sales@agilitz.com
Client
A US snack food manufacturer and distributor with a portfolio of packaged brands, supplying retailers through a network of warehouses and direct store delivery routes. Customer logistics teams needed to balance retailer priorities, product shelf life and transport options across fulfilment sites.
The challenge
Stock was typically allocated at picking, leaving little time to warn customers of shortages or delays. Finding an alternative warehouse meant checking stock availability and transport options manually.
Implementation and approach
- Built an available-to-promise engine in Dynamics 365 for sales and transfer orders. It considered customer priorities, current stock, expected receipts, remaining shelf life, earliest-expiry batches and eligible substitutions.
- Added a second phase to compare warehouses using available stock, transport lane costs and transit times.
- Introduced a recommendation mode for validation before enabling automated warehouse updates for qualifying orders. Added decision logs, reporting and controls to make warehouse choices traceable.
Benefits and outcomes
- Gave logistics teams earlier visibility of shortages and fulfilment risks before picking.
- Reduced reliance on manual allocation checks and gave teams a consistent way to assess alternative warehouses.
- Helped customer-facing teams flag potential delays earlier and explain the available fulfilment options.