Heineken has revealed that it will implement Blue Yonder’s machine-learning (ML)-powered demand planning solution to keep pace with rapidly changing consumer demand patterns during the pandemic.
Blue Yonder will provide the global brewing giant with solutions to achieve improved forecast accuracy and always-on planning capabilities. The improved demand signal will feed into Blue Yonder’s Luminate Platform that is claimed will translate into greater supply chain performance.
Heineken already uses Blue Yonder’s end-to-end supply chain planning solutions in many of its operating companies to optimize and orchestrate decisions across sales, supply chain, operations, and finance. Going forward in the next few years, the company will deploy the new demand planning solution in five of its largest operating companies worldwide.
Marc Bekkers, director of Global Supply Chain Planning at Heineken, commented: “We have embarked on an ambitious journey to become the best-connected brewer, going from fragmented to seamless digital interaction across the whole value chain.
“The introduction of Machine Learning as part of building an integrated cross-functional planning capability across our business is a critical component of this journey. The solution will assist us in continued growth and meet the changing demands of our customers and consumers.”
Using AI and ML, Blue Yonder’s demand planning solution can ingest hundreds of internal and external influencing factors that drive demand to provide a unique demand projection with calculated business impact and risk. It is claimed that it will enable Heineken to realize better inventory management and an improved understanding of demand drivers and consumer behaviour.
“Heineken has been a long time Blue Yonder customer, so we are looking forward to expanding their supply chain footprint by helping them develop highly accurate forecasts with our AI- and ML-driven demand planning solution,” said Johan Reventberg, president, EMEA at Blue Yonder.
“This capability paired with Microsoft Azure will help Heineken continue to meet consumer demand while solidifying its position as a leading global beverage producer.”
NAM Implications:
- Small but promising…
- …very, very promising.
- Time for NAMs to climb aboard?
