"While our core focus is on providing unbeatable supply chain management solutions to the beverage industry, this award highlights that our SCM expertise could be applied with equal success improving the supply chains of companies operating across a range of other industries," enthused Rob Turvey, Managing Director, JF Hillebrand Supply Chain Management.

JF Hillebrand's entry to the European Supply Chain Distinction Awards focused on the company's partnership with a number of leading European retailers aimed at removing costs from their beverage supply chains, increasing efficiency, freeing up working capital and improving collaboration with suppliers.

"As judges we looked for examples of situations when companies have demonstrated excellence and innovation in addressing a significant supply chain challenge wherein the results can be quantified and proved to be sustainable in terms of cost savings, revenue and customer satisfaction," the panel explained.

For the wine and spirits industry, this is an important milestone. Traditionally a late adapter of supply chain management innovations, this award highlights that, thanks to JF Hillebrand, the industry now has access to the most effective SCM solutions on the market.

The wine supply chain is also quite complex, in that product is sourced from a wide range of countries across the world and importers' needs may vary from a full container load to just a half-pallet. On the other hand, production cycle methods vary considerably by supplier. Some suppliers will bottle and label once a year, others will bottle and label to order, big volume suppliers will bottle continuously.

Therefore one of the key principles of the JF Hillebrand Supply Chain Management approach concerns sharing information.

On a weekly basis, importers and retailers provide a rolling 52 week forecast by product (and warehouse), as well as store demand, closing week warehouse stock and open purchase orders.

Taking this business intelligence coupled with supplier production parameters which include lead time, minimum production runs and agreed levels of consignment stock for importers and retailers has enabled stock to be produced and made ready for shipment on a weekly basis.

The benefits to the importer/retailer are clear, through the sharing of information, the company's suppliers are prepared to receive orders and have product bottled and ready for export, cutting out the production lead time and allowing customers to place orders based on much reduced, more reliable fixed transit times, delivering reduced import stocking levels, improving availability and allowing for more flexible reaction to demand.

For wine suppliers, access to their customers' rolling forecasts allows them to plan production much more effectively, derive downstream associated benefits, maximising production cycles and providing a greatly enhanced service to customers.