Every purchase order checked against demand before it reaches the supplier

For a retail and distribution company, every purchase order shapes what reaches the shelf, what sits in the warehouse and what ends up as waste. Working with NTT DATA, the company brought procurement, demand forecasting and replenishment together in a centralised Global Purchase Order (GPO) engine, combining optimised logistics parameters, DRP projections and automated supplier orders so buying teams could move from reactive, manual ordering to a model-driven process.

利用可能性
Reduced Waste, Higher Availability. The right stock in the right place, with less overstock and fewer gaps on the shelf.
決定
Model-Driven Logistics. Replenishment decisions based on optimised logistics parameters and DRP projections.
効率性
Streamlined Stock and Replenishment. Automated purchasing that reduces manual effort across the ordering cycle.
制御
Data-Driven Adjustments. Orders reviewed and optimised before they are released to suppliers
Procurement intelligence that turns demand signals into the right orders
The company needed a more reliable way to decide what to buy, when and how much, moving away from fragmented, manual ordering where forecasts, safety stock and order rules lived in different places and purchase orders reached suppliers without a common optimisation logic.
目的
The initiative set out to optimise procurement operations and the flow of information behind them, while improving the accuracy of demand forecasts and purchase orders. The ambition was not only to automate buying, but to give the business a single, consistent replenishment logic that balances product availability, stock levels and waste.
機会
With logistics parameters and forecasting centralised in one engine, the company can replace fragmented, manual ordering with a repeatable, data-driven process. A shared model for safety stock, order logic and DRP projections gives buying teams a solid foundation to keep refining replenishment as demand patterns change.
Bringing a single ordering logic to a fragmented purchasing process

The company faced the practical challenge of turning disconnected forecasts, parameters and manual decisions into one coherent purchasing flow, without losing the flexibility buyers need to react to real-world conditions.

主な課題
Supply planning team reviewing demand forecasts while warehouse inventory shows excess stock in some products and low availability in others.
1: Demand forecasting accuracy. Forecasts did not reflect real demand closely enough, leading to purchase orders that could create overstock in some products and shortages in others.
Supply planners using different safety-stock and replenishment rules across locations without a common centralized approach to ordering.
2: Decentralised safety stock and order logic. Safety stock levels and ordering rules were not managed centrally, so replenishment decisions varied and were hard to align across the business.
Procurement team preparing supplier purchase orders without a structured optimisation step to review quantities, timing and inventory impact.
3: Orders released without optimisation. Purchase orders reached suppliers without a systematic review, limiting control over quantities, timing and their impact on stock.
Supply-chain team manually reconciling separate procurement, inventory and demand information because no integrated view supports ordering decisions.
4: Fragmented procurement information. Procurement, stock and demand information sat in separate processes, making manual ordering the default and slowing down decisions.
解決策
A centralised purchase order engine built around forecasting, DRP and control

NTT DATA designed a centralised Global Purchase Order system with optimised logistics parameters and implemented automated purchasing, forecasting and DRP capabilities, giving buyers one environment to plan, adjust and release supplier orders.

チェックアイコン
Assessed current procurement, stock and demand processes

Mapped how purchasing, stock management and demand planning worked in practice, identifying where manual steps and fragmented information were limiting order accuracy.

チェックアイコン
Designed centralised parameters and order logic

Defined common logistics parameters, safety stock levels and ordering rules, so every replenishment decision follows the same consistent logic.

チェックアイコン
Implemented forecasting, DRP projections and supplier orders

Deployed demand forecasting and Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP) projections that feed the automated generation of purchase orders for suppliers.

チェックアイコン
Enabled manual adjustments and optimisation before release

Gave buyers the ability to review, adjust and optimise orders before they are sent, keeping human judgement in the loop while protecting the model’s logic.

影響
Replenishment under control, driven by data rather than instinct

The Global Purchase Order engine turns purchasing into a model-driven process. By connecting demand forecasts, centralised logistics parameters and DRP projections with a controlled release of supplier orders, the company has reduced waste and improved product availability, while gaining higher efficiency in stock and replenishment management. Buyers now base their decisions on optimised models and data-driven adjustments, creating a more reliable and transparent foundation for day-to-day procurement.

ドラッグ