Customer Story
fischer Italia
From Forecast Volatility to Planning Confidence: fischer Italia's Supply Chain Transformation
fischer Italia, the Italian arm of a global leader in construction fastening systems, has built its reputation on product innovation and reliability. As its market and operations grew more complex, maintaining top-tier service levels without overstocking became a serious challenge. To stay ahead, fischer Italia transformed its supply chain planning, integrating ToolsGroup's solution into an end-to-end process that put people and collaboration at the centre of success.
Results at a Glance
fischer Italia's integrated planning transformation delivered both measurable improvements and qualitative benefits.
Forecast Accuracy
74% weighted demand forecast accuracy achieved
Service Level
+4% increase in the fulfilled order line rate
Inventory Cover
5 fewer days of average stock coverage
Retail Penalties
DIY channel fines virtually eliminated
Forecasting on Autopilot Couldn't Keep Pace
Serving diverse customers from big DIY chains to specialist contractors, fischer Italia faced intense service-level pressure. Among the main challenges were the rapid delivery times imposed by the market. Major retail clients demanded a 98% fulfilment rate on order lines, with stiff penalties for any shortfalls, while the company also needed to avoid excess inventory tying up capital. Planners were charged with improving forecast accuracy to better anticipate demand and prevent both stock-outs and overstocks.
Yet their legacy "look-back" approach (relying solely on past sales trends) fell short in the face of disruptions. Dramatic swings in demand, driven by external shocks and shifting market conditions, including changes in construction-related incentives, exposed the limits of forecasting on autopilot. The result was a seesaw of backorders and surplus stock, eroding customer satisfaction and efficiency. Moreover, the team lacked visibility into the mid- and long-term horizon needed for strategic decisions on capacity and investments. It became clear that fischer needed a more integrated, forward-looking planning process, one that could blend statistical forecasts with real-world market intelligence and align all departments on a single plan.
ToolsGroup at the Core of a Demand-Driven S&OP
To address these challenges, fischer Italia revitalised its use of ToolsGroup's solution, fully embedding it into a demand-driven Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process. The company had already implemented ToolsGroup previously, but the real transformation accelerated when new supply chain leadership, already familiar with the solution, championed a more ambitious, end-to-end use of the system.
Integrated Planning Ecosystem: SAP remained the transactional backbone for execution (ERP and MRP), but ToolsGroup's solution became the intelligent core for forecasting and inventory optimization. The solution was configured to work in harmony with fischer's existing tools: for example, production scheduling and shop-floor control via a MES, yet all plans are synced through the S&OP process. fischer initially adopted a phased strategy, leveraging the solution to generate forecasts, demand plans, and optimal stocking policies that guided decisions in SAP. This transitional approach allowed planners to maintain control and confidence while gradually embedding the technology into daily operations. As familiarity and trust in ToolsGroup's capabilities grew, the organisation positioned itself to unlock further automation benefits in the future, making the ToolsGroup solution an essential stepping stone towards full optimization.
S&OP and Process Integration: Every month, fischer's demand planner meets with six sales channel managers to review the system's statistical forecast of ten sales divisions and adjust it with on-the-ground knowledge. Promotions, large project orders, market anomalies, all are discussed and fed back into an agreed consensus forecast. Next, inventory planners use the solution to compute supply requirements and stocking parameters that will meet the service targets with minimum excess. The output: a set of purchase and production recommendations which are executed through SAP's MRP. Finally, production and logistics teams align their schedules and workforce plans to this updated demand outlook, ensuring that factory capacity and warehouse operations can fulfil the anticipated orders. This closed-loop cycle repeats regularly, creating a living plan that links demand to supply to capacity in one workflow.
ToolsGroup's Role: The ToolsGroup software is the enabler at each step. It produces a probabilistic forecast for thousands of SKU-location combinations, improving accuracy versus the old spreadsheets. It then suggests optimal inventory levels by item, dynamically balancing the service vs. stock trade-off for fischer's diverse product range. Planners can run scenario simulations in the tool, for example, testing how a 1% change in service level or a surge in demand would affect stock and backorders, which empowers better decision-making in S&OP meetings. Notably, fischer's team leveraged the solution to refine its assortment strategy: the system helped identify which items justify being stocked versus made-to-order, and it supports new product introductions with forecasting models based on analogous product histories. The team also configured advanced features (with help from ToolsGroup consultants) like customised seasonality profiles and item segmentation by criticality, ensuring the system's recommendations align with real business priorities. Throughout the rollout, fischer highlighted the positive impact of combining advanced technology with skilled planners.
ToolsGroup's solution has truly transformed the stability and strategic value of our S&OP. Yet, its impact is greatest when we invest in our people and processes to harness its full potential. By combining the system's advanced forecasting capabilities with our team's deep market insight, we are able to plan proactively, collaborate effectively, and make decisions with genuine confidence. It's not just about automation, it's about empowering our organisation to lead through better planning and foresight.
From Volatility to Confidence
fischer Italia's integrated planning transformation has delivered both measurable improvements and qualitative benefits:
- Higher forecast accuracy, 74%: By combining statistical models with human insight, the company achieved around 74% weighted forecast accuracy. This more reliable demand projection has been the foundation for all the downstream gains. Planners can trust the numbers and plan proactively instead of reacting to constant surprises.
- Service level up, penalties down: fischer boosted its already-strong service performance by a further +4 percentage points. This has effectively eliminated the costly penalties that DIY customers can charge for late or incomplete deliveries. Customer satisfaction is up, and fire-fighting due to missing stock is way down. Backorders that accumulated during demand peaks have largely disappeared thanks to better anticipation of demand.
- Leaner inventory: Despite improving availability, fischer reduced its average inventory coverage by about 5 days (for example, bringing it from 57 days down to ~52 days on hand). This frees up working capital and reduces obsolescence risk, all without compromising service. The stock that is held is also better optimised, in the right locations and the right quantities, as guided by the solution recommendations and "what-if" simulations.
- Operational efficiency: The planning team and cross-functional stakeholders now operate with far less chaos. Production schedules and purchasing plans are smoother and more level-loaded, because the upstream demand plan is more stable and visible in advance. Peak seasons and large orders can be prepared for, rather than causing last-minute crunches. Planners report that meetings and decisions are more data-driven: instead of debating whose spreadsheet is right, the conversation shifts to how to best respond to the forecast and which scenarios to consider. There is a shared language of "one plan" across sales, supply chain, and manufacturing.
Perhaps most importantly, fischer Italia's supply chain organisation has grown more agile and confident. They have seen first-hand that when advanced tools are guided by skilled people and a solid process, planning can truly become a competitive advantage rather than a headache.
About fischer Italia
Founded in 1963, fischer Italia is the Italian subsidiary of the fischer Group, a world leader in fixing systems for construction, DIY, and industrial applications. Based in Padua with around 300 employees and annual revenue of approximately €167 million, fischer Italia offers a broad range of high-quality, innovative fastening solutions. The company is a key reference for builders, engineers, installers and retailers across Italy, known for its technical expertise and customer-centric approach.
