limited.

Kellogg Company, a multinational food manufacturing organization with 33,000 employees, faced a significant challenge in managing its extensive supply chain. The company produces 1,600 foods in 20 countries and markets them in 180 countries, making transparency and sustainability crucial. Alistair Hirst, SVP Global Supply Chains at Kellogg Company, emphasized the need for a stable base to build a sustainable supply chain. The company's supply chain extends to multiple tiers, making it a complex task to understand and manage the entire process. The challenge was not only to reduce greenhouse emissions or energy footprint but to ensure sustainability throughout the end-to-end supply chain. The company also had to meet the expectations of its customers, particularly millennials, who demand transparency about the origin of their food and prefer companies that align with their moral compass.

Little Freddie, a premium organic baby food brand, was seeking to partner with reputable suppliers that not only met legal requirements but also shared their values on enhancing worker welfare and safeguarding good working conditions. The company used Sedex's risk assessment tool, Radar, to review countries' inherent risk ratings and identify specific risks when sourcing from these countries. The tool helped Little Freddie identify its Madagascan pineapple supplier, HavaMad, as a high-risk due to its location and the economic difficulties affecting businesses across Madagascar. The challenge was to reduce this risk and ensure a sustainable and ethical supply chain.

Molson Coors, the fifth-largest beverage company worldwide, operates in 100 countries and is known for popular beer brands like Coors Light, Miller Lite, and Carling. To compete in a global market, Molson Coors needed to maintain strict standards for themselves and their suppliers. They aimed to act ethically, responsibly, and in compliance with the law. However, they faced challenges in understanding their supply chain, setting measurable goals, and improving their processes. They also wanted to gain greater visibility into their suppliers’ operations and instigate conversations around sustainability risks and mitigation plans. Furthermore, they needed to enhance their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting to investors and improve supplier engagement and performance.

Oliver Bonas, a UK-based independent lifestyle retailer, was facing challenges in monitoring and improving the working conditions within their global supply chain. The company, which sources high-quality products from various countries with diverse cultures and economies, was committed to maintaining long-standing, trusting relationships with its suppliers. However, the administrative burden on their suppliers was high, and there was a lack of visibility into the ethical audits and factory and workforce details of their suppliers. The company's values of 'Work Hard, Play Hard and Be Kind' extended to their supply chain, and they were committed to doing business that was beneficial for everyone involved. Therefore, they needed a solution that would allow them to gain deeper visibility into their supply chain and engage with suppliers to monitor and improve working practices.

Reckitt, a global company with over 43,500 employees of 120 different nationalities, operating in 60 countries, is committed to diversity and inclusion. They believe it is their collective responsibility to build inclusion into everything they do, representing their people and the global community they serve. However, given the scale of their global supply chain and its structural gender inequalities, they faced a challenge. They wanted to identify and address the barriers to gender equality within their supply chain. The goal was to use the insights gained to drive change and promote gender equality within their supply chain.

Rémy Cointreau, a French family-run Group specializing in the production of cognacs, liqueurs, and champagne, was seeking to ensure responsible sourcing practices throughout their entire value chain. The company wanted to ensure that their suppliers, regardless of their location or industry, adhered to their responsible sourcing principles and guidelines. They aimed to set an example for their value chain that embodied their sustainability values, including policies that protect workers’ rights and respect the environment. Rémy Cointreau also wanted to promote transparency across their value chain and improve the lives of workers within their supply chain.

Suntory, a global beverage company, was facing challenges in managing its supply chain responsibly and sustainably. The company had a mission to create harmony with people and nature, which required sourcing more responsibly. However, the company was struggling with managing both reputational and actualized risks at supplier sites. Suntory was independently managing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) to mitigate supply chain-related risks. However, the company's global operations had different approaches to managing suppliers, with modern slavery legislation varying between the different countries Suntory operates within. Suntory recognized that to make a greater impact and deliver positive change for workers within their global supply chain, they needed to work within a broader framework.

Symrise AG, a global supplier of fragrances, flavours, food, nutrition, and cosmetic ingredients, is committed to operating and sourcing responsibly. With around 10,000 raw materials sourced from over 100 countries, sustainable procurement is a core part of the Symrise strategy. The company recognises the importance of responsible and sustainable operations for today’s business and future success. However, the company also acknowledges a growing interest among corporate investors in promoting social and environmental sustainability. This presented a challenge to integrate sustainability targets with corporate financing, creating shared goals to form one integrated strategy.

Waitrose & Partners, a major British supermarket chain with over 300 locations, was seeking to ensure ethical practices throughout their supply chain. The company believes in maintaining high standards of environmental responsibility and community wellbeing, which they consider integral to good business. However, they faced challenges in ensuring that all sites in their supply chain were carrying out ethical due diligence in line with industry standards. They needed a way to understand more about their suppliers and their ways of working, and to identify any issues that needed to be addressed. They also wanted to ensure that workers in their supply chain had safe and hygienic working conditions, were treated fairly, and were paid correctly.

