Supply Chain

Werner Graf, CPG general manager at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), reflects on leveraging client-vendor relationships for success.

Three big areas are allowing the consumer goods manufacturer to better know their shopper and consumer. Are you on top of these trends?

Understanding that consumers rely heavily on mobile applications and web sites to get the right information about its products, Kellogg Company ensures that there is a "single version of product truth" internally as well as externally.

The Keurig single cup coffee brewing system was not an overnight success. Little research predicted that it would be a consumer success. But, this disruptive innovation proved to be the exception to the rule. Why? The answer lies in the entrepreneurial, risk-oriented innovation philosophies of the company behind the brand.

When Energizer Personal Care acquired Playtex, it adopted a TPM system to standardize processes. But the task of harmonizing brands while implementing the application came with user adoption issues.

CG companies are striving to grow by penetrating new markets and expanding assortments to existing retailers. To achieve this goal, many sales organizations are focused on improving store execution by transforming existing processes and leveraging new technologies.

By adopting leading practices in S&OP, Seventh Generation expects to improve forecast accuracy by 10 percent at the SKU level, decrease inventory by 15 percent, while maintaining historically high service levels.

Unilever expects to take advantage of new functionality, one of them being the possibility of collecting photos through the SFA system while doing surveys.