i2 and the i2 User Group have named the 2008 winners of the Ken Sharma Awards of Excellence, which honor companies for distinction in supply chain management. The awards were announced at i2 Planet in the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Orlando, May 2. Sprint, one of the largest wireless operators in the United States, won the award for Supply Chain Depth and Breadth. Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company, a market technology leader with a wide range of product offerings, received the award in the Supply Chain Innovation category. Lenovo, one of the world's largest personal computing manufacturers, won the award in the Return on Investment category (For more information see "Lenovo's Superior Online Buying Experience Leads to Competitive Advantage").
Now in their seventh year, the Ken Sharma Awards are given to those companies that have made outstanding advancements in supply chain management using i2 solutions. The award competition was open to hundreds of i2 customers with implementations planned, in progress or completed.
AMR Research served as the exclusive judge of the Ken Sharma Awards of Excellence, evaluating the entries on the basis of vision, implementation depth and breadth, innovation, time to value, and return on investment.
Supply Chain Depth and Breadth: Sprint
Sprint offers a comprehensive range of wireless and data communications products and services to meet the needs of both individual and business consumers. Sprint operates more than 1,300 of its own retail locations while also selling through national third-party retailers. Sprint also sells direct through its own web site, sprint.com. With so many channels in play, Sprint was challenged to reduce costs by decreasing overall inventory while also maintaining or improving service levels and field sales operations.
Working together with i2, Sprint began to improve its key business processes. i2 solutions for forecasting and planning now enable Sprint to automate weekly demand forecasts across all channels for its handsets and accessories. This has made a positive impact on purchasing, replenishment, allocation, supply chain visibility and order fulfillment activities. i2 solutions also promote supplier collaboration while enabling comprehensive reporting on specific key metrics.
As a result, Sprint has reduced inventories at both the enterprise and retail store level while also increasing service levels. In addition, the improved business processes have enabled Sprint to better adapt to quickly changing business conditions.
Supply Chain Innovation: Panasonic Consumer Electronics
Panasonic operates an extended supply chain with various suppliers for sub-assembly parts and is challenged by demand volatility, short product life cycles and margin deterioration as new manufacturers and brands enter the marketplace. As a result, the company is faced with razor-thin margins for both the manufacturer and the retailer. Panasonic engaged i2 to develop a solution that would help the company focus on the consumer and more closely integrate marketing and the supply chain to improve visibility from the factory to the retail shelf.Â
Panasonic reports that its project with i2 enabled the company to bring inventory distribution and sales velocity into alignment, and to improve forecast accuracy and in-stock ratios for retailers who carry Panasonic products. As a result, the company was able to position the right inventory at the right place, at the right time, as well as to run more effective promotions, increase sales and efficiency, and drive bottom-line value.
Return on Investment: Lenovo
Lenovo engaged i2 to help the company become more competitive and customer-centric, with an emphasis on improving the customer experience on its web site. Working with i2, the company has transformed its supply chain and other processes to handle configure-to-order for its customers through its various sales channels. The transformation has helped Lenovo reshape its web user experience tangibly through rapid functional enhancements, studied site flow redesigns, and ultimately by providing added flexibility in the merchandising and promotions management processes across its eCommerce properties.
The company uses i2 solutions for its configure-to-order global web transformation project. This  provides the synchronization of its web channels with various functional groups within Lenovo, including manufacturing and logistics. The program has significantly improved the web experience for Lenovo's web customers, especially in the United States and Canada, while driving operational efficiency in its global eCommerce operations.
— by Lauren Bossers
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About Ken Sharma
Vice chairman and senior partner of i2 from 1988 until his death in 1999, Ken Sharma made an impact on the development of supply chain planning that continues to resonate today. Throughout his career, Sharma worked to define and redefine the concepts of global optimization, multi-enterprise planning, master planning and supply chain planning. His leadership and vision not only helped make i2 a top provider of supply chain solutions, but also changed the paradigms by which industries understand concepts such as supply chain planning and technology. Most important, even as Sharma changed the face of business, he remained dedicated to his craft. He was known to say, "This work of mine has been a great source of satisfaction. If I've been able to help at least one person, that will be enduring."
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