Background:
A Sales and Operations planning process was developed for the ecommerce business of a multi-brand retail client. The project involved the assessment of current planning processes, the tailoring and development of a proven S&OP model to the clients business and the development and implementation communication structure and tools to support the process. The project was completed in 4 months.
Goals:
- Develop and implement a Sales and Operations Process that will enable the regular collection and transmission of updated forecast information and supply performance (service level) between each retail brand and the ecommerce distribution center.
- Develop and implement the information tools including forms, spreadsheets, schedules and format for communication between the retail brands and the fulfillment center.
- Develop and implement a regular and structured meeting schedule for sharing and review of demand and resource plans.
Accomplishments / Benefits:
- Developed and implemented a consistent format reporting mechanism for use by brands to transfer inbound and outbound forecasts to the fulfillment center and transportation group improving the transparency and communication between the brands and shared services support.
- Developed a planning tool for use by the DC planning team to aggregate forecast information, produce a dashboard of inbound and outbound demand by time horizon and to plan labor by position within the DC based on the aggregated forecast enabling the client to optimize the use of resources while meeting service level requirements.
- Developed SKU Velocity report format for communicating status and expected velocity of inbound (new SKU), replenishment, existing skus and disposition of dead or slow moving skus enabling more effective decision making regarding slotting of the facility.