Inventory Optimization for Trade Merchants
Bridging the gap
The world is getting smaller. The Far East now dominates the supply scene, bringing with it the challenge of predicting future good needs up to six months in advance. Add to that the restrictions of minimum order quantities and the constraints of containers, Trade Merchants perform a delicate inventory balancing act on a day-to-day basis.
End users are now more demanding than ever, looking for the one-stop-shop solution, and if you don’t hold the stock, someone else will. New products have to be accounted for and good stock management is critical if Trade Merchants want to avoid getting stuck with obsolete stock. This requirement to hold broader product portfolios with shorter life cycles means Trade Merchants must also become the masters of promotions, pushing ‘older’ products or products with excess out of the door.
Taking the care of business
At Barloworld Optimus, we understand that managing a complicated forecasting process across many products and with many inputs is a real challenge; it’s little wonder that many Trade Merchants are forced into buying outside of the system at inflated prices in order to satisfy their customers. But this doesn’t have to be the case. Taking back control of inventory management can be a painless task. We at Barloworld Optimus bring a world beating methodology, teamed with first class software and expertise that will transform your supply chain into a process that works with you and your staff to inspire your business.
Understanding your needs
Delivering for our customers
Stephen Bacon, Supply Chain Director at Jewson, came to Barloworld Optimus looking for simple, focussed software that did what it said on the tin. Not only did he get that, but he also benefited from reduced inventory, increased availability, improved visibility and the specialist knowledge that comes with a partnership with Barloworld Optimus.
“We’re simple builder’s merchants and we knew we needed a system to track existing flows of products and order just the right amount of stock at just the right time. Barloworld Optimus delivered a product that was not too complicated, was flexible and didn’t involve huge changes to our existing system. The installation and use has been very successful: inventory has been reduced by 60%, while availability has increased from 85% to 98%. We are very satisfied and we are considering using this technology on more products longer-term.”
In addition to the integration of Optimiza into Jewson, Barloworld Optimus also recommended changes to certain supply chain procedures and processes, consolidating sales and automating the management of product supersessions.