Global demand/supply management

Challenge

This leading global telecom operator sought to reinvent its demand/supply balancing process and implement a supporting intranet tool. Presenting issues included a lack of agreed rules and processes across the Group; a gap between long-term demand forecasting and short-term production planning; a lack of transparency, leading to friction in case of product shortages; and manual processes that could not keep up with rapid growth.

Approach

• Designed new rules and processes:
  • Diagnosed ‘as is’ processes across the global organization, country business units and suppliers.
  • Created a long-term supply chain vision and initiatives roadmap.
  • Defined new rules and demand/supply process.
  • Prepared the business case.
  • Validated ‘to be’ rules and processes.
• Developed web-enabled tool and implemented the new process:
  • Produced detailed functional specification.
  • Defined tool architecture and design.
  • Managed the outsourced tool development.
  • Trained users in the new demand/supply balancing process and tool.

Results

• Agreed new rules and processes.
• Implemented new process and tool to support Group-wide demand/supply management.
• Completed the first step toward realizing supply gains estimated at €100+M.