Oliver Wight’s new Customer Profile Outlines How SABMiller Increased the Level of Maturity and Common Understanding Among its Supply Chain Teams in Latin America

New London, N.H. –– Day, April 25, 2014 –– Oliver Wight Americas today announced the availability of a new customer profile detailing the success of SABMiller’s efforts to develop a cohesive program for planning and increase the level of maturity and common understanding among the supply chain teams in Latin America. Despite an investment in on-line education on planning and control methodologies, which was useful in creating a common knowledge base, SABMiller found it was still not meeting the objectives of sustainable planning competency throughout all of its Latin American businesses.

To establish best practices for integrated planning and control, and gain economies of scale in doing so, Oliver Wight conducted a Diagnostic evaluation of the planning and control practices at Bavaria, the Colombian subsidiary of SABMiller. The evaluation revealed that the functional areas in the business were, in fact, not integrated and synchronized and that the communications processes were weak.

“Oliver Wight’s involvement was very helpful to increase the level of maturity and common understanding among the supply chain teams in the LatAm region,” said Eduardo Dager, Vice President, Supply Chain, SABMiller LatAm. “In collaboration with the SABMiller supply chain team, they sowed some seeds that later started to blossom and drive a journey of continuous improvement. We have been walking this journey since then, looking today at a broader supply chain with better quality interactions, not only inside the end-to-end scope, but also with other functions,” Dager said.

The Oliver Wight principals who conducted the Diagnostic reassured SABMiller that not only could these issues be overcome, but that they are fairly common throughout industry today. Company leaders who recognize the insufficiencies of their planning processes — and take steps to correct them — lead companies that tend to better adapt to changes in the marketplace and improve their companies’ financial and operational performance.

Oliver Wight provided education, training, and coaching, following the Oliver Wight Class A Checklist for Business Excellence and its Proven Path methodology for implementing process improvements. SABMiller:

  • Evolved practices to focus on the broader supply chain with better quality interactions, not only inside the end-to-end scope, but also with other functions;
  • Established Communities of Practice to create a highly-effective platform for sharing best practices between the SABMiller businesses in the Latin American region;
  • And reduced by 50 percent the time to implement planning and control process and operate the process to Class A best practices standards.

Read this Customer Profile https://www.oliverwight-americas.com/system/files/public/clients/profiles/sabmiller-latam-supply-chain-case-study.pdf

About Oliver Wight Americas Inc.

Oliver Wight Americas’ principals have been both thought leaders and hands-on practitioners for more than 40 years. As a global business management consulting and education firm, the company specializes in helping organizations work smarter, faster, and better than their competitors. Its principals are seasoned professionals who have real-world manufacturing experience. They are able to transfer this knowledge to the people at all levels of an organization, providing tools to help organizations internalize that knowledge and achieve a competitive advantage in the marketplace. The largest worldwide consultancy of its type, Oliver Wight has offices throughout Europe, North and South America, and the Asia/Pacific Region.”  To learn more about Oliver Wight, please visit www.oliverwight-americas.com to discover how the business management consulting firm helps transform companies’ business processes.