Nutreco, proud member of the SHV family of companies, is a leading animal nutrition company. It has about 100 production facilities in more than 37 countries, and eight research centers. In 2021, Nutreco supplied over 9.4 million tons of animal products.
Nutreco has initiated the global roll-out of Integrated Business Planning (IBP) to further increase its cost competitiveness. The company has asked Involvation to jointly design and run the kick-off / training workshops for approx. 350 stakeholders globally. Main objectives of the program are boosting understanding of the process, ensuring buy-in and laying the foundations for a successful IBP program.
The Mustad Hoofcare Group is the world’s largest manufacturer and seller of Hoofcare products, serving the needs of farriers, horse owners and veterinarians. It is a global company with a local presence in all major markets.
In order to better manage the strong growth and increase of demand volatility, Mustad has harmonized the S&OP process together with Involvation and selected new supply chain planning software. Mustad subsequently asked Involvation to also support the implementation process.
Mediq is an important player in the healthcare sector with offices in 13 European countries. The company is convinced that a solid S&OP process is essential to continue managing its growth in the current, volatile market effectively. The existing process was successfully introduced several years ago, and Mediq’s ambition is to further develop this towards state-of-the-art IBP. As a first step in this initiative, Mediq has asked Involvation to conduct a formal assessment of the current process, including recommendations to realise this ambition.
Optimum Group is an international group of printing companies specialized in UV flexo rotary printing and digital printing. The group mainly serves customers in the food, retail, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, home & personal care, logistics and chemical industries. Delivery times – and in particular delivery reliability – are essential for Optimum Group. There is significant demand variation in its markets, and the group was keen to find a way to manage this effectively.
As a result, Optimum Group enlisted the help of Involvation and its supply chain management consultancy services. We were asked to conduct a scan of the existing process and then develop a roadmap for tackling this challenge.
Low and Bonar, part of the Freudenberg group produces advanced, high-performance materials from polymer-based yarns and fibres. The proprietary technologies they use to weave and create them, lead to products with exceptional strength and versatility. Low and Bonar sells their high performance materials in more than 60 countries around the world. They bring unique solutions to a wide range of markets, in applications that touch on and improve all our lives
About six years ago, Low and Bonar designed a sales & operations planning (S&OP) process which was subsequently implemented, also in the EMEA region. Since the S&OP process has now been operational for a few years, Low and Bonar asked Involvation to carry out an audit to assess the quality of the regional EMEA S&OP processes.
The purpose is to deliver a report of the current maturity status and to identify opportunities for improvement. The audit program focuses on:
By following a standardized approach and performing a calibrated assessment, Involvation will identify the steps that Low and Bonar can take to a more mature S&OP process.
Cycling is hot right now, and e-bikes especially are selling like hotcakes. The trend had started before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the importance of tight control over the supply chain is now clearer than ever.
Challenges like longer lead times from the Far East, rising transport costs (whether due to the higher price of containers or the use of airfreight to save time) and reduced production efficiency are all increasing the need to compensate for the higher costs and inventory levels in the chain – but how?
The Zwolle-based company Kruitbosch faces precisely this situation. Kruitbosch is a bicycle and accessories wholesaler and a retail partner for specialist bike shops, with brands including Cortina and Alpina. It has ambitious plans for European growth.
In order to facilitate that growth in the years ahead, Kruitbosch is keen to gain tighter control over its tactical (and operational) planning process. Kruitbosch asked Involvation to optimize its existing S&OP process. We used the Involvation Change Compass to analyse the current processes and made recommendations for improvements. We are now working with Kruitbosch on demand, supply and product lifecycle management in Aula, our interactive 3D environment.
De Volksbank is the Netherlands’ fourth-largest bank and parent company of SNS, ASN Bank, RegioBank and BLG Wonen. The bank is continuously investing in improving services for customers and advisors in line with its mission: Banking with a human touch.
De Volksbank has asked Involvation for help with the further optimization of integral decision-making between various disciplines within the mortgage division. Involvation is contributing its outside-in perspective based on supply chain management expertise, and supporting the implementation of a decision-making process inspired by Sales & Operations Planning/Integrated Business Planning.
Puratos is an international group offering a full range of innovative products, ingredients and application expertise to the bakery, patisserie and chocolate sectors. Headquarters are located near Brussels (Belgium), where the company was founded in 1919. The products and services are available in over 100 countries around the world and, in many cases, are produced their own network of local subsidiaries.
