Crown Imports Gains Long-Range Supply Chain Planning Visibility With Plan4Demand

PITTSBURGH, April 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Plan4Demand, a leading supply chain management consulting firm, announced it has worked with Crown Imports to revamp the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process to gain visibility into long term financial and operational plans. The new S&OP process enables Crown to review the supply chain plan through a financial lens to identify gaps or "blind spots" in plans when issues are still actionable.

The third-largest beer provider in the US by volume, Crown worked with Plan4Demand to recreate the S&OP process. Crown was planning 90 days out, and if there were issues or shortfalls, they were often masked in the future. Now Crown works 24-months out with in-depth data shared across business units providing early visibility into emerging risks and opportunities.

"We were working with multiple forecasts and focusing on the short term horizon which lead to reactive solutions.  Crown now has forecast alignment 24-months out to enable the team to proactively pursue strategic solutions to run the business," said Jessie Luchsinger, Demand Planning and S&OP Lead. "Plan4Demand helped us drive visibility and accountability around our forecasting and prediction capabilities. We can see emerging trends sooner than we would have with our former S&OP process. The ROI for this project was immediate."

"Crown recognized that blind spots or holes in data points were holding them back from their true earning potential," said Lisa Kustra, CEO for Plan4Demand.  "Blind spots or gaps left in the planning process impact the ability to make critical business decisions. With the proper tools and processes in place, you have actionable information in time to take advantage of opportunities or adjust plans to recover from shortfalls."

About Crown Imports

Crown Imports LLC is a joint venture that imports, distributes and markets the Modelo portfolio and other fine beer brands across the entire U.S. The Crown portfolio includes Corona Extra, Corona Light, Modelo Especial, Negra Modelo, Pacifico, Victoria, St. Pauli Girl and the Tsingtao beer brands.

Crown Imports is a 50-50 joint venture between Grupo Modelo, S.A. de C.V. (MX: GMODELOC), Mexico's leading company in the brewing, distribution and sale of beer, and Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ), a leading international beverage alcohol producer, importer and marketer.

About Plan4Demand

Plan4Demand Solutions, Inc. is a consulting services firm that helps companies optimize their supply chains holistic approach that includes people, process and technology.

Plan4Demand provides solutions that incorporate supply chain process enhancements, performance acceleration programs and technology enablement services to drive visibility and velocity.  Ultimately, Plan4Demand helps companies collaborate better creating a distinctive, competitive advantage through better planning and execution. For more information, visit www.plan4demand.com.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link. Lisa Kustra http://www.profnetconnect.com/lisa_kustra

Contact: Lisa Kustra, 412-733-5000Email: [e-mail]

SOURCE Plan4Demand

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