Supply Chain Operations, sponsored by Hughenden Consulting
Winner: Vodafone with E2open
The Supply Chain Operations category is aimed at finding excellence within the core processes within the supply chain, so the relatively high scores exhibited by the majority of the shortlisted companies were not entirely unexpected. However, two were neck and neck, which gave the judges a tough time determining the winner.
The entry from Tesco centred on an initiative for reducing food waste, a key corporate strategy. Indeed, a worthy objective given that around one third of the world’s food is never eaten – it is thrown away or left to rot. The retailer has focused on creating a multi-faceted programme around smarter “reduced to clear” pricing, improved sales forecasts, a new fresh food ordering model and streamlined promotions planning and forecasting.
In 2012 alone the programme has reduced food waste by over 2,800 tonnes, or 550 truckloads. In particular, the judges were impressed by Tesco Connect, an online platform to share order forecasts with suppliers in real-time. The judges say: “The implementation of Connect is a ground breaking change in the traditional retailer-supplier model that can only help improve customer service.”
With operating companies in 30 countries across five continents, as well as 40 partner networks and 449 million customers, Vodafone wanted a way to leverage economies of scale and scope across multiple operating units by obtaining visibility and control across its distributed trading network. The company has worked closely with E2open to design and build a strategic solution for seamless information sharing, process management, and exception handling. Central to the solution is E2open’s cloud-based platform which provides a consolidated, shared view of demand and inventory information across Vodafone’s disparate operating companies and trading partners.
The judges say: “This was a very impressive submission and presentation, in every way – the scope of what was involved, the scale of what was being delivered and the success of the programme. In particular, getting hundreds of suppliers to work in a collaborative manner is highly commendable and represents a real achievement.”
The decision was clear, Vodafone with E2open deserved to take home the trophy for Supply Chain Operations.
Winner
– Vodafone with E2open
Shortlisted
– Sony DADC UK with The Logistics Business
– Tesco Connect
– Vaillant Group
– Virgin Atlantic Airways
– Vodafone with E2open