Puratos has started a project to turn the current Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) into Integrated Business Planning (IBP). Main goal is to make better cross-functional decisions in the organization, in line with the Business Strategy. Puratos has asked Involvation to help with the design and implementation of the new IBP process in one of the business units.
SI Group is a leading global developer and manufacturer of chemical intermediates, specialty resins and solutions that are critical to the quality and performance of countless industrial and consumer goods.
About four years ago, SI Group designed a global sales & operations planning (S&OP) process which was subsequently implemented in all the regions worldwide. Since the S&OP process has now been operational for a few years, SI Group asked Involvation to carry out an audit to assess the quality of the various regional and global S&OP processes.
The purpose was to deliver a report of the current maturity status in the individual regions and to identify opportunities for improvement. The audit program focused on:
By following a standardized approach and performing a calibrated assessment, Involvation identified lessons that regions can learn from one another. Furthermore, by bringing in external expertise and considering best practices, Involvation helped SI Group to identify additional opportunities for improvement.
The final report included a roadmap with clear steps for taking the individual processes to the next maturity level.
Denkavit is a leading specialist in young animal nutrition, with a particular focus on the healthy growth of veal calves, rearing calves, piglets and lambs. Denkavit has two production facilities – one in the Netherlands and one in France – as well as sales offices in Germany and Italy. From the head office in the Dutch town of Voorthuizen, Denkavit products are sold in more than 50 countries around the world. Over 60 years of knowledge and experience in the field of young animal nutrition form a solid basis for a balanced range of feed for young animals.
Denkavit invests heavily in research and development for new products and concepts and in its partnerships with suppliers and customers. The company has grown robustly over recent years. In order to facilitate this growth effectively, the supply chain management process is being further developed. Denkavit asked Involvation for help with developing and implementing the sales & operations planning (S&OP) process. As the first step in this project, the sales forecasting process is currently being set up.
Orangina Schweppes Group is famous for its iconic brands and specialized in the manufacture, distribution and sale of soft drinks. Orangina Schweppes Group is currently Number 1 on the still fruit drinks market in Western Europe and Number 2 on the non-cola market. Its portfolio includes many well-diversified brands, including core brands like Orangina, Schweppes and Oasis. Products are sold in over 80 countries throughout the world.
Orangina Schweppes wanted to improve the internal supply chain alignment and asked Involvation for support. First step was the definition and priorization of improvement initiatives in a facilitated workshop. The next step was the setup of an operational S&OP-process, as this was the initiative with the highest priority. This process requires the involvement of the production plants as well as the central demand and supply chain departments. Involvation provided coaching and guidance to support the implementation.
The lifestyle brand Rituals Cosmetics was launched in the Netherlands in 2000. With its appealing luxury products, it was built around the philosophy of transforming daily routines into special pampering moments such as a rich, aromatic bath, an exclusive cup of tea or even upgrading an everyday chore such as washing the dishes. That’s what Rituals is all about: taking a mindful approach to the little things in life and enriching them with a touch of luxury. The Rituals collections are based on oriental traditions; centuries-old knowledge is combined with carefully selected ingredients and fused with innovative technologies. As a result, consumers can create an authentic hammam experience in their own homes, redress the balance between their yin and yang with the Tao range, and benefit from the power of Ayurvedic wisdom in their tea, body scrub or essential oils.
Rituals is growing strongly. There are more than 400 Rituals stores worldwide and the products are also available from the webshop as well as almost 1,400 shop-in-shops with retailers such as De Bijenkorf. Additionally, Rituals products can be found in over 25,000 hotel rooms and even on aeroplanes.
In order to facilitate further growth in the years ahead while maintaining the company’s flexibility and high service level to its stores and points of sale, Rituals is keen to further professionalize and improve its Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process. Rituals has asked Involvation to optimize the current S&OP process and to provide support during implementation.
Fokker Elmo, based in the Netherlands with subsidiaries in several continents, is a leading player in design, manufacturing and support for the electrical wiring interconnection systems (EWIS) for Aerospace and Defence programs. Fokker Elmo’s innovative tools and processes support their customers’ aircraft, aero-engine and defence system programs.
