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Our approach to problem solving involves the effective combination
of people, processes, customized tools and technologies. We recognize that
the uniqueness of each business - in its products, markets and customers,
impacts its operations. Planning for a company's supply chain behaviour
therefore has to take into account a number of variables specific to the
company, historical data, causal factor analysis and best practices.
While advances in information technology and supply chain
applications have brought innovation and significant levels of efficiency
in today's companies, rarely do pre-defined,
packaged solutions solve complex, multi-faceted problems easily as it is
impossible to adequately account for all factors in such solutions.
The packaged software industry is nascent and currently going through its first
major revolution, revealing in the process, new models and methods for
defining and deploying solutions - as services.
These elements are factored into our carefully crafted delivery model of
solutions that include Consulting
services, Planning services, and Business process services.
Decades of experience as operational managers, management consultants and solution architects
has provided our team a unique perspective in the understanding of businesses'
needs and solutions to address these needs.
A representative sample list of our services and solutions is as follows:
Strategic Opportunity Assessment - Quantititive analysis of revenue and cost savings opportunities,
value propositions and recommendation of specific supply chain initiatives to pursue
Business Plan Development - Market research, Product line profitability, development of
business proforma and operational plans
Operational Planning & Review - Definition of planning cycle, establishment of processes, and ongoing support for
periodic planning of new product introduction, pricing, promotions, procurement, manufacturing, fulfillment, logistics, customer care, workforce etc
as well as periodic operational/financial reviews across multiple dimensions such as geographies, functions and products.
Business Process Outsourcing (across the 'Design-Market-Sell-Buy-Make-Move-Fulfill-Serve' product lifecycle) - Isolation and
provisioning of specific business processes that are better handled through the definition and implementation of an outsourced delivery model
for that process; Examples (a) Computer Aided Design (CAD) of buildings, structures, machinery, and consumer goods, their visualization for sales and training
purposes, (b) The Procure-to-Pay process and (c) The Order-to-Cash process.
Systems Development Services
- Analysis, Requirements Specifications, Design, Prototyping,
Development, Testing and Implementation of application software in Microsoft and Open-Source Platforms; Hosted Delivery of
Applications; Application support and Infrastructure Management
Management in a Box - Management methodology in the form of a portfolio of service offerings
to assist medium to large businesses define and implement management models.
Retail & Consumer Goods
The issues we typically address for retailers involve determining the right product mix, (merchandise and
assortment planning), market entry planning, distribution center and store network configuration,
and workforce planning.
Sales Management, Analytics and Reporting (SMMARTs) - A Sales Management platform to plan sales and lead generation strategies,
capture, run and track sales and study/report sales and marketing metrics; Offered as a hosted service/SaaS application
Remodelers Management and Analytics Platform (ReMAP) - A complete Operations Management Platform to plan, run and track activities
for Remodeling firms; Offered as a hosted service/SaaS application
Product Portfolio Planning - Determination of categories, roles and assortments,
inventory and replenishment policies
Benefit Assessment Framework - Uniform Code Council endorsed benefit assessment model based on
four level process decomposition and consideration of 40+ variables
Market Entry Planning - Identification and planning for market opportunities; With
the expansion of global markets for organized Retail, (especially India), we can evaluate such opportunities
for retailers considering such moves, with specific approaches and plans
Telecommunication
While major changes are underway in the telecommunication landscape - growth of wireless, voice-data-entertainment
convergence, companies are under pressure to modify their operating models, to better understanding traffic flows,
and identify ways to optimally manage loads.
Load Forecasting and Capacity Management - Solution to forecast loads and manage technician
capacity levels, to maximize customer satisfaction and minimize labor spend.
Construction
We have assisted major builders and construction firms with their strategic sourcing of materials,
and the complete redesign of their supply chains to buy, move, stage, assemble and deliver materials.
In the process, we have helped set up whole new business subsidiaries to handle material procurement
from factories, long haul transportation, third party warehouse storage, manufacturing of assemblies
and delivery to construction sites.
Strategic Sourcing Analysis - Analysis of consumption and current spend levels,
determination of sources and sourcing efficiencies; definition and instituting of processes to monitor
spend, and evaluate supplier performances
Network Planning - Determination of optimal locations for own or third party warehouse
facilities, and assembly operations
Inventory Planning - Determination of right levels of inventory based on various lead
times - supplier, network, and assembly
Procurement and Global Logistics Services - Management of the procurement workflow,
and handling of logistics in terms of ocean liners, agents, transloaders and freight forwarders.
High Tech Electronics
Having worked with a number of Electronics manufacturers, we understand the dynamics of
forecasting, challenges and risks involved in outsourced manufacturing, lead time management etc. Strategies
and solutions we have developed for this sector include:
Demand Forecasting - Statistical methods, combined with factoring in of Marketing programs,
events in the supply chain, and providing forecast bands
Postponement analysis - Strategies to delay final commitment of generic inventory to specific products (
example - delayed packaging)
Parts Standardization - Use of common parts to allow for better inventory management
In addition, we also undertake commissioned studies, surveys and other research efforts, as part of our
engagement with customers.
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Nathan Research works with leading industry and media organizations such as Retail Systems Alert and UCC in the promotion of best practices and standards. |
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