BEL upgrades logistics

Manugistics, a leading global provider of supply chain management solutions, has supplied the BEL food and dairy group with solutions aimed at improving its forecasting, production-capacity planning, and distribution flow optimisation.

Bel, a leader in the dairy and cheese sector, with world-famous household brands such as Laughing Cow, BabyBel and Kiri, has upgraded its logistics capabilities to help predict market demand, dynamically allocate production requirements and capacity based on demand points, and improve stock visibility throughout its global supply network, which includes 26 plants (six in France) and approximately 20 commercial subsidiaries.

BEL says it intends to improve customer service and asset utilisation, and to reduce logistics costs and product-shrink through three main priorities: flow optimisation, inventory reduction, and visibility throughout the supply chain.

"The BEL group has launched a large-scale strategic project - enhancing efficiency throughout our supply chain - to reflect our ongoing internal and external growth, organisational changes, and the need for common processes and global visibility in a highly competitive environment,"​ commented Ludovic Flateau, project manager at BEL.

"Manugistics proved to us that its solutions meet the functional and technical needs of our Group, including specific and critical requirements such as management of product shelf life and multi-sourcing optimisation. The company has also demonstrated, both through a number of customer references as well as in the initial phases of the BEL project, that it has the capacity, expertise and regional teams to deliver on its commitment to help us meet our strategic targets,"​ he added.

The Manugistics forecasting solution is being implemented worldwide, and in the local BEL commercial subsidiaries, while planning solutions are being implemented centrally for all BEL manufacturing sites with export products. Manugistics claim that its solutions will be the main vector of supply chain optimisation within the company.

Jean Claude Walravens, president of European operations for Manugistics added: "Manugistics is committed to helping BEL maintain its position as a market leader in delivering its high quality products throughout the world. It is this commitment to client success, coupled with our deep, industry-specific expertise and our ability to deliver solutions that provide real return on investment."​

BEL​ is the world's biggest manufacturer of branded processed cheese packaged in pre-cut portions as well as the biggest producer of cheese spreads in Europe and France. With nearly 10,000 employees and leading brands sold in over 100 countries, the BEL group achieved sales of €1.74 Billion in 2001, of which 63 per cent where achieved outside France.

Based in the US, Manugistics​ has offices in throughout Europe, Australia, Brazil, Mexico and Asia Pacific.