4flow, a leading global provider of supply chain consulting, software and fourth party logistics (4PL) services, was facing a significant challenge. The company was dealing with rapidly increasing deviations from previously planned transport processes. Early detection of these deviations was crucial to avoid additional costs and maintain efficiency. However, without real-time data, achieving absolute supply chain visibility was a daunting task. As a neutral 4PL that is not fleet-based, 4flow did not have access to real-time transportation data. The lack of visibility resulted in inefficiencies and increased costs from deviations and exceptions, such as late penalties and dispute management costs. In the worst cases, it led to extended supply chain disruptions. Late identified delays meant the time needed to take preventative measures was lost, potentially leading to late fees and penalties. Manual communication between carriers, customers and transport planners was also required if shipping status data was not automatically exchanged between supply chain partners.

Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (HBC), a FTSE 100 company, operates in 28 markets across three continents, generating revenues of over €7 billion annually from more than 2 billion unit cases of product. As the third largest strategic bottling partner of The Coca-Cola Company, Coca-Cola HBC’s geographical reach is vast, stretching from the west coast of Ireland to the east coast of Russia, and from the Baltics to Nigeria. However, the scale, diversity of countries, and complexity of Coca-Cola HBC’s operation creates a large administrative effort to coordinate with transport carriers. This complexity made handling exceptions time-consuming and impacted the potential to improve operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. The lack of visibility of deliveries for recipients and customers further complicated the situation, with administrative teams frequently occupied with non-value adding tasks.

Eckes-Granini, a leading European producer of fruit juice, was facing a significant challenge in its distribution process. The company's strict slot management rules imposed by retail clients were resulting in high penalties each year. Additionally, the company was making a large number of empty runs for return journeys, which not only increased costs but also contributed to CO2 emissions. The company was looking for a solution that could streamline its operations, increase carrier efficiency, reduce loading times, and lower its carbon footprint.

Ewals Cargo Care, a full-service logistics player, was facing challenges in maintaining real-time visibility of their shipments. The company, which handles approximately 2,750 shipments each day from 30 offices across 14 countries, was struggling with delays, port congestion, and the impact of the pandemic. Despite having equipped their own fleet of trucks with GPS, the company was unable to maintain a centralized platform to aggregate all road visibility data due to the use of different onboard telematics systems by their subcontractors. This lack of a central platform led to visibility gaps and inaccurate information on loading, delivery, delays, and dwell times. The company recognized the need for real-time shipment tracking capabilities to meet increasing competitive pressures and changing customer service level expectations.

Faurecia Seating, the global leader in automotive seating components and complete seat design and assembly, faced significant challenges in managing its highly complex supply chain. The company, which operates across 74 production sites in 23 countries, was grappling with unexpected carrier costs due to waiting times or extra distances travelled by carriers. Additionally, the disruption in the supply of components led to costly production line halts. The company also incurred high penalties for unanticipated late deliveries. These challenges not only affected the company's profitability but also its customer satisfaction levels, as its customers demanded reliable and consistent deliveries of seat parts to sustain their Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing processes.

Fressnapf Group, Europe’s largest pet supplies retailer, faced a significant challenge in managing its vast and complex supply chain that spans from China to North America and throughout Europe. The company had no visibility of its container shipments until they arrived in Germany, which severely impacted the execution of promotions and customer satisfaction. The lack of real-time tracking information was a major issue, especially considering the company's reliance on multiple modes of transportation, including deep sea and road, for its 10,000 containers and over 25,000 truck deliveries annually. The situation was further exacerbated by fluctuations in delivery performance during the Covid-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for precise knowledge on the movement of shipments to and from distribution centers.

Krone, one of Europe's largest trailer manufacturers, was facing a growing demand for trailers with built-in Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) prediction capabilities. This was driven by the evolving digital requirements of shippers who were increasingly expecting more smart features to be integrated into their products. The company, which generates €1.9 billion in sales annually and employs over 5,300 workers, wanted to add more world-class connected services to their portfolio. This strategy was aimed at better serving the needs of their customers in 15 key markets throughout Europe and achieving their mission to offer the most complete connected trailer service within the Logistics 4.0 world.

Magnus Logistics, a leading logistics service provider in the Baltics, was facing a significant challenge in their operations. With customer expectations constantly evolving in the supply chain and logistics world, Magnus recognized an opportunity to further digitalize operations to improve the level of service offered. A visibility gap existed across their transport operations, for own fleet as well as sub-contracted services. This made it difficult to anticipate delays and impossible to warn customers in advance. Without this information, customer satisfaction could be jeopardized and financial penalties incurred. Furthermore, many large scale customers required shipment tracking of some kind within RFPs, creating an opportunity cost associated with lack of visibility.

Nexans, a global player in energy transition, faced significant challenges in managing its intricate and far-reaching value chain. The company's vast operations, which include dozens of factories across the world and thousands of deliveries at any given time, were prone to disruptions. These disruptions were often due to a lack of visibility into incoming deliveries, leading to high inventory buffers and supply chain bottlenecks. The company's customers were unable to understand where goods were or who was responsible for them, which negatively impacted Nexans's relationships with them. Nexans wanted to improve the quality of service offered to key clients, increase margin, and build strong, long-lasting customer relationships. However, simply increasing inventory buffers was not a viable solution, as the company wanted to keep working capital to a minimum. Nexans also faced bottlenecks throughout the chain, including delays in unloading deliveries when they arrived at customer sites unexpectedly. The company sought to streamline their transportation activities, improve visibility, and enhance their supply chain reliability.