To drive a comprehensive transformation, Dole needed to enable agile, responsive cross-functional supply chain processes that empower people with data-driven decision making capabilities, leveraging an end-to-end, integrated technology platform.
“The combination of processes, people and technology was critical to our success,” says Siddharth Ramaswamy, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Dole. “Blue Yonder’s planning solutions emerged as the perfect fit, enabling us to make faster business decisions, enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs and optimize planner time.”
The results of the transformation include fill rates that are above 95%, as well as a 40% inventory reduction in just 18 months.
“Due to supply chain disruptions caused by COVID-19 and ocean shipping issues, our fill rates saw a substantial decline, while inventory levels increased due to market demand fluctuations,” notes Anuj Shrimal, VP, Global Supply Chain Planning and Solutions. “However, through the adoption of Blue Yonder solutions, we successfully enhanced demand forecast accuracy across our primary markets. That led to a dramatic improvement of fill rates, while significantly reducing inventory levels. For manufacturers, inventory represents cash sitting idle, without earning any interest — hindering the company’s ability to invest in growth. Decreasing inventory value, especially as interest rates were rising, had a substantial positive impact on net income.”
A key moment of discovery for Dole was recognizing that traditional planning solutions and cadences aren’t sufficient to address today’s new level of demand and supply volatility. Blue Yonder’s cloud-native software helps Dole plan weekly, on a more dynamic basis, fed by near real-time data — for better visibility and responsiveness to changes. It’s dramatically improved Dole’s planning results and the productivity of its team.
In addition, Blue Yonder helped Dole transform its reporting process, so the supply chain team can accurately measure and improve its results. By implementing Data Access Services, Dole can not only make fact-based decisions, but it’s also built a comprehensive analytical framework for the supply chain that includes KPIs, exceptions, dashboards and reports.
