Case Study: Major Publishing Company achieves faster, more accurate forecasting, lower inventory and higher fill rates with Protiviti

Protiviti assists major publisher in improving sales and operational planning

Major Publishing Company engaged Protiviti to address a decentralized demand‑planning process that had resulted in high inventory obsolescence, low fill rates, significant order backlogs and poor customer satisfaction. The publisher’s business is highly seasonal (60–70% of orders expected June–August), so Protiviti applied its Supply Chain and Performance & Information Management services to standardize processes, clarify roles and improve demand forecasting.

Protiviti led process redesign (value‑chain definition, level‑2/3 process mapping, roles and responsibilities) and implemented improved forecasting models and reporting, compressing the revenue‑forecast cycle from weeks to days. The engagement improved forecast accuracy by 10–15%, reduced inventory obsolescence by ~1% of sales, avoided tens of millions in unneeded purchases, cut carrying costs by about US$500,000/month, raised fill rates from 70% to 85%, lowered on‑hand inventory by 8% while sales grew 10%, and reduced incoming customer calls by 23%—with a payback equal to roughly two months of inventory carrying costs.