Challenge
A retail company faced growing supply chain difficulties:
- Lead time variability from Asia
- Changes in senior supply chain leadership
- Inexperienced middle management unable to adjust policies to new realities
This resulted in:
- Product shortages
- Rising stock levels
- Double-digit logistics cost increases
Actions
The CEO requested Shadow Management Support to stabilize the situation and develop future leaders:
- Mentoring & Training
- Bi-weekly strategy development sessions
- Structured mentoring on business acumen, holistic thinking, supply chain management, and logistics technology
- Analytics Tools Implementation
- Introduced advanced tools for data-driven decision making
- Supported vendor selection and implementation processes
- Supply Chain Director Role Development
- Defined new role scope with CEO
- Conducted internal selection and guided the transition of the chosen candidate
Results
- 18% decrease in overall stock levels
- 0.8 p.p. improvement in customer service level
- Warehouse productivity gains through better planning and capacity management
- Logistics costs stabilized at +/-1 p.p. of sales budget despite >5% industry cost increase
- Redefined KPIs aligned with business needs
- New Supply Chain Director ensured cross-functional alignment and long-term strategic focus
Short summary
Through Shadow Management Support, the company:
- Developed next-generation supply chain leadership
- Adopted data-driven tools and KPIs
- Reduced stock levels and stabilized logistics costs
- Improved customer service and warehouse efficiency
The organization is now well-positioned for future growth, with stronger leadership and clearer strategic priorities.