Leading beverage manufacturer transforms its supply chain with end-to-end planning solutions

The Challenge

A multinational beverage manufacturer and distributor needed to evaluate whether its existing supply chain software—and a forthcoming upgrade—would remain the right long-term solution or if a platform change was required to future-proof the business. Adding complexity, years of business group rationalization had resulted in nearly a dozen similar business units planning in slightly different ways, using similar but uniquely customized advanced planning tools.

Using prescribed best practices across each functional area, the design phase managed scope through a fit-gap exercise to determine where standardization was appropriate and where localization was necessary. Highspring partnered with Blue Yonder to share development and architecture resources across multiple concurrent workstreams, designed and built the Phase 1 platform, and trained the client’s managed services provider to deploy and customize the solution in future phases without the need for expert consulting.

The Solution

Highspring proposed implementing a single global template with standardized processes and architecture enabled by Blue Yonder. By establishing a unified platform in Phase 1, the client was able to deploy the solution more quickly, with localization for individual business units planned for a future Phase 2. The project was accelerated through Highspring’s agile deployment methodology.

Using prescribed best practices across each functional area, the design phase managed scope through a fit-gap exercise to determine where standardization was appropriate and where localization was necessary. Highspring partnered with Blue Yonder to share development and architecture resources across multiple concurrent workstreams, designed and built the Phase 1 platform, and trained the client’s managed services provider to deploy and customize the solution in future phases without the need for expert consulting.

Our Impact

During the end-to-end transformation, additional areas of complexity were identified that required different licensing considerations. Highspring and the client successfully designed, built, and tested a single global platform, consolidating 11 separate planning systems into a single cloud-based instance to support the next generation of planning capabilities.

Key results included: 

• Shortened design phase driven by best practice toolkits 
• Creation of a single planning solution for more than ten business units 
• Established a new platform to scale globally 
• Enabled API integration to Azure via MuleSoft 
• Trained internal IT provider on system usage and maintenance