Pedro Márquez Padillo

Logistics Manager | Alipensa

"We are at a point of expansion where we need software like Slim4 to continue to grow in an orderly fashion"

Grupo Alipensa has more than 60 years of experience in the retail industry, with 14 Cash&Carry establishments under the SERCODI banner, 33 supermarkets under the KOMO KOMO banner, and 370 associated shops.

Alipensa boasts the one of the highest revenues in its sector. The company employs more than 700 people, offers over 10,000 items, and works with more than 1,200 suppliers.

Alipensa has experienced accelerated growth in recent years with the aim of consolidating its position as the leader in its sector in Andalusia. This expansion process has meant, in the last decade, an increase in its business of around 40% due to the opening of 15 supermarkets and 2 Cash & Carry centres for catering and food professionals.

However, this business development has also increased the complexity of Alipensa’s operations. In order to sustainably maintain growth, the company decided to rely on Slimstock and implement Slim4 to manage its supply chain.

After adopting Slimstock’s supply chain planning platform, the company raised its service level by 8 points to 98% in 9 months. With this level of service, the company can maintain product availability while continuing to grow. Another feature tailored specifically for Alipensa is the system’s ability to identify supplier promotions, enabling users to capitalize on purchasing opportunities and optimize the replenishment process under the most favourable conditions available.

Optimisation of human resources

In addition to the improved service levels, another of the great advances that Alipensa has experienced after adopting Slimstock has been the automation of processes. Thanks to the software, planners have adopted a management by exception model. This means that platform users only have to intervene when an anomaly occurs and to ensure that the system is working properly. In this way, repetitive and low value-added tasks are automated.

This simplification of supply chain management has allowed Alipensa to dedicate fewer staff to order fulfilment. At the same time, the learning process for mastering the platform is much shorter than with the previous system, allowing planners to be trained more quickly.

Essential software for further growth

“Our expansion process brought us to a point of no return where we either automated part of the supply chain management or operations could have collapsed,” says Pedro Márquez Padillo, Alipensa’s logistics director.

“We are proud that a leading company in its sector, such as Alipensa, has trusted Slimstock to optimise its supply chain. The results achieved so far are tangible, and now we want to continue working with Alipensa to achieve the next goals it sets for its supply chain,” says Arnau Peris, managing director for Spain and Portugal at Slimstock.

Looking to the medium-term future, the group is also aiming to start using Slim4’s new S&OP modules. This functionality will allow Alipensa to carry out budget management and control within the tool itself for greater visibility on the performance of its assortment to build a more profitable product portfolio and identify areas for improvement in specific shops.