The Company

Fogarty (Filled Products) Ltd is a stock based business, servicing numerous customers with a wide range of products, often in customer specific packaging, and in varying quantities. Response times for several major customers require despatch from stock within 24 hours of order receipt. The business comprises both an offshore product sourcing operation, dealing primarily with natural, feather filled products and a UK manufacturing operation, which deals primarily with synthetic products.

The Solution

Fogarty (Filled Products), premium supplier of both Own brand and Customer Branded bedding products and a major supplier to UK retail customers Marks & Spencer and Debenhams, has implemented the latest Advanced Planning product from Fast React Systems with remarkable results.  A huge reduction in the manual workload throughout the planning process has led to rapid improvements in speed of response and more available time to address potential supply issues.

Direct, operational cost savings include an £80K Sterling per annum, in addition to significant reductions in stock levels. Assisted by FastReact, the planning team are now able to challenge stock policies and forward requirements. Further reductions are anticipated in the coming months.

Stewart MacDonald, Managing Director explains “Over time, as the demands on our business increased in terms of flexibility and speed of response, it became apparent that our existing, spreadsheet based planning could simply not cope effectively, the total planning cycle time had become unacceptably long. We needed to find a better solution, which could work with our existing business systems in a much more automated and responsive manner”.

The Conclusion

Andrew Brown, Managing Director, Fast React Systems adds “FastReact APS has replaced a large amount of manual work, which was restricting the opportunity of the business to move forward. Whilst significant benefits have already been realised, FastReact now provides a platform for Fogarty to challenge many more aspects of their supply chain, supported by the power of the FastReact planning solution. This will allow the company to become more strategic in its operation. We look forward to working with the management team to realise further gains in the near future.”