Case Study: Supply Chain Analytics Solution on GCP for a Leading Retail Firm

Client: Leading Retail Firm Consulting Company: VerticalServe

Objective The objective of this case study is to demonstrate the successful implementation of a supply chain analytics solution on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) for a leading retail firm. The solution aimed to improve demand forecasting and inventory management, resulting in optimized supply chain operations, reduced costs, and increased customer satisfaction.

Background The retail firm faced challenges in accurately forecasting demand and managing inventory levels, which led to inefficiencies in their supply chain operations. This resulted in increased costs, stockouts, and reduced customer satisfaction. The firm engaged VerticalServe to design and implement a supply chain analytics solution on GCP to address these challenges.

Solution VerticalServe designed and implemented a supply chain analytics solution on GCP for the retail firm. The solution encompassed the following components:

1. Cortex: Implementation of Cortex, a data analytics platform on GCP, to aggregate and analyze supply chain data from various sources, including SAP HANA.
2. SAP HANA Integration: Integration of the firm’s SAP HANA system to access real-time supply chain data and inform the analytics solution.
3. Demand Forecasting: Development and deployment of machine learning models on GCP to forecast demand at SKU and store levels, leveraging historical sales data, seasonal trends, and external factors.
4. Inventory Management: Implementation of advanced inventory management algorithms to optimize inventory levels, taking into account demand forecasts, lead times, and replenishment cycles.

Implementation VerticalServe began by implementing Cortex, a data analytics platform on GCP, to aggregate and analyze the retail firm’s supply chain data. The team integrated the firm’s SAP HANA system, enabling them to access real-time supply chain data and inform the analytics solution.

Next, the team developed and deployed machine learning models on GCP for demand forecasting. These models leveraged historical sales data, seasonal trends, and external factors to generate accurate demand forecasts at SKU and store levels.

The team then implemented advanced inventory management algorithms to optimize inventory levels. These algorithms took into account demand forecasts, lead times, and replenishment cycles, enabling the retail firm to efficiently manage their inventory and minimize stockouts and excess stock.

Results With the successful implementation of the supply chain analytics solution on GCP, the retail firm experienced the following benefits:

1. Improved Demand Forecasting: The machine learning models deployed on GCP enabled the firm to generate more accurate demand forecasts, leading to better-informed supply chain decisions.
2. Optimized Inventory Management: The advanced inventory management algorithms allowed the firm to optimize inventory levels, reducing stockouts and excess stock, and minimizing associated costs.
3. Data-driven Decision-making: The integration of SAP HANA and the implementation of Cortex provided the firm with access to real-time supply chain data, enabling them to make data-driven decisions and improve supply chain operations.
4. Cost Reduction: The optimized supply chain operations resulted in reduced costs associated with stockouts, excess inventory, and inefficient replenishment cycles.

Conclusion The design and implementation of a supply chain analytics solution on GCP for the leading retail firm by VerticalServe resulted in significant improvements in demand forecasting and inventory management. The solution enabled the firm to optimize their supply chain operations, reduce costs, and increase customer satisfaction through data-driven decision-making.

About:

VerticalServe Inc — Niche Cloud, Data & AI/ML Premier Consulting Company, Partnered with Google Cloud, Confluent, AWS, Azure…50+ Customers and many success stories..

Website: http://www.VerticalServe.com

Contact: contact@verticalserve.com

Successful Case Studies: http://verticalserve.com/success-stories.html

InsightLake Solutions: Our pre built solutions — http://www.InsightLake.com