28 October 2026

 

The partnership combines AI-driven supply chain planning with collaborative category management and planogram optimization to help retailers improve shelf availability, inventory performance, and space productivity.

Deventer, Netherlands / Miami Beach, Florida, USA – Slimstock, a global leader in supply chain planning and inventory optimization solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with OpenCatman, a collaborative category management and planogram software provider. Together, the companies will help retailers and consumer goods organizations connect demand forecasting, inventory planning, assortment decisions, and shelf execution in one integrated process.

The partnership addresses a common challenge faced by retailers and brands: Supply chain planning and category management are often disconnected across systems and processes. Forecasts and replenishment decisions frequently overlook shelf capacity, while planograms are developed without considering inventory constraints or demand forecasts. This disconnect can result in stock-outs, overstocks, inefficient shelf space allocation, and missed sales opportunities.

 

Closing the Gap Between Planning and Shelf Execution

By combining Slimstock’s AI-powered Slim4 platform with OpenCatman’s collaborative planogram solution, organizations can create a connected planning process that links inventory decisions directly to shelf execution.

The joint offering enables:

  • AI-driven demand forecasting and replenishment planning
  • Collaborative category management and planogram creation
  • Space and facing optimization based on sales and profitability
  • Shelf-capacity-aware inventory planning
  • Improved retailer and supplier collaboration
  • Faster deployment of assortment and merchandising decisions across locations

 

Delivering Measurable Business Impact

The integrated approach creates a continuous flow of information between supply chain planning and shelf management, allowing organizations to make more informed decisions and react more quickly to changing demand.

Benefits include:

  • Higher on-shelf availability
  • Improved inventory efficiency
  • Better utilization of retail space
  • Reduced waste and markdowns
  • Faster collaboration between retailers and brands
  • A connected planning process from forecast to shelf execution

The solution enables retailers to move beyond isolated planning activities and establish a single source of truth spanning demand planning, assortment management, space allocation, replenishment, and store execution.

 

Supporting Modern Retail and Consumer Goods Organizations

The partnership is particularly relevant for:

  • FMCG and grocery retailers seeking to improve product availability while controlling inventory levels
  • Health & beauty and pharmacy chains managing high-density shelving environments
  • Consumer goods manufacturers collaborating closely with retail partners on category management initiatives
  • Wholesale and distribution businesses looking to improve inventory performance and in-store execution

As retailers continue investing in digital transformation and data-driven decision-making, the need to align inventory planning with shelf execution becomes increasingly important. Together, Slimstock and OpenCatman provide organizations with a practical and scalable approach to creating a truly shelf-connected supply chain.
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About Slimstock

Slimstock is a global leader in supply chain planning, helping organizations plan smarter and operate with confidence in complex, fast-changing markets. With deep expertise in Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), demand forecasting, and inventory optimization, Slimstock enables businesses to align operational decisions with strategic objectives. Trusted by organizations worldwide, Slimstock empowers teams to move from reactive to proactive planning and achieve better business outcomes.

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About OpenCatman

OpenCatman is a Miami Beach, Florida-based software company specializing in collaborative category management and planogram optimization. Its cloud-native platform enables retailers and brands to design, analyze, and share planograms while improving collaboration and accelerating decision-making across the retail ecosystem. OpenCatman helps organizations optimize shelf space, improve category performance, and ensure successful execution at the point of sale.