December 14th, 2023
With a sharp decline in consumer spending and soaring raw material costs, businesses throughout the building industry now grapple with challenging market conditions. However, with the launch of a major supply chain transformation initiative, International Decorative Surfaces (IDS) is taking bold steps to fulfil its customers’ needs.
As the UK’s largest distributor of decorative surfaces, IDS specialises in flooring, worktops, laminates, compact panel products, and wall panelling. Committed to building upon its 99% on-time, in-full service record, the business has a clear philosophy: National coverage, regional focus, and local service excellence.
Explaining the strategic importance of its latest supply chain improvement project, Alastair Peat, Head of Supply Chain at IDS, states: “From offering new and exciting products from leading brands to building upon our best-in-class nationwide distribution network, innovation is in our DNA. By partnering with Slimstock, this latest supply chain initiative will help us to deliver greater value to our partners.”
Why Slimstock
With a stockholding of more than 12,000 product lines, IDS provide the most comprehensive choice of specialist products from the biggest brands in the industry. As a business dedicated to offering customers convenience and flexibility, the decorative surface specialist will join forces with Slimstock to create efficiency gains throughout its supply chain. This strategic partnership will help IDS elevate the customer experience through improved availability while optimising its working capital investment in stock.
Explaining the decision to partner with the supply chain experts at Slimstock, Alastair Peat adds: “Slimstock grasped our values and objectives right from the beginning, establishing a transparent and strong relationship. IDS and Slimstock share a forward-thinking mindset and uphold the same core values. Slimstock doesn’t just address current needs; they possess the vision and capacity to construct a foundation for the future at IDS.”
The right tools for the job
IDS will adopt Slimstock’s AI-powered planning platform, Slim4, as part of the transformation initiative. With the solution’s powerful supply chain capabilities, the Decorative Surface specialist hopes to enhance visibility throughout its supply chain.
Furthermore, by providing the business with a single, unified picture of future demand, IDS will utilise Slimstock’s award-winning platform to enhance collaboration with both customers and its supply chain partners.
Ben Percival, Sales Executive at Slimstock, concludes: “As a business that has already invested heavily in its supply chain capabilities, we are extremely pleased that IDS has selected Slimstock to advance its operation further. With our hands-on approach to the implementation process, we will help IDS hit the ground running, ensuring they can take full advantage of Slim4.”
