Unileverhas completed the first phase
of an IT project designed to improve the availability of its
products on supermarket shelves.
The company which makes brands such as Ribena,
Flora and Surf has rolled out software as part of its On Shelf
Availability (OSA) project to the UK and US markets, with a global
roll-out to follow.
The OSA project aims to improve forecasting to supply the right
amount of goods to customers much faster.
By using a common system to allocate its total stock between
customers worldwide, Unilever expects that increased sales will
follow as shortages are reduced.
Using the system, information can be submitted from stores
directly into the Unilever data warehouse. This displays local and
regional trend data that business managers at Unilever can use to
allocate stock from one location to another.
Unilever has used Kalido's active information management and
Master Data Management (MDM) software to source data from multiple
feeds and to ensure standard definitions for the data it
recieves.
The company said the project is a critical to maintaining brand
loyalty and the program provides Unilever with a global view of how
its products are selling at retailers.
"The global consumer packaged goods industry is fast-paced,
competitive and constantly changing. We need the most up-to-date
information on how our business is operating to successfully stay
ahead of market trends and our competitors," said Gary Calveley, VP
Global Customer Service Excellence of Unilever.
Retail analyst IGD said in a report that 46% of UK shoppers
still experience out-of-stocks in their supermarket, presenting
significant challenges in meeting demand at the shelf. A major
industry priority for many suppliers remains developing smarter
inventory management and improved data and information sharing.