Consumer goods manufacturers supply goods that take care of everyday needs and as such are faced with the ongoing challenge of on-time delivery of volume based goods covering a broad spectrum of products. The consumer goods industry is characterized by its heavy dependence on retail channels to reach the end user and effective management of these channels along with anticipatory business practices are key to remaining competitive in this space. Although the consumer goods genre covers various segments such as durables, packaged goods, soft goods etc. there are similarities in the consumers that purchase these products, and these segments require a similar set of strategies to address them such as product innovation, and pricing strategies, as well as product and service bundling.

Although the consumer goods genre covers various segments such as durables, packaged goods, soft goods etc. there are similarities in the consumers that purchase these products, and these segments require a similar set of strategies to address them such as product innovation, and pricing strategies, as well as product and service bundling.

Business Challenges

Improved service levels Due to the transitory nature of consumer requirements in this sector consumer goods manufacturers need to be able to forecast the next trend both in the type of product as well as service levels. To meet this goal, there is a need for consumer goods companies to streamline key applications and ensure heightened response times for consumer feedback.

Lower components sourcing costs A robust procurement system that provides assimilated and intelligent data for best sourcing practices as well as a centralized inventory management system to enable re-use of components in goods manufacturing is critical for increased profitability.

The need for increased efficiency of manufacturing and distribution strategies for reduced lead times as well as the need for an integrated platform for applications across the enterprise.

Increase efficiency in supplier relationships Turn-around time on important transactional information with suppliers needs to be optimised for strengthening vendor relationships as well as improving the final time-to-market for end users.

The BPM Opportunity

Facilitate Interaction among BPM Systems from Different Vendors A large consumer company may use a different BPM system for different types of processes. In many cases, it is important for the business processes hosted by disparate BPM systems to interact with each other. Having a unified platform such as the one afforded by a BPM tool, will ensure effective collaboration between different vendor systems.

Meet time to market expectations Applying BPM for process automation, inventory control and better supplier management will enable consumer goods manufacturers meet market demands at the right time.

Improve profit margins BPM enables the effective transformation to today's agile enterprise by providing tools to monitor the complete product lifecycle and the financial impact on revenue. Strong finance monitoring capabilities for strategic decision making for business profitability.

Derive maximum benefit from Demand Forecasting BPM allows for human-centric workflow automation that puts people in the centre of the process. Anticipating a market trend, so critical in the consumer goods industry can only be facilitated when people making decisions on products, pricing and customer loyalty are supported by robust process workflows that administer strategies.

Skelta Benefits

Business Rules Engine Skelta's BPM.NET incorporates a BRE (Business Rules Engine) for increasing overall process visibility, usability and business agility. Allows specific tasks to be allocated to certain users or groups for smooth and effective process workflows.

BAM and KPIs Skelta's powerful BAM (Business Analysis Monitoring) tool provides updates and reports to multiple channels on changing inventory levels. Any variance in the process can be tracked and brought to the notice of key management. Consumer companies can also define KPI's for their retail chain for better adherence to standard operating practices. Obtain historical supplier data for tracking.

Process Designer Allows consumer goods company a flexible tool to optimise processes for critical areas such as order management, inventory management and customer service initiatives. Helps eliminate bottlenecks in the process execution by defining workflows conforming to best practices.

DMS for paperless processes Eliminates paperwork from core transactional processes and clears blockages in important areas of the supply chain for efficient functioning. Assigns electronic documents to specific workflows for routing, tracking and approvals within processes.