EHI Australia

EHI Australia uses Slimstock’s platform to improve inventory visibility, streamline planning and achieve a 25% inventory reduction while protecting service performance and supporting Delivered In Full, On Time (DIFOT) targets across its industrial supply operations.

For more than 50 years, EHI Australia has played a practical role in supporting Australian industry. Where there is need for moving, storing, or protecting the cargo and workers, EHI provides the appropriate equipment and safety to ensure the smooth functioning of operations at the workplace. A wide range of products, combined with speedy delivery, makes availability an integral part of the promise to the customer.

Behind this customer promise sits a complex planning challenge. As EHI’s product range and service expectations have grown, the planning team has needed a more reliable way to manage decisions at scale without depending on increasingly complex manual processes.

The challenge: managing complexity without relying on spreadsheets

Like many planners, Kurt Gartner, Planning Team Lead at EHI, built much of his career around spreadsheets.

Working in manufacturing and wholesale environments, he was used to creating complex planning models and maintaining large spreadsheets to manage inventory decisions. While effective, these tools could become increasingly difficult to maintain as product portfolios grew and planning requirements became more sophisticated.

“I’ve always had to generate my own spreadsheets and do my own calculations. When you’re talking about thousands of products, the spreadsheet turns into a monster.”

At the same time, EHI needed to reduce inventory significantly while maintaining high-quality service and meeting its Delivered In Full, On Time (DIFOT) targets. The team needed to spot inventory problems early, react quickly to changes in demand and maintain planning efficiency without adding more manual work.

The solution: replacing manual effort with intelligent planning

When Gartner joined EHI, he was relieved to discover that the business was already using Slimstock’s platform rather than relying entirely on spreadsheets. For an experienced planner used to building his own models, this meant he could focus less on maintaining complex calculations and more on validating the system’s recommendations and improving planning decisions.

As with any experienced planner, his first instinct was to validate the system’s logic. He checked forecasts, reviewed calculations and compared the outputs with what he would expect to see from his own planning methods.

The more he worked with the software, the more confidence he gained in its recommendations.

“At first, you’re always suspicious. You want to make sure it’s doing what you think it should be doing. But I was quite happy with it. The forecasting and calculations were exactly where I would expect them to be.”

Today, Gartner relies on Slimstock’s platform as the primary planning tool rather than running parallel spreadsheets and manual calculations.

“I just use Slim4 and trust what it’s telling me.”

The team uses Slimstock’s solution to support forecasting, deviation and buffer calculations, helping improve inventory decisions and customer service performance. Exception-based workflows make it easier to identify potential out-of-stock risks, review suppliers and process replenishment orders quickly and accurately, giving planners a clearer view of where their attention is needed most.

For EHI, the value of Slimstock’s platform lies not only in the calculations behind the system, but in the confidence it gives the planning team. By combining trusted forecasts, clear exceptions and practical workflows, the software helps planners focus on the decisions that have the greatest impact on inventory and service performance.

Creating a more responsive planning team

Beyond forecasting and replenishment, Slimstock’s platform has helped improve the way the planning team works together.

Because the system is intuitive and easy to navigate, team members can quickly understand each other’s responsibilities and step in when needed. Whether covering annual leave or supporting colleagues during unexpected absences, planners can take over work with minimal disruption.

The software also provides greater visibility into changing demand patterns. The team can quickly spot unusual sales activity, investigate potential issues and respond before they develop into larger supply chain challenges.

According to Gartner, the simplicity of the system has been a major advantage.

“Because Slimstock’s platform is easy to navigate and easy to use, we can share work across the team. If someone is away, another planner can jump in immediately and know exactly where they’re up to.”

The results: supporting lower inventory without compromising service

One of EHI’s key strategic priorities is reducing inventory levels while maintaining performance for customers.

The business has achieved a 25% inventory reduction. According to Gartner, Slimstock’s solution has become one of the main tools supporting this result by helping the team make more informed inventory decisions, maintain control of stock levels and identify opportunities to reduce excess stock without losing sight of service performance.

The company also relies on Slimstock’s platform to help maintain its DIFOT target of 95% within the retail side of the business. By enabling planners to set and manage service levels within the platform, EHI can balance product availability with inventory efficiency, reinforcing that the reduction in stock has not come at the expense of customer service.

At the operational level, the team has improved speed, planning efficiency and decision-making. Faster identification of stock risks and quicker ordering processes help planners stay ahead of issues, while better visibility gives the team more confidence in the decisions they make each day.

“Slimstock’s platform helps us work faster and more accurately, and, for us, is a key tool in driving inventory down while keeping service performance under control.”

Looking ahead

Inventory reduction remains a major focus for EHI over the coming years. At the same time, the business must continue delivering high levels of customer service and maintaining DIFOT performance. With trusted forecasting, improved visibility and streamlined planning processes, Slimstock’s solution is helping the team reduce manual effort, respond faster to demand changes and pursue both objectives simultaneously.