Where there’s Coke, there's a supply chain

Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) is the eighth largest authorised bottler in the world by revenue, and accounts for over 40% of all Coca-Cola drinks sold on the continent by volume. Barry Anderson is group planning leader at the company and it’s his job to ensure the right products and materials are available at the right time, from raw materials and packaging to the finished drinks. This matters because a stock out is more than a missed sale; it means lost revenue, frustrated customers, and a competitor gaining ground.

In the past, ensuring stock was on the shelves involved forecasting, spreadsheets and a lot of firefighting, says Anderson. “At its simplest, a planner might look at the previous year’s numbers and use them to estimate what demand will look like this year. But this is very inefficient. Every Monday, we were breaking down the old plan and rebuilding it from scratch because something wasn’t working.”