Case Study: Harvard Drug achieves 430‑bp higher fill rates and 35% less obsolete inventory with Manhattan Associates’ Inventory Optimization

Harvard Drug Gets a Healthy Outlook With Inventory Optimization

Harvard Drug, a privately held distributor serving more than 15,000 wholesale and retail customers with a catalog of over 18,000 pharmaceutical, OTC and specialty products across multiple divisions and four warehouses, struggled with fragmented processes: buyers were managing inventory with Excel spreadsheets and organizational silos despite rapid growth from acquisitions.

By implementing Manhattan Associates’ Inventory Optimization (went live October 2011), Harvard standardized purchasing, improved demand forecasting and replenishment, and freed buyers from spreadsheet work. Within a year the institutional division grew 6% from higher fill rates, companywide fill rates improved by 430 basis points year-over-year, obsolete inventory fell 35%, and cash flow strengthened—allowing debt reduction and reinvestment.

Harvard Drug

Kerry Porter

Vice President of Inventory Management