A fast-growing independent drinks company had built its reputation on agility. Constant flow of new products. Swift reactions to changing market circumstances. These were their competitive advantages.
They had implemented SAP ERP and BW, appreciating the need for sophisticated forecasting and planning. But their very success was overwhelming their systems.
Growth was outpacing capabilities. The in-house forecasting system wasn’t robust enough for ever-increasing demands. Their strength was becoming their weakness.
Agility remained key to success, but systems couldn’t support it anymore. Demand planning became a particular problem area. Promotional activity was a major business driver. But it couldn’t be included in existing forecasting.
People were creating rogue spreadsheets. Some bypassed forecasting altogether. The careful planning that enabled growth was fragmenting under pressure.
Worse, prioritization became chaotic. Those who shouted loudest got served first. Not necessarily the most important customers. The tail was wagging the dog.
The crisis intensified during peak periods, such as Christmas. The company used external depots but found it difficult to plan efficient stock movement on and off-site.
Sometimes operations ground to a halt completely. The very periods when agility mattered most became paralysis points. The system couldn’t cope.
Growth was creating operational breakdown instead of operational excellence.
The Head of IT had considered APO technology. A leading food and drink company introduced Pivot.
“We wanted people who could be a part of our team, share goals, give us the right level of skills transfer, understand our roadmap and then get on with it. We didn’t want IT consultants with overbearing administration and straitjacket methodologies.”
They needed partners who understood growth pressure, not process experts who would slow them down further.
Pivot consultants recognized that speed, quality, and business buy-in were essential. They generated prototypes quickly for demonstration, modification, and development using an agile, iterative approach with users.
“Pivot was particularly clever in ensuring everyone’s buy-in by using real data in the pilot phase to prove the business case.”
Real data meant real results. Users could see immediate value instead of theoretical benefits.
Pivot designed the project around business reality. Multi-phased delivery avoided peak periods. Demand Planning delivered in weeks. Supply Network Planning followed months later. SAP Production Planning completed the integrated solution.
The result was an integrated forecasting solution with a single entry point. That meant timely, accurate data across the organization.
Clever functionality enabled a ‘mix and match’ pallet distribution system. It delivered significant cost savings. External depot planning became efficient instead of chaotic. Peak period paralysis became peak period performance.
Stock movement on and off-site transformed from breakdown points to competitive advantages.
The robust, integrated supply chain delivered improved customer service, productivity gains, and cost savings. Staff trusted the data and felt confident in planning.
SAP became a valuable tool across the business, rather than a growth constraint. The systems finally aligned with the business ambitions.
Pivot delivered systems that enhanced agility instead of constraining it. And Pivot helped transform growth from a systems crisis into a systems advantage.
The fast-growing company could keep growing. Their forecasting systems were finally as agile as their business strategy.
