Through a network of approximately 330 dealer partners across the United States, Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is responsible for the sales, marketing and customer service of Mitsubishi Motors vehicles in the U.S. In its recently announced Midterm Plan – “Challenge 2025” – MMNA’s parent company Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) has committed to accelerating its efforts toward a sustainable carbon-neutral future, setting goals of 40 percent reduction in vehicle CO2 emissions and 50 percent reduction in operational CO2 emissions by 2030. Additionally, MMC has set targets for global sales of electrified vehicles at 50 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2035, leveraging a blend of plug-in hybrids (PHEV), hybrids (HEV) and pure electrics (BEV).
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Success Story
Mitsubishi Motors North America
Mitsubishi Motors North America Accelerates Vehicle Parts Operations with Blue Yonder
Forecasting vehicle part orders up to 6 months in advance
Improves inventory management and minimizes excess stock
Dual-responsibility inventory analyst team improves productivity and efficiency
The Company
The Business Challenge
Charged with dual responsibilities segmented into vehicle parts demand and supply planning, MMNA’s team of inventory analysts relied heavily on manual extrapolation from Excel templates. They recognized the need for a more dynamic approach to inventory forecasting and replenishment planning. The automaker had already implemented Blue Yonder, but was singularly leveraging the solution for data repository purposes without expanding on that usage to scale its initiatives.
The Solution
With Blue Yonder’s demand and supply planning capabilities, MMNA has replaced Excel-based tasks and can actively develop precise vehicle parts forecasts, infused with insights and market intelligence. The user-friendliness of Blue Yonder enables MMNA to navigate inventory forecasting with greater precision in decision-making and less manual intervention.
"There's definitely increased analyst satisfaction from using Blue Yonder as opposed to Excel templates, allowing us to meet dynamic market demands more effectively. And that’s coming from a guy who started our Excel process.”
–Luke Madden, Senior Inventory Analyst, Mitsubishi Motors North America
The need to accomplish more with less
Entrusted with the dual roles of managing vehicle parts demand and supply planning, MMNA’s team of inventory analysts were using Excel templates to analyze data pulled from Blue Yonder. They realized the necessity for a more dynamic approach to inventory forecasting and replenishment planning.
The automaker had already implemented Blue Yonder, but was not leveraging the technology to the fullest extent of its capabilities. MMNA had only previously been using the solution as a data warehouse, pasting FE pages into Excel to determine purchasing.
With Blue Yonder’s demand and supply planning capabilities, MMNA has a single integrated solution that simultaneously analyzes demand patterns and supply availability changes to harmonize every aspect of the planning process. The solution brings the automaker accelerated forecasting up to six months in advance, end-to-end visibility, advanced data management and integration, and extensibility for market-specific needs. This solution enables MMNA to accomplish more with less.
Collaborative success with a partner
MMMA sought external expertise to achieve its ambitious goals. Plantensive, a prominent Blue Yonder partner, provided critical resources and support, enabling the automaker to fully implement and optimize its capabilities with Blue Yonder and manifest significant operational improvements.
Challenging team members to become immersed in technology Through this approach, MMNA has embodied two of its core values: "conduct and challenge yourself professionally" and "respect all, work as a broader team." The automaker has encouraged its team to step away from the conventional processes and fully engage with Blue Yonder. Its teams have embraced this challenge with enthusiasm, adapting smoothly and finding satisfaction in Blue Yonder’s user-friendly interface. Beyond mastering the solution, MMNA has cultivated a collaborative environment where cross-functional relationships thrive, enabling better forecasting for parts. Blue Yonder pushes analysts to think critically, identify trends, and actively seek insights from other teams to strengthen market intelligence.
Looking to the future
MMNA continues to explore and harness Blue Yonder's diverse functionalities, ensuring adaptability and heightened performance in a competitive market landscape. This strategic alignment with Blue Yonder not only supports the automaker’s current objectives but also prepares it for future challenges.