,F~- W4 Heineken Logistics: Managing demand "Obviously, you can define Heineken's success as being the brewer of the world's best beer. But it goes deeper than that. For instance, consider how we physically get our products to the customer. Put plainly, over the next several decades, in logistical terms, our focus must go beyond the supply-side. We've got to get involved with the whole demand side as well." Andrew J. Thomas (30), vice-president operations planning for Heineken USA, believes that there are ways of getting management to look at the demand-side. "The first challenge is the initial, unwavering response to consumer demands. We seek to reorientate our beer-supply management towards a better understanding of demand for our products. This is where we want to match up deployment of our resources. The second challenge is closely linked with the first: we have to make far better use of information coming to us from along the whole line. Integrated planning and information management are the key words. In the United States we've taken a first step, with HOPS. That stands for Heineken Operational Planning System. It's based on the internet and translates information on demand and stock in the marketplace into planning at the wholesaler, and managing orders. With HOPS we aim to guarantee that every consumer - wherever he or she may be - always has a cool, refreshing glass of Heineken beer within reach. Cheers!"

Jaarverslagen en Personeelsbladen Heineken

Jaarverslagen | 1997 | | pagina 39