Subject category:
Production and Operations Management
Published by:
IBS Case Development Center
Length: 9 pages
Data source: Published sources
Topics:
Supply chain; Logistics; Customer-driven supply chain; Demand-driven supply chain; Wal-Mart; Keith Harrison; Supply chain integration; Manufacturer-retailer collaboration; Consumer packaged goods; Wal-Mart retail link; Inventory management; Balancing stock outs and excess stocks; Top-line growth and bottom line performance; Continuous replenishment process; Category management
Abstract
Proliferation of products, brands, companies and even distribution channels and media, have necessitated that the consumer goods industry giants shift their attention from brand marketing and positioning towards a cross-functional focus. While manufacturers vied for significant shelf space, retailers competed to win customer attention and loyalty. However, their inability in rightly assessing consumer demand created a market imbalance in the form of either excessive stocks or stock outs. The need to produce and deliver goods based on real demand made both manufacturers and retailers rethink / review their business relationships and co-create value for each other. This involved integration of their operations across the supply chain, and delivery of the right goods to the right place at the right time with the right operational costs. Procter & Gamble was one of the first consumer goods companies that realised the significance of shelf space and the need to lure customers at the point of sale. It initiated customer-driven supply chain management, wherein starting from customer decision at the store shelf, it worked backwards to production. This required P&G to assess product demand based on customers' purchase decisions and buying behaviour, and this in turn necessitated collaboration with retailers. In this context, P&G's tie-up with Wal-Mart exemplified the success of manufacturer-retailer relationships. They collaborated with each other to track customer buying behaviour with the help of a sophisticated technology, and accordingly assess the demand for their products. The case highlights various aspects like the need for conducive manufacturer-retailer relationships in co-creating value, viewing supply chain as a profit centre rather than as a cost centre, supply chain as a source of competitive advantage in ensuring top-line growth as well as bottom line performance, customer-driven supply chain - shift from forecast-based to demand-based, and better inventory management by attaining a balance between stock outs and excess inventory. However, sustainability and extendibility of P&G's collaboration across Wal-Mart's other stores as well as other retailers - in both developed and developing countries - remains to be answered.
About
Abstract
Proliferation of products, brands, companies and even distribution channels and media, have necessitated that the consumer goods industry giants shift their attention from brand marketing and positioning towards a cross-functional focus. While manufacturers vied for significant shelf space, retailers competed to win customer attention and loyalty. However, their inability in rightly assessing consumer demand created a market imbalance in the form of either excessive stocks or stock outs. The need to produce and deliver goods based on real demand made both manufacturers and retailers rethink / review their business relationships and co-create value for each other. This involved integration of their operations across the supply chain, and delivery of the right goods to the right place at the right time with the right operational costs. Procter & Gamble was one of the first consumer goods companies that realised the significance of shelf space and the need to lure customers at the point of sale. It initiated customer-driven supply chain management, wherein starting from customer decision at the store shelf, it worked backwards to production. This required P&G to assess product demand based on customers' purchase decisions and buying behaviour, and this in turn necessitated collaboration with retailers. In this context, P&G's tie-up with Wal-Mart exemplified the success of manufacturer-retailer relationships. They collaborated with each other to track customer buying behaviour with the help of a sophisticated technology, and accordingly assess the demand for their products. The case highlights various aspects like the need for conducive manufacturer-retailer relationships in co-creating value, viewing supply chain as a profit centre rather than as a cost centre, supply chain as a source of competitive advantage in ensuring top-line growth as well as bottom line performance, customer-driven supply chain - shift from forecast-based to demand-based, and better inventory management by attaining a balance between stock outs and excess inventory. However, sustainability and extendibility of P&G's collaboration across Wal-Mart's other stores as well as other retailers - in both developed and developing countries - remains to be answered.