Transforming Challenges into Success: Real Stories, Real Impact
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Transforming Challenges into Success: Real Stories, Real Impact *
IT Modernization for The Coca-Cola Company
The Challenge:
The Coca-Cola Company faced significant limitations with its outdated SAP systems, which were inhibiting efficiency and hindering the company's ability to scale its operations effectively. These legacy systems lacked flexibility, were prone to errors, and no longer aligned with the company’s evolving business needs. Additionally, slow data processing, limited reporting capabilities, and fragmented communication across teams further compounded the challenges. As a result, Coca-Cola struggled to make data-driven decisions in real time, impacting its ability to meet the demands of a dynamic global market. To stay competitive and grow, Coca-Cola needed a comprehensive IT modernization to enhance system performance, streamline processes, and improve operational agility.
The Solution:
NextGen Data Solutions was engaged to lead the IT modernization project, focusing on upgrading and optimizing Coca-Cola’s SAP systems. Our Founder led the initiative as the project manager, overseeing the entire process, from planning through execution, with a particular emphasis on user acceptance testing (UAT) and hyper-care activities to ensure a seamless transition.
We implemented a comprehensive solution that addressed both technical and operational challenges. Key elements of our solution included:
System Optimization & Upgrades: We collaborated closely with Coca-Cola’s IT team to upgrade the SAP systems, improving their speed, scalability, and flexibility. These enhancements led to a 40% improvement in data processing speed, enabling Coca-Cola to access real-time data and generate reports in a fraction of the time.
Streamlined Workflow & Collaboration: To improve team collaboration and project management, we introduced tools such as Gantt charts to track milestones and maintain alignment across teams. This streamlined approach ensured that the project stayed on schedule and met key deadlines, ultimately reducing project timelines by 20%.
Issue Resolution & Task Management: We implemented ticketing software to effectively manage issue resolution and project sprints. This solution facilitated the quick resolution of over 100+ critical system issues and ensured that tasks were tracked and completed on time, minimizing disruptions during the modernization process.
Data Analytics & Reporting: With the upgraded technology, Coca-Cola gained access to enhanced data analytics and real-time reporting, which empowered teams to make more accurate forecasts and optimize resource allocation. These improvements led to a 15% increase in operational efficiency and significantly improved decision-making across the business.
The Outcome:
Under NextGen Data Solutions’ leadership, the IT modernization project was completed seamlessly, meeting all business requirements and significantly improving system performance. The upgraded SAP systems provided Coca-Cola with a more agile and reliable platform for its global operations, reducing downtime and increasing operational efficiency by 30%.
Additionally, the improved communication tools and enhanced data analytics capabilities allowed teams to collaborate more effectively, with a 25% improvement in inter-departmental communication. The ability to make real-time, data-driven decisions resulted in better resource allocation and optimized supply chain operations.
This successful IT modernization not only enabled Coca-Cola to operate more efficiently but also positioned the company for long-term growth. With a robust, scalable IT infrastructure, Coca-Cola is now better equipped to meet both current and future business demands, enabling continued global success and agility in a fast-moving market.
This project highlights how NextGen Data Solutions can drive technological transformation, optimize business operations, and deliver lasting value to global enterprises.
S&OP Transformation for Beam Suntory
The Challenge:
Beam Suntory, a global leader in the premium spirits industry, faced significant challenges with its Sales & Operations Planning S&OP process. The company struggled with inconsistent demand forecasts, resulting in a 25% deviation between projected and actual demand. Additionally, there was a lack of alignment between key teams, such as supply and demand, leading to inefficiencies, inventory imbalances, and difficulties in responding to rapidly changing market conditions. These issues caused 15% stockouts on key products and delayed production cycles, directly impacting customer service levels and profitability.
The Solution:
NextGen Data Solutions was engaged to drive a comprehensive transformation of Beam Suntory’s S&OP process. Leveraging deep industry expertise and rigorous analytics, we built a more cohesive and efficient planning process. A core element of our solution was the implementation of o9 Solutions, an advanced demand planning software, to bridge the gaps between siloed supply and demand teams.
Key aspects of our solution included:
Implementing o9 Solutions: We integrated o9 Solutions to connect supply and demand teams through a unified platform. This tool enabled real-time data sharing, enhanced collaboration, and the ability to generate more accurate, consensus-driven forecasts. By centralizing demand and supply data, teams streamlined communication, aligning forecasts with 85% accuracy, reducing errors and improving overall precision.
Demand and Supply Reviews: We actively participated in demand and supply reviews, where the newly implemented software allowed teams to jointly analyze demand patterns and make adjustments in real time. This collaborative approach improved forecasting accuracy, reducing forecasting errors by 40%, and enabled a more agile response to shifting market demands.
