EOC Consulting

Insights & News

EOC understands the key problems faced by supply chain and logistics directors. We work with you to solve these problems, by bringing in-depth supply chain knowledge, expert consulting skills and a collaborative working style. Contact EOC for more information on any of the topics below:

The logistics cost of the snow chaos

The logistics cost of the snow chaos – Photo

The continued snowfall across the UK has resulted in unwanted costs for grocers as both store deliveries and customer home shopping fulfilment are disrupted. Alastair Charatan was quoted by Retail Week, estimating the potential cost of this.

The article can be accessed via Retail Week, or paste the following address in your browser: www.allbusiness.com/retail/retailers-food-beverage-stores-grocery-supermarkets/13742683-1.html  (image courtesy of freefoto.com)

Planning for supplier failure

Planning for supplier failure – Photo

In the current economic climate, there is a serious risk that a product supplier will fail. Unless retailers are prepared, the impact can be disastrous. Aside from the obvious risk of product shortages it can result in unfulfilled orders, lost sales, customer dissatisfaction and lost sales and repeat business.

EOC Consulting was quoted in an article in Retail Week on this subject, with pointers on how to plan against supplier failure. The article can be accessed via Retail Week, or paste the following address in your browser: www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/operations-supply/12853656-1.html

Innovative solution to analyse CO2 emissions and product miles

Innovative solution to analyse CO2 emissions and product miles – Photo Innovative solution to analyse CO2 emissions and product miles – Photo

Supply chain directors need to answer increasingly detailed questions on the environmental impact of their supply chains. But the solutions usually available to get to these answers are time-consuming and costly.

EOC Consulting and Bellis-Jones Hill (a specialist Performance Management and Activity Based Costing firm) have jointly developed a practical, rapid and low-cost solution:

·  Practical: We use readily available product, volume and supply chain data, and estimate and extrapolate appropriately and accurately
·  Rapid: Results can be available in just a few weeks, because the data already exists and we use standard user-friendly data handling software
·  Low cost: The method requires modest time from the organisation, while using a low number of consultant days; no software needs to be purchased, and results can be exported to spreadsheets.

Key questions for supply chain directors

Key questions for supply chain directors – Photo Key questions for supply chain directors – Photo

What are the true costs of alternative multi-channel fulfilment routes?
In-store collection is typically unprofitable for products below £10.

Do you know the scale and drivers of your CO2 emissions and product miles?
Evaluating the green supply chain quickly and effectively - calculating food miles by origin, product group and transport type, and being able to analyse this rapidly.

How can service be maintained when fuel, labour and property costs are rising so fast?
Ensure the business understands the true trade-off of store delivery frequency, store stock levels and on-shelf availability. Automation may be appropriate in parts of your network, if its role is clearly defined and specified.