London, 2nd February 2009
TXT e-solutions, an international leader in Demand & Supply Chain Management solutions and The Consortium, the largest independent supplier of education resources in the UK with an annual turnover of £43 million are pleased to present the first results achieved following the implementation of TXTDEMAND’s demand forecasting solution as part of the TXTPERFORM SCM suite.
The Consortium is a “one stop shop” mail order catalogue business providing a mix of international and in house brands. Customers place orders via phone, fax, online, email or post choosing from 30,000+ SKU’s published in The Consortiums annual catalogue and also listed on their website.
The Consortium prides itself on customer service, hence their motto “Buying made easy”. This project was of vital importance to help reinforce its reputation of superior customer service by maintaining their on average 98% service level to customers. The provision of same day UK dispatch meant The Consortium needed to be agile in responding to demand and made the synchronisation and flow of information through the company and upstream to suppliers critical.
The solution has not only meant an increase in demand forecast accuracy and cycle times, but also an overall increase in supply chain efficiency. The result of which is a 3.5% reduction of inventory levels (outside of strategic forward purchases) of what is already a very lean supply chain. The improved forecast is also being fed through to suppliers and other parts of the organization for improved visibility and collaboration. Additionally, the warehouse operates with greater efficiency; since increased visibility makes it possible to order the right stock, at the right time, there are less supplier deliveries being received to replenish inventory.
“TXT was able to meet The Consortium’s challenge of implementing a demand forecasting solution that can handle a large number of SKU’s, customers and understand the complexity of being a multi channel business. Our expertise in the consumer goods industry means we understand the potential benefits there are to be had from improving a demand forecasting process. We are delighted to see the benefits The Consortium has gained already at this early stage.” Says Richard Nicholas, UK Sales Director
“The Consortium is delighted with the partnership we have developed with TXT e-solutions, their ability to deliver the optimum solution to help improve our demand forecasting process has been invaluable. We pride ourselves on supply chain excellence so the resulting 3.5% reduction in inventory and improved overall supply chain efficiency has been hugely beneficial to us.” Says Brian Shepherd, Demand Planning Manager.
TXT e-solutions is an international software products and solutions vendor and leader in “Strategic Enterprise Solutions” in the industrial and media sectors. The principal business areas in which it operates are Demand & Supply Chain Management (DSCM) with TXTPerform offer and Media & Channel Integration with TXT Polymedia company (100% subsidiary). The company is listed on the Star segment of the Italian Stock Exchange (TXT IM). TXT has approximately 560 employees. The Company has headquarters in Milan, with offices throughout Italy, in Paris, Lyon, Barcelona, Chemnitz (Dresden), Halle (Leipzig), Bussum, London, Wynyard and New York.
For further information:
TXT e-solutions SpA
Corporate Communication Manager
Mariateresa Rubino
Tel. +39 0225771.247
mariateresa.rubino@