Process Mapping and Optimization: We conducted process mapping exercises to identify gaps in Beam Suntory’s existing S&OP workflows. The analysis uncovered inefficiencies that cost the company $2.5 million annually in excess inventory and missed sales. By optimizing these processes, we helped Beam Suntory align its sales, operations, and financial planning, leading to a 30% reduction in inventory holding costs and a 20% increase in on-time product deliveries.
S&OP Transformation: Our efforts culminated in a complete S&OP transformation, fostering stronger collaboration, enhanced decision-making, and improving overall supply chain performance. The newly aligned teams, empowered by real-time data from o9 Solutions, were able to produce a more consistent and accurate forecast. This led to optimized inventory management, reduced 15% in stockouts, and a 12% reduction in production lead time.
The Outcome:
The implementation of o9 Solutions and the transformation of Beam Suntory’s S&OP process led to a significant improvement in operational efficiency. By bridging the gaps between siloed teams, Beam Suntory created a more accurate and collaborative demand forecast, leading to a 10% reduction in inventory costs and better alignment with customer demand. The new system empowered teams to respond more quickly to market fluctuations and ensure product availability across 40+ global markets, reducing stockouts and enabling more responsive supply chain operations.
This successful transformation enhanced Beam Suntory’s ability to plan and execute at a higher level, providing them with a more agile, data-driven S&OP process that drives long-term operational success, savings of $4 million from 2022-2023, and growth across key markets.
Vaccine Management Solutions for the Ohio Department of Health
The Challenge:
During the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) faced an urgent need to vaccinate 6,000 Ohioans daily across 15 locations statewide. The demand for rapid and accurate vaccine administration overwhelmed the existing systems and infrastructure. Key challenges included managing real-time vaccine scheduling, maintaining supply chain visibility, and ensuring smooth coordination across the state administration, healthcare providers, and federal agencies like the U.S. Army and U.S. Coast Guard. With thousands of individuals to be vaccinated daily and complex logistics involved, the system needed a complete overhaul to ensure operational efficiency. Additionally, ODH faced challenges in technology enablement, including ensuring consistent performance across hundreds of iPads used by front-line workers and resolving technical issues swiftly to avoid disruption.
The Solution:
NextGen Data Solutions was engaged to provide Change Management and Technology Enablement, optimizing the vaccine distribution infrastructure and supporting Ohio’s mission to vaccinate thousands daily. We played a central role in managing the Salesforce-based vaccine management system, ensuring the integrity and governance of data and streamlining operations across various state and federal agencies.
Key aspects of our solution included:
Salesforce System Integrity & Governance: We ensured the integrity of the Salesforce-based system, improving vaccine scheduling, data reporting, and supply chain management. The system was crucial for real-time updates, reducing errors in vaccine allocation and scheduling. Our efforts ensured that over 95% of vaccine distribution logistics ran smoothly, with systems providing accurate, real-time information to all involved stakeholders.
Technology Enablement & Support: We successfully deployed and enabled hundreds of iPads across the state’s vaccination centers. These devices played a critical role in the efficient and secure check-in, scheduling, and documentation processes. Our team ensured the iPads were fully integrated with the vaccination management systems and troubleshooting any technical issues that arose. Over the course of the deployment, our team identified and resolved 150+ technical issues, ensuring that no critical disruptions occurred in the vaccination workflow.
Crisis Management & Operational Support: Our team was dedicated to providing crisis management solutions by proactively identifying emerging issues. When problems with the software, devices, or scheduling occurred, we quickly mobilized support teams to ensure rapid issue resolution. This included addressing issues across multiple locations, ensuring that each vaccination site continued to operate without delays. Through this, we helped meet the critical target of vaccinating 6,000 individuals daily, contributing to the successful vaccination of 853,000 Ohioans in 8 weeks.
Collaboration with Federal & State Agencies: Working closely with the U.S. Army, U.S. Coast Guard, and other federal and state agencies, NextGen helped ensure effective coordination of resources and alignment across all teams. This partnership allowed us to streamline vaccine distribution logistics, reduce wait times, and ensure that vaccines were administered in a timely and organized manner. This also contributed to improving operational efficiency by 30% across the 15 locations.
The Outcome:
NextGen Data Solutions’ leadership in change management and technology enablement played a pivotal role in the Ohio Department of Health’s success during this critical vaccination effort. The team’s efforts led to the successful vaccination of 853,000 Ohioans in just 8 weeks, meeting the state’s ambitious public health targets. By implementing a Salesforce-based system, ODH streamlined vaccine scheduling, improved data flow between systems, and minimized operational friction.
Our technology enablement efforts, including the deployment of hundreds of iPads, helped ensure that front-line workers had the tools they needed to operate efficiently. Additionally, the rapid resolution of over 150 technical issues allowed the vaccination process to continue without disruptions, even during high-demand periods.
NextGen’s collaboration with federal agencies helped maintain a high level of coordination and speed in vaccine administration, ensuring that the state met its daily vaccination targets with minimal delays. Our work directly contributed to Ohio's ability to maintain vaccination momentum, ensuring the state’s public health goals were met effectively.