SAP Project Success - Case Studies

Optimised Seasonal Demand-Supply for Retail Supply Chain with SAP BTP

Written by Silvia Ricciardi | May 10, 2024
Rocket Consulting, a pioneer in SAP BTP, leverages its expertise to provide tailored solutions for supply chain optimisation. Chosen by Harrods, Rocket addressed manual processes and tight development constraints, implementing SAP BTP to enhance demand-supply balance for seasonal products.

Rocket Consulting has positioned itself as an early adopter and expert user of SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), recognising its potential to offer a unified approach for clients running SAP systems. As an expert on supply chain and operations-intensive industries since 2004, Rocket has been focusing on SAP BTP to deliver tailored solutions that enhance user experience and extend the lifespan of clients' SAP Business Suite systems.

SAP BTP was the right solution to implement for a London-based luxury retailer, Harrods. The client was struggling with manual processes and running on a system with tight development restrictions; Rocket was chosen as Harrods’ partner for the full project lifecycle, helping them measure demand and supply across an omni-channel distribution, balancing that against the supply for a seasonal product range.

 

The Client’s Challenge: Confronting Seasonal Supply Chain Issues

With a highly seasonal supply chain, Harrods was facing significant challenges due to the rapid fluctuation in demand for holiday products. Operating on a daily planning cycle rather than the typical monthly or weekly schedules, the client was struggling with manual processes and outdated systems that hindered their ability to make informed decisions quickly.

Extracting and manipulating data in Excel proved time-consuming and inefficient, leading to delays in supply chain management and increased risk of stock outages and supply issues, particularly during peak seasons, like Christmas. The client urgently needed a solution that could provide real-time visibility into their supply chain dynamics and streamline decision-making processes to ensure timely product delivery and customer satisfaction.

 

Rocket’s Solution: Optimising Supply Chain Operations with SAP BTP Integration

Recognising the limitations of the client's legacy platform, Rocket Consulting took a comprehensive approach, leveraging the capabilities of SAP BTP to develop a tailored solution within the constraints of the existing SAP landscape, as reported also on the SAP News Center, in the blog "Rocket Consulting Creates Practical Ways of Working with SAP Business Technology Platform". By integrating data collection and visualisation tools within SAP BTP, Rocket built a planning control tower and enabled the client to access real-time insights into their supply chain operations. This allowed supply chain controllers to make accurate, informed decisions quickly, balancing demand and supply across various distribution channels efficiently.

Additionally, Rocket ensured compatibility with existing backend processes, addressing the client's tight development restrictions while delivering innovative tools to meet their specific challenges. The solution focused on providing a series of user experience stepping stones, maintaining consistency with the client's existing workflows while enhancing productivity and decision-making capabilities.

“Going from a huge manual effort to just pressing a button and being able to make decisions within minutes instead of days, is transformational. It means the client will have fewer stock outages, fewer supply problems, and more customers getting their presents during holiday periods. That’s the point of super-fast seasonal supply chains.”

Lewis Marston, Rocket Consulting CEO

Business Success: Key Outcomes of Rocket's SAP BTP Implementation

The implementation of Rocket's SAP BTP solution yielded significant business outcomes for the luxury retailer, ensuring long-term success by addressing immediate challenges and enabling efficient, targeted innovations.

Business Outcomes:

  • Dramatic reduction in decision-making time, shifting from days to minutes, facilitating quick and informed supply chain decisions.
  • Decrease in stock outages and supply problems due to automated data collection and visualisation.
  • Consistent increase in planning speed.
  • Improved customer service, leading to more customers receiving holiday presents on time.
  • Foundation laid for future scalability and innovation in supply chain management endeavours.

“Everyone at Rocket is very personable and approachable. They listen carefully to requirements, challenging undefined points, and aim to propose sensible, pragmatic solution options, always with the best interest to deliver the complete successful solution. I highly recommend Rocket for SAP consulting, solution design, and implementation.”

Peter Wilmot, Harrods Head of Enterprise Integrity and Supply Chain Development

Rocket can help companies implement SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), getting the most out of its capabilities. Get in touch today for a demonstration of how SAP BTP can revolutionise your digital supply chain.

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