Case Study: New Balance improves supply chain forecasting and efficiency with o9 Solutions

New Balance Extends Pandemic Pilot to Steer Supply Chain and Labor Roller Coaster

New Balance, a footwear and apparel brand and retailer, was grappling with the long-term challenge of inventory accuracy, which was exacerbated by the global supply chain crisis. The company partnered with vendor Consumer Goods Technology to implement a new supply chain planning suite from o9 Solutions. The goal was to aggressively improve forecast accuracy and workforce efficiencies to better navigate demand tumult and control labor costs.

The solution from Consumer Goods Technology involved implementing a multi-phased deployment of o9's technology, starting with a pilot for demand planning that integrated a key retailer's sell-through data. This created a digital twin of the network to better match inventory with capacity and demand. The wider rollout included capabilities for demand planning, inventory management, supply planning, and S&OP/IBP. As a result, New Balance improved its upstream supply planning, gained greater agility to detect changes in demand, and expected to maintain labor costs as revenue grows without proportionally increasing its workforce.

New Balance

Dave Wheeler

Chief Operating Officer