RS Group

Before RS Group advanced its planning environment, forecasting and inventory planning relied on knowledge held functionally or regionally. Planners understood local patterns, but without a central view, couldn’t connect global supply, demand and inventory information as efficiently as it would like. 

RS Group needed planning capabilities that supported its large vendor network, and customer demand volatility without forcing planners to rebuild core processes outside governed systems. Given the dynamic nature of its business and global economy, the business also needed a supply chain planning partner capable of supporting growth over the long-term.

Modernizing a long-standing planning foundation

The relationship between RS Group and Blue Yonder has developed over multiple planning eras. Most recently, RS Group continued working by modernizing its technology foundation behind its planning processes. Moving its Blue Yonder solutions from an on-premise environment to the Microsoft Azure public cloud helped RS Group access newer capabilities and reduce dependence on older configurations. Just as important, the program gave RS Group an opportunity to simplify how planning work was supported, review developments introduced over more than five years and use standard features that had matured to meet requirements previously handled through custom configuration or manual workarounds.

“Blue Yonder has helped RS Group keep pace with the demands and volatility of industrial distribution by providing the visibility, planning capabilities and supply chain agility needed to improve service, optimize inventory and support sustainable business growth,” says Jones.

Support with clear ownership

Blue Yonder Professional Services played an integral role during RS Group’s deployment of its solutions onto the cloud. The company relied on the team’s support to keep its migration on track, answer questions ahead of testing, and advise on key elements before business users began deeper usage.

RS Group’s collaboration with Blue Yonder Professional Services covered planning processes, integrations and user adoption. Instead of allowing open issues to remain unresolved across teams, Blue Yonder Professional Services helped the organization establish accountability and clear paths forward. Support from the team reduced risk during the transition and helped RS Group build confidence in a more standardized planning environment—one designed to replace fragmented manual work with clearer ownership, better governance and more consistent planning decisions.

Planning improvements with direct impact

In light of numerous global geopolitical events which can adversely affect its supply chain, RS Group has experienced very stable forecast accuracy and service levels as its business continues to change and grow. Blue Yonder planning capabilities support accurate forecasts, stronger customer service, and inventory optimization.

With Blue Yonder, recent improvements show how RS Group is applying planning capability to its operational detail. One example is optimizing ordering quantities from vendors to improve warehouse fill rates—a key performance indicator in distributor. The result applied more pragmatic ordering logic aligned with warehouse capacity and product flow.

RS Group has also seen enhanced exception management. Standard order-based exceptions are aggregated and ranked for the company’s strategic corporate objectives, allowing its planning teams to focus attention on lines with the highest value-add potential. By ranking exceptions, RS Group directs planner expertise toward decisions most likely to affect service, inventory and financial performance, hypercritical for its customers and competitive business model.

RS Group’s multi-year plan to improve and deliver on the significant value creation opportunity is being done through strategic initiatives and investment into the business around digital capability, data improvement and connection across the Group, AI usage - all driving improved productivity.

Reducing handling and supporting sustainability

A recent internal project with Blue Yonder has changed how RS Group optimizes its stock allocations across its network. The company has improved safety stock policy management, implemented convenient rounding processes, and enhanced minimum order value optimization. RS Group has enhanced where products are stocked, how much inventory is held, and how often products move.

Additionally, Blue Yonder supports RS Group’s sustainability goals. Fewer unnecessary product movements, lower emergency freight requirements, and more deliberate distribution choices support its logistics network with less avoidable handling and less reliance on expedited transportation.

“Blue Yonder has supported our global movements and shipping methodology, helping to reduce carbon emissions through reduced distress purchases that need to use more carbon intense shipping methods,” says Jones.