Raleigh shift supply chain performance up through the gears

As one of the world’s oldest and best-known British bike brands, Raleigh sets the standard in bike and cycling accessories. Focused on advancing the efficiency of its operations, the cycling specialist has a long-lasting partnership with the inventory experts at Slimstock.

Established in 1887 in Nottingham, Raleigh is renowned for iconic bikes such as the Burner, Grifter and Chopper. Part of the Accel Group, Raleigh’s extensive range of cutting-edge bikes and accessories can be found in major high street stores such as Halfords, Argos as well as independent bike shops across the UK.

Explaining the business’ focus on customer satisfaction, Lee Kidger, managing director of Raleigh highlights: “We are always striving to find creative ways to better serve the needs of our diverse customer base.”

To further improve customer service, Raleigh has taken the strategic decision to upgrade their supply chain processes with the most advanced version of Slimstock’s inventory optimisation solution, Slim4.

Long-standing partners

Following a successful implementation in 2009, Slimstock has continued to support the cycling specialists along their inventory optimisation journey. “Over the years, we have worked closely with Slimstock to professionalise the way we manage our inventory” adds Lee.

As Raleigh’s operation has evolved, Slim4 has played an important role in helping the planning team to continually optimise their inventory processes. Lee goes on to explain: “Slim4 has been significantly improved throughout the time we have worked together: not just in terms of new functionality but also look and feel. Put simply, Slimstock has grown with our business.”

Enhanced visibility

To take advantage of latest developments within Slim4, Raleigh have recently rolled out the latest version of the inventory tool. The new and improved user interface has enabled the team at Raleigh to put in place a more structured process for managing inventory. Improvements to the application allow users to focus on products which require their immediate attention via a redesigned priority task-driven workflow.

Explaining how Raleigh has benefited from Slim4, Lee adds: “The latest version of Slim4 has provided us with a whole new level of visibility. Given the recent volatility in the market, this has been essential to managing the increasing demand for our product ranges.”

Complete control

In addition to improving visibility across the supply chain, Slim4 has allowed the team at Raleigh to engage the wider business in key inventory management decisions.

Using the order collaboration functionality, the team at Raleigh can take complete ownership of the inventory management process to achieve greater levels of control. Lee goes on to say: “In a business that is as dynamic as ours, it is vital our day to day inventory decisions align with the wider objectives of our business.”

With Slim4 in place, the planners can take full ownership of their specific categories. Furthermore, the management team can work seamlessly with the planners to validate purchase orders and achieve the most optimal inventory position.

“Thanks to Slim4, our people are empowered to make effective decisions. Equally, we can step and offer support as and when it’s required to ensure the business maintains a healthy cash flow” states the managing director.

Future optimisation

With growth on the horizon, Raleigh is keen to finetune Slim4 to unlock further operational performance improvements. Happy with the progress, Lee concludes: “As we move forward as a business, we are now working with Slimstock to build more robust seasonal forecasts as well utilising Slimstock’s academy to advance the knowledge of our team.”