ICA Sweden, Sweden's leading food retailer, optimizes its supply chain processes with RELEX Solutions. The expertise promised by the software firm is intended to make planning and scheduling even more efficient.
ICA Sweden is the supplier of 1,300 independently operated branches with a combined share of around 36 percent in the Swedish food market. There is a total turnover of € 7.12 billion (2017). This makes the company one of the largest retailers in Sweden. Due to the size and complexity of its operations, the food retailer wanted to modernize and automate its mostly manual servicing processes.
The chain required a wider range of planning and scheduling tools than its existing planning system could provide. In choosing a new system, ICA Sweden had two main priorities: firstly, the system should integrate planning through standardized workflows throughout the operation.
On the other hand, it should enable the sharing of data within the company and with any suppliers. Another request on the list was improved accuracy in forecasting. This was especially important for challenging situations such as promotional campaigns, product launches and discounts. At the same time, planners should be able to work on orders that were further into the future than was previously possible.
"We looked at a whole range of solutions," explains Kristoffer Widén, Director of Replenishment at ICA Sweden. "We chose RELEX because the software offers the full range of tools we need today and in the future. In addition, RELEX has earned an excellent reputation in the food retailing industry, both in terms of customer engagement and results."
"One of the key goals was to streamline our processes, allowing us to focus on value-adding activities like season planning and supplier collaboration, "adds Richard Belec, ICA Sweden's Replenishment Business & IT Development Manager. "The results that we have already achieved are very promising and the whole project is being implemented with minimal stress."
Their had been a particular focus on the internal management of changes. Thus, the focus of the project was the standardization of working methods across the different departments. New processes have been introduced and employees have been trained accordingly. The various departments now have more control over their specific supply chain challenges. This way, the desired results are better achieved.
"ICA Sweden's supply chain team has a great deal of expertise," says Matilda Arnell, project manager at RELEX Solutions. She also praises the strategic overview and the analytical skills that the employees have brought into the project. "The team has done so much to control the process, ensuring that they have the necessary control over their daily operations."
Christian Brunberg, Sales Director for RELEX Scandinavia, adds: "ICA Sweden is never afraid to ask, listen and -if necessary- to be critically involved with the customer. For us, this kind of cooperation is perfect because, in our experience, this level of trust and communication will deliver excellent results."
For more information:
Dr. Timo Ala-Risku 
RELEX Solutions GmbH
Kaiser-Friedrich-Ring
66 65185 Wiesbaden
Telefon: +49 (0) 611-95 76 86 65
E-Mail: kontakt@relexsolutions.de
Web: www.relexsolutions.de