Sumitomo Rubber South Africa rolls out cutting-edge supply planning platform

Sumitomo Rubber SA proudly manufactures and distributes the iconic Dunlop, Falken, and Sumitomo tyre brands globally. The tyre specialist’s extensive product range encompasses a  spectrum of motoring applications, including, passenger car, sport utility vehicle, light truck and truck and bus radial tyres.

Explaining the goals of the project, Warren May, Director, Corporate Planning at Sumitomo Rubber South Africa, states: “We strive to offer a standard of service unparalleled within the automotive industry. However, to navigate the increasing levels of supply chain volatility, we need to take innovative steps to create better visibility throughout our end-to-end operation.”

Enhanced collaboration

To improve service levels and establish a robust planning foundation for more effective collaboration, Sumitomo Rubber SA will adopt Slimstock’s award-winning supply chain planning platform, Slim4, to underpin its operation throughout South Africa.

“Given their exceptional support during the project’s discovery phase, it is clear that Slimstock operates as a trusted supply chain knowledge partner rather than just an IT solution provider. With Slimstock’s local presence in South Africa, this offered a significant advantage for us,” highlights Warren May.

Effective decision-making

By adopting a more sophisticated demand and supply chain planning solution, Slimstock’s platform will help create a single source of truth for supply chain data, allowing the business to mature its Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process and support more effective decision-making.

Warren May adds: “Slim4’s advanced forecasting and multi-echelon planning capabilities will provide our planning team with the granular SKU-level demand insights required to achieve the optimal balance of inventory. But more importantly, by bringing greater operational efficiency to our users’ day-to-day lives, Slim4 will allow us to respond more quickly and effectively to supply chain disruption.”

“As we expand our customer community in South Africa, we remain as committed as ever to empowering businesses to make better and faster decisions. We are thrilled to support Sumitomo Rubber SA on this transformative journey, and we look forward to forging a long-lasting partnership.” adds Milton Lawson, Sales Director, at Slimstock.