When a major supermarket chain developed a $150 Million central product processing facility to supply their chain almost 2,500 stores nationally, they appointed Nukon to develop a planning and scheduling framework to support them.

Industry

Food Manufacturing

Outcome

Nukon developed a system to support the processing plant on a 'pull model', where raw materials are managed for maximum efficiency, driven by actual store order demand. Systems users include 8 in plant and 8 within the corporate office.

Region

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Client Testimonial

"The Nukon team were handed a challenge task and authority over defining the planning and scheduling system requirements. They rose to the occasion, drawing on their knowledge and experience, to deliver a great working solution with all the functionality I had committed to the board. I am very grateful."    -- Chief Digital Officer

Kim Fiddaman, Senior Consultant, Nukon

“We’ve been able to significantly increase adherence to the quality control plan by digitising key paper-based processes.”

Challenge

When a major supermarket chain developed a $150 Million central product processing facility to supply their chain almost 2,500 stores nationally, they appointed Nukon to develop a planning and scheduling framework to support them. 
The processing facility is of truly epic proportions, converting some 12 tonnes of raw ingredient every hour into 120 SKU's types to meet orders within 3 days. Due to the highly perishable nature of the product, a robust system was required to ensure orders from stores around the country were met, with minimum raw product wastage and the longest possible shelf life. 

Solution

Nukon developed a system to support the processing plant on a 'pull model', where raw materials are managed for maximum efficiency, driven by actual store order demand. Systems users include 8 in plant and 8 within the corporate office. 
Some of the benefits delivered
  • Optimisation of supply chain increased shelf life for customers by average of 1.5 days
  • No storage requirements with product shipped directly to stores, saving $50 per pallet
  • Achievement of DIFOT goal of 98.5%
  • Full product traceability from farm to consumer.

Outcome

With such large volumes of high value, perishable product, this client required a system that is both highly accurate and extremely reliable. 
Nukon developed a system to support the complex requirements delivering outcomes including:

Forecasting

  • A solution for forecasting of raw material requirements, combined with the new model in distribution methodology, placing consumer packs directly onto store ready pallets that are transited directly through the distribution centre to store.

Scheduling

  • Store ready pallets are required to meet half hourly delivery windows where they are combined with pallets of other goods to be delivered directly to stores, to agreed and planned, transportation schedules. 
  • Production of the freshest and highest quality product is achieved by integrating the planning and scheduling framework with the shortage and retrieval system, ensuring working stock is run out at timely intervals and cleaning regimes are undertaken as required. 

Traceability

  • To meet consumer demands, traceability systems were developed and implemented in conjunction with the clients IT team and the processing equipment suppliers. This focused on the use of GS1 standards for ASN's (Advanced Shipping Notices) and SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code) labelling systems, ensuring all raw materials are scanned into the processing plant, tracked through the packing process and scanned at various stages of delivery to the store. This function has the additional benefit of monitoring and improving each supplier's performance and traceability capability. 

 

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