Improved demand cognizance for enhanced forecasting 

api_Logo

  • API is one of Australia's leading pharmaceutical distributors and growing health and beauty retailers

  • Parent company of Priceline Pharmacy, Soul Pattinson Chemist, Pharmacist Advice and Clear Skincare Clinics

  • Services: wholesale product delivery, retail services, marketing programs and business advisory services

  • More than 420 stores

  • Founded in 1910, listed on the ASX since 1997

  • Over 3,000 employees

  • Revenue of more than $3.5bn AUD

Further information: www.api.net.au

 

Success Story

API: Improved demand cognizance for enhanced forecasting 

Inconsistent and unrealistic forecasts led to excess inventory.
To correct the inherent problems, API decided to revamp the demand signal which was being fed to SAP UDF application.

  • Inconsistent and unrealistic (inflated) demand signals unsuitable for statistical analysis

  • Need for manual intervention to offset inflated demand

  • Overforecast situations despite manual interventions

  • Erosion in trust of system/applications by business

Identification of the demand forecast

The project involved both retailsolutions and API teams carrying out extensive analysis of demand signals to arrive at possible combinations of demand quantity and demand dates that can be used to arrive at a demand forecast that fits API business processes.

Solution

  • Deep dive into issues causing inconsistencies in forecast and follow-on replenishment backed by expert data analysis

  • Developed a flexible framework to support different combinations of demand signals to be fed into SAP UDF

  • Ability to run forecast jobs with different demand data and to compare the results

Benefits

  • Inventory reduction in excess of $8.7m AUD  driven by an annual reduction in intolerable forecast-driven overstocks

  • Improved the service level for A&B products to 99.5% using UDF statistical smarts 

  • Dramatic upturn in forecast accuracy (weekly error reduction of up to 10%)

  • Improved responsiveness to customer demands/trends

[Schwedisch]

We extremely value retailsolutions for their expertise in helping organisations like ours to maximise the return on investment from SAP CAR and SAP F&R implementation.

We are continuing an ongoing engagement with them to achieve further system efficiencies.

API

Kosta Ouskov,

Operational Excellence Manager –
Systems Optimisation

image-5824

Butiksapparna som vi tog fram tillsammans med Retailsolutions togs emot så bra att butikschefer och franchisetagare faktiskt har ringt mig för att berätta hur nöjda de är med dem och hur mycket enklare det gör deras liv. Vanligtvis är de lite svårare att tillfredsställa

Coop Norge

Stein Johnsen,

projektledare , Coop Norge

image-5634

Tack vare Neptune-baserade butiksappar från retailsolutions har vi kraftigt förenklat lagerhanteringen, ökat den automatiska påfyllningen med SAP F&R och minskat kostnaderna. Butikerna har nu ökad tillgänglighet, minskat svinn och mer tid för att hjälpa kunderna

Coop Norge

Eirik Borge

programchef, Coop Norge SA