Case Study: Prevost achieves 65% fewer backorders and lower inventory costs with Smart Software's SmartForecasts

Driving Better Auto Aftermarket Parts Distribution at Prevost Car

Prevost, a leading North American maker of intercity buses and coach shells and its Prevost Parts division, faced high complexity in distributing more than 25,000 active parts—70% of which had intermittent, irregular demand—leading to inaccurate inventories, 25% of orders shipped from non-optimal locations or backlogged, and DRP misalignment. To address this, Prevost evaluated six forecasting systems and selected SmartForecasts Enterprise from Smart Software to provide more accurate item/location-level forecasts and safety-stock calculations that integrate with its SAP DRP and Oracle data.

Smart Software implemented SmartForecasts Enterprise, linking it to Prevost’s Oracle/SAP environment to produce validated 36-month item-by-location forecasts and safety-stock recommendations, then moved to weekly buckets and JIT replenishment. The solution reduced safety stock needs (up to 18% better than the next best application) and, within three months, cut backorders of top parts by 65%, lowered lost sales by 59%, and raised fill rates from 93% to 96%, while enabling better inventory allocation and lower transportation and inventory costs.

Prevost

Dave Gilbert

Logistics Director