The JSF program is supported by Fokker Elmo, initially in its development stages and now moving towards serial production ramp-up. Fokker Elmo’s planning processes have developed along the development of the JSF program. In order to prepare for the ramp-up in production volumes, Fokker Elmo considered it time to make a step-change in their Sales & Operations Planning and production planning capabilities. After participating in Involvation’s event ”S&OP in One Day” in March 2015, Fokker Elmo decided to request Involvation to support the company in this step change. Together with Fokker Elmo, 2 work streams have been identified to make the step-change possible:
Refresco Gerber is a leading European bottler of soft drinks and fruit juices for retailers and branded players with 27 production sites in 9 countries in Europe. Its head office is based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Refresco has started a project to optimize and professionalize the Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes. Main goal is to make better, integrated decisions in Sales, Purchasing and Supply Chain on a 4 to 18 month horizon. Financial predictability is seen as an important outcome of IBP. Refresco has asked Involvation to design the IBP process and to implement IBP in the different Business Units.
Medeco is a leading supplier of consumables and equipment and related disposables in healthcare.
Availability is crucial for Medeco. To maxmise availability S&OP is seen as an essential ‘instrument’ to further improve availability. To experience the importance of S&OP Medeco has asked Involvation to organize a work session for the commercial organization. Building block for this session is a supply chain simulation in which the effects of market developments are experienced and the participants find out themselves how to control them.
Burg Groep is a fast growing supplier of vinegar, syrups, cleaners and automotives, that are sold mainly under private labels. Burg operates seven modern production sites in The Netherlands, Belgium, France and Czech Republic.
After good experiences with S&OP in bulk vinegar, Burg asked Involvation to support them with the design and implementation of S&OP in other parts of the organisation.
FUJIFILM Manufacturing Europe B.V. is the largest production facility of FUJIFILM outside of Japan. The company produces photographic paper and offset plates. Besides that, they constantly work on improvement of existing products and development of entirely new products in the Tilburg Research Laboratory.
FUJIILM has asked to Invovlation to facilitate the redesign of her S&OP process.
Certis UK is a leading crop protection business committed to providing their customers with a wide range of innovative, integrated crop protection solutions, designed to overcome today’s production challenges. Certis Europe headquarters is located in the Netherlands and has direct operations in the key European markets.
S&OP is an important tool for Certis to match the demand from the different European countries with the production and the supply of active ingredients. Certis asked Involvation to review and sharpen their existing S&OP blueprint. Together with Certis the information requirements for the S&OP process were defined and an analysis was made how a software tool can support the S&OP process. An S&OP software selection process was set up and the most suitable tool for Certis was selected.
Akzo Nobel Salt Specialties is one of the world’s leading salt specialists, supplying high-quality products for all different kinds of applications. Salt Specialties exports its products throughout the whole world. These products cover a broad spectrum of grain sizes, ranging from micro fine, to coarse salt, to compacted products. The business is well known for the strong brand names under which its products are sold, such as Jozo®, KNZ®, Sanal®, Suprasel®, Broxo® and Broxomatic®.
Akzo Nobel has indicated S&OP as one of the key drivers for improving the demand and supply planning. Key element is to make the right trade off decision that are in line with the business strategy. Also reduction of working capital is an important goal of S&OP.
Akzo Nobel has asked Involvation to review the existing S&OP process and to (re)design a new S&OP blueprint. After designing the blueprint, Involvation also helped to implement the new S&OP process.
Bavaria is the largest independent Dutch brewery. Bavaria has brewed high quality beer since 1719. Yearly production nowadays exceeds 6 million hectoliters and is produced by more than 1000 employees spread over 5 European sites. The beer is supplied to over 120 countries. The brewery in Lieshout (NL) is the largest production facility. Bavaria is a 100% family owned company, led by the Swinkels family.
Supported by Involvation, Bavaria has renewed its supply chain strategy. One of the projects resulting from the renewed strategy was the development of a Sales & Operations Planning process. Involvation supported the Bavaria project leader responsible for developing the S&OP process at creating the framework. During the implementation phase, Involvation acted as sparring partner for the project leader and process stakeholders.
2 Sisters Storteboom B.V. is a division of the UK based 2 Sisters Food Group Ltd., a major diversified UK and European food company supplying Poultry, Red Meat, Fish, Chilled, Bakery and Frozen products to the retail, food service and food manufacturing sectors.
2 Sisters Storteboom continuously addresses the improvement of her customer service. With her relative long throughput times and short shelf lifes, a professional supply chain management is a premise for success. 2 Sisters Storteboom has asked Involvation for support with setting the next step in supply chain management.
Herkel develops, produces and enhances farmaceutica land cosmetic goods and food supplements. Herkel has asked for support in the improvement of their demand- & supply planning. Together with teams from Herkel, the S&OP process and underlying planning processes are (re)designed. This allows Herkel to meet its customers demand even better.
