AUGUST - 2023LOGISTICSTRANSPORTATIONREVIEW9 STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE SUPPLY CHAINthat will enable projects to be accepted, managed, and completed with ease when the time comes. It is so much easier to do business with teams that know each other, even like each other, and have a history together as they are already aligned. So do invest time on this upfront. It will pay off in the long run. We have completed projects with great success.-Working with larger customers on direct shipping of their products, bypassing our warehouse, shortening the lead times, and lowering local labor costs-Global projects such as container optimization to maximize fill rate - Working with 3rd parties to manage temporary overflow and minimize demurrage. Approach to Strategic Planning and Good Decision-Making in Planning & Operations One long and crucial project is to make sure you have a consistent, reliable, and regular S&OP process. This will create an alignment of data and numbers with reviews across the business. Use this to balance your OTB and communicate sales, margin, and inventory-related forecasts to internal stakeholders. As we all know, data is not always clean and aligned, this is a good place to make sure it is. And by having regular re-alignment on sales forecast with clear cascading throughout the business to re-align accordingly. We have made sure our S&OP is fully aligned with all other financial timelines as this will give you the same data at the same time and create trust in the numbers across the business. Strategies for Decreasing the Operational Cost and Increasing Efficiency across OperationsAs mentioned earlier on in this article, I suggest you start by understanding your customers' needs. Remember to get out there! Get close to the consumers. We can easily get comfortable hiding behind the screen and bury ourselves in data. I spent some time working in one of our outlet stores a while back. I worked the shop floor, meeting our consumers and I worked in the back room, preparing the stock to go out on the shop floor. I had long conversations with the team members, asking; if you could wish for anything when it comes to your products in stores ­ what would that be? Don't put any limitations on the conversation, wishes, or requirements. Just let anything that comes out be an opening for an opportunity for you to improve for someone else. If you keep asking into the statements further and further, you will eventually come down to the core.o We want to save timeo Would be great with having fewer touchpointso I would like to deliver a higher sell-througho We need to spend more time on the shop floorThen you can start figuring out what and how can you make it a reality. How can you deliver to this specific customer with a need?· With up-stream efficiencies, VAS projects, you will put the labor and cost with the supplier, it will allow the products to basically go straight onto the shopfloor, with no prep time needed. Stock turn, sell through, sales and margin will benefit. As well as store Teams spending less time in the back rooms, and more time on the shop floor - with the customers. such as· pre-labelling RRP· hanging of the products· security tagging· ratio packing (great for outlets and big-box retailers)· de-stuffing paper from footwear (this is also a massive gold nugget from a sustainability POV)· Article lifecycle management. This is a big one. By making sure your product is always tended to, not hidden away in some back room, you will create opportunity to activate the product along the lifecycle. And the faster you react when you are approaching the end, the more you will be able to maximize the assortment, margin and sell through. By realigning the customer's change in demand and be agile & proactive in managing the surplus through other channels (clearance partners, own outlet, special bulk deals, etc). Your internal departments need customer care. By supporting sales, supporting merchandise teams, and supporting finance colleagues you will make sure that everyone counts
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