This DIY Hardware Retailer is one of the industry’s largest hardware cooperatives, with annual revenues of $3 Billion and boasting some 3,800 member-owned stores in 50-plus countries, primarily the US. Besides the usual tools and building materials, merchandise includes automotive items, bicycles, camping gear, housewares, office supplies, and small appliances. Customers also can have any of its 67,000 product portfolio (both domestically sourced and imported) offering specially shipped to their local stores through their e-commerce site or via store delivery. The co-op’s buying power enables member stores to offer items at competitive prices. Our client had been a long-term user of Blue Yonder/JDA E3 (Advanced Warehouse Replenishment) and it had outgrown the system’s capabilities given the complexity of new supply chain marketplace dynamics. Using Plantensive’s unique Agile Tools and Techniques, Plantensive completed full technical go-live of the solution in less than 7 months under budget.
Our Solution
Plantensive led the transformation initiative to implement Blue Yonder’s Demand, Demand 360, Demand Classification, Fulfillment, Order Optimization, Slow Mover Forecasting, and Replenishment Interval Optimization solution across its 2000 vendor, 12 Distribution Centers. Given the significant leap in technology, Plantensive engaged with the management team to define new forecasting, inventory planning and order planning processes to enable the transition from E3 to latest Blue Yonder technology while leveraging Plantensive’s proven retail supply and demand chain processes.
In addition, Plantensive worked with IT to define interface requirements, data mapping, integration unit testing and systems integration testing to enable a new planning process that is more dynamic and responsive given the significant pressures of an omni-channel marketplace. Plantensive also worked with the client’s Supply Chain Organization on end user training and knowledge transfer while leveraging Plantensive Cloud Services.
Our Results
There were many benefits realized which included improvement in forecast accuracy, increasing inventory turns, reducing inventory mark downs, optimizing procurement buys while balancing against service level objectives and using a “manage by exception” planning process. Overall, the lasting impact of the project increased our client’s supply chain maturity by successfully moving them to the next generation retail supply chain solution on Plantensive’s Cloud.
