HT Bendix A/S

HT Bendix A/S is today part of the BUFAB family. Following this integration, the consolidation of the software landscape, including a migration to the shared ERP platform, Jeeves, became a strategic necessity. Such transitions often introduce complexity, operational risk, and the potential for data loss.

As an independent best-of-breed solution, Slimstock’s advanced supply chain planning platform, Slim4, provided continuity and familiarity throughout the transition, helping to preserve critical data, safeguar demand and supply operations, and maintain operational stability for both customers and internal teams.

“Slim4 was an invaluable asset, enabling us to run our supply chain processes completely unchanged, despite the ERP transition. Once the integration between Jeeves and Slim4 was in place, forecasting and planning continued at the same speed and delivered the same results as before,” says Bo Degn Møller, Sourcing Manager at HT Bendix A/S.

When “minor” matters most

Despite being among most companies’ fastest-running products by consumption, C-articles are often under-managed or deprioritised, until a shortage disrupts operations. Even minor items can cause major disruptions, precisely because of the high-volume, fast-moving nature of these products.

At HT Bendix, these items are the core business. The company specialises in managing high-volume, operationally critical items, ensuring continuous availability so that customers can focus on their core business and deliver uninterrupted value to their own clients.

To realise this objective, HT Bendix A/S partnered with Slimstock in what has become a long-standing collaboration, now spanning more than 20 years.

Challenge and goals

“We know our customers very well, and we understand exactly what they expect from us,” says Bo. “In our industry, availability is paramount, supported by strong delivery performance, short lead times, and reliability. While secondary priorities vary between customers, factors such as product range, consistent quality, scalability, competitive pricing, and supply chain transparency are consistently important.”

“At the same time, we operate in a low-margin industry. To remain a preferred supplier, continue growing our customer base, and deliver improved results for our shareholders, we cannot afford to excel in just one or two areas, we must perform across all of them, simultaneously. And this is exactly what we have worked tirelessly to achieve for many years now, and where we, in close collaboration with Slimstock, continue to identify opportunities to refine and optimise.”

Results

Through more than 20 years of working with Slim4, HT Bendix A/S has made significant progress in securing strong, sustainable results. Service levels and availability are firmly under control, with A-items currently achieving a service level of 99.8%.

The latest additions to HT Bendix’s end-to-end supply planning toolbox within Slim4 include advanced BI capabilities and Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) optimisation.

Balancing order volumes across the supply chain

“We used to operate with a highly reactive purchasing pattern, responding to individual customer orders, sometimes multiple times per day, which resulted in significant administrative effort and handling costs. While intended to increase agility, it had the opposite effect, as smaller order quantities also led to inefficient use of warehouse space.

Today, supported by reliable forecasts and SKU-level optimised order quantities, we have been able to establish fixed and longer supplier review cycles and order in volumes that strike the right balance. This has significantly reduced handling costs, both administratively and at goods receipt, improved warehouse utilisation, and, most importantly, we have achieved these efficiencies without compromising the high service levels our customers expect,” says Bo.

 Connecting operations to strategic decisions

With the introduction of Power BI, HT Bendix A/S has expanded the value of Slim4 beyond operational planning, creating a stronger connection between day-to-day supply chain execution and strategic management decision-making.

“Power BI has given us a much clearer line of sight from operations to the management level,” says Bo. “We are now able to track performance in a structured way and share results across the organisation. Just as importantly, we can present our key metrics in a clear and visual format that resonates with senior management, helping to ensure our supply chain decisions support the broader business strategy.”

Exception driven execution

Although it is one of Slim4’s longest-standing core functionalities, Bo continues to highlight the value of Slim4’s exception flags and the dashboards through which they are presented.

“The concept itself is simple, and that simplicity is precisely what makes it so effective. When we log in, Slim4 is immediately execution-ready, helping us prioritise the right actions and focus on the activities that deliver the greatest value first. Quite simply, it is one of the key reasons we can do more with less,” Bo explains.

Through exception management, Slim4 ensures that any event requiring user attention is immediately highlighted, giving HT Bendix A/S full confidence in its daily operations.

Taming the long tail with ABC/XYZ

With thousands of SKUs across its assortment, HT Bendix A/S operates in an environment where complexity can quickly accumulate. While a broad assortment is essential to support customers, it also carries the risk of tying up capital and operational resources in low- or non-moving items.

By leveraging ABC segmentation in Slim4, HT Bendix A/S gained a data-driven view of its assortment performance, making it possible to clearly distinguish between high-impact products and those with limited or no contribution. This insight enabled Bo and his team to systematically identify obsolete and slow-moving items across the long tail.

As a result, HT Bendix A/S has been able to significantly reduce the number of non-performing SKUs, streamline its assortment, and free up both warehouse capacity and working capital—without compromising availability or service levels for customers. Instead, the optimisation has strengthened focus on the products that truly matter, supporting a more efficient, balanced, and resilient supply chain. Why Slimstock?

Having utilised Slimstock’s production planning platform for more than two decades, the original drivers behind HT Bendix A/S’s partnership with Slimstock are long since bygone. However, when reflecting on the current relationship, Bo explains:

“We continue to improve, but so does the solution. It is reassuring to know that whenever we want to pursue new improvement opportunities, Slim4 consistently offers new capabilities for us to explore.”

Bo also highlights the value of the knowledge and consultancy that Slimstock provides on an ongoing basis:

“When it comes to supply chain management, having a capable software tool is one thing, but fully realising its potential requires expert guidance, not just technical expertise. You need a partner who understands your business and can translate your ambitions into practical, configured solutions that work in daily operations. Knowing that this expertise is part of the package is something we value highly.”

Next steps

For now, Power BI is the primary focus, with HT Bendix A/S continuing to explore the available reports and how these insights can further strengthen data-driven, aligned operational and tactical decision-making.

From S&OE to S&OP

“We have spent many years refining operational execution,” Bo explains. “But giving management clearer operational insight through Power BI has really sparked an ambition to take the next step. In that context, S&OP feels like a natural progression.”

By introducing Sales & Operations Planning, HT Bendix sees the potential to establish a shared, cross-functional language, enabling closer coordination of strategic decisions across departments.

“No decisions have been made,” Bo adds. “But it is certainly an interesting direction to explore.”

Embracing the AI revolution

Supply chain has seen many revolutions over the years, but few are as transformative, or as challenging to implement, as the current wave of AI-driven innovation.

“There’s a lot of talk about AI, and everyone acknowledges its huge potential,” says Bo. “I’m glad we have a partner at the forefront of it, converting that potential into practical functionality within a tool we already know, allowing us to remain at the cutting edge.”

AI is set to impact multiple aspects of supply chain excellence, and Slim4 already incorporates several AI-powered capabilities. Some deliver subtle but important improvements, such as enhanced forecast accuracy through algorithmic simulations, while others introduce entirely new functionality.

Bo continues: “We’re particularly excited about Slim4’s upcoming AI agent, which can autonomously detect data issues, communicate with suppliers, and update master data internally. I can already see how this will free up time for more value-adding work, helping us reinforce our competitive position.”