Germany’s Leading Transport Packaging Specialist Ratioform Chooses ToolsGroup Software to Conquer the Ecommerce Long Tail
“Powerfully Simple” Supply Chain Planning technology to improve and automate Demand Sensing, Inventory Optimization and Replenishment”
Munich, June 15, 2015. Ratioform, Germany’s leading transport packaging solutions specialist, has chosen ToolsGroup’s SO99+ supply chain planning (SCP) software to conquer the eCommerce long tail. The company has a large portfolio of more than 6400 products which makes SCP more demanding, as only ten percent of the products are ordered regularly. The rest are slow moving, long-tail items with diverse demand behaviors and seasonal demand peaks. Ratioform is replacing its legacy system with SO99+ to solve these problems and reduce inventory levels while improving planner productivity.
Ratioform is part of the TAKKT Group and operates in five European countries, earning more than 90 Million Euro in annual revenues. As part of its global IT restructuring process, Ratioform sought a planning system that would automate forecasting and easily integrate with its newly rolled-out MS Dynamics AX 2012 ERP software. It needed to be particularly capable at optimizing inventory – including long-tail SKUs – and offer both demand sensing and replenishment planning.
Under Ratioform’s old system planners spent considerable time manually adjusting plans because SKUs could only be viewed in isolation and demand forecasts were based on simple smoothing averages. Uwe Fuellenbach, member of the executive board at Ratioform explains:
“We expect ToolsGroup’s advanced algorithms to free up our four planners from having to manually wade through 20-page-long lists every day. They look forward to automatically receiving recommendations from the system and only having to fine-tune the forecasts and purchasing proposals, applying their market knowledge and intelligence.”
“For companies like Ratioform with long-tail SKUs and seasonal demand, holding just the right inventory drives commercial success,” commented Mauro Adorno, ToolsGroup Sales Director DACH Region. “We look forward to helping Ratioform achieve the right product availability to maximize profits and service levels.”
About Ratioform
Ratioform is Germany’s leading transport packing specialist. It offers 6,400 packaging solution products which are all hold in stock for same day shipping. Headquartered in Pliening near Munich, Ratioform serves with a multi channel sales approach five European markets.
