To help retailers and industries overcome challenges such as unbalanced inventory, product shortages, and difficulties in purchasing and distribution planning, Neogrid – an ecosystem of technology and data intelligence that develops solutions for consumer chain management – has revamped its Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP) solution. The new modules offer more flexibility and precision in inventory management, ensuring continuous supply without compromising cash flow.
The new model features a redesigned interface organized into two journey formats (Purchasing and Distribution) with four package levels (Starter, Business, Full, and Corporate). Another innovation is the three new functionalities to optimize strategic processes: supply of similar products,; released volume; and the new cockpit.
The development of the new functionalities was driven by the desire to solve companies’ main pain points, such as inefficient inventory management and stockouts. The updated version integrates numerous procedures by offering flexibility in inventory management and delivering real value to the customer, addressing requests more efficiently and reducing the decentralization of information and impractical dashboards that hindered the connection between data and actions.
In the first journey, called DRP Purchasing, the solution ensures optimal product availability without affecting cash flow and optimizes purchasing and replenishment. Other benefits include demand forecasting based on algorithms and the automation of techniques and indicators – with purchase suggestions and statistical estimates, simplifying decision-making. This journey allows adjustments to inventory policies, such as lead time and delivery frequency, providing flexibility and efficiency, as well as greater budgetary control.
Meanwhile, the second journey, called DRP Distribution, balances inventory, addressing local demands and ensuring continuous product availability without compromising operational efficiency. This system can make accurate forecasts to optimize replenishment planning between branches, enabling versatile adjustments for each unit’s urgent needs. This way, it automates transfer suggestions between units, improving product flow with agility and efficiency.
In both journeys, Neogrid integrated four package levels: Starter; Business; ; Full; and Corporate. This flexible structure allows the solution to be acquired modularly and tailored to fit each client’s needs perfectly. This way, it can cover a wide range of specific demands, offering customized solutions that address each business’s unique challenges.
New functionalities optimize operational processes
In addition to segmentation, Neogrid introduces new functionalities for DRP with specific solutions for different challenges faced by retail and industry. One of them is supply of similar products,, which enables a continuous and grouped flow of orders of the same type. This functionality was developed to optimize the management of individual product inventories, ensuring a faster and more efficient response to demand fluctuations.
The released volume functionality facilitates the allocation of purchase orders based on the authorized quantity for the item, as informed by the supplier through the client. This helps prevent stockouts and increases agility in management and order fulfillment, solving the problem of inflexibility in efficient purchase control. It also reduces the difficulty clients face in replicating procurement practices within the platform, providing a more intuitive experience aligned with business needs.
The solution also features a new look on the main screen, with an updated cockpit that offers a quick and comprehensive overview of planning and inventory management. The DRP now includes dynamic indicators and charts, allowing data visualization customization, which facilitates decision-making and analysis development. This improvement addresses a common limitation in other platforms, which often feature dashboards that are ineffective, failing to deliver real value to clients or connect with necessary actions.
“Imagine the moment of frustration when a customer abandons a shopping cart, whether physical or online, due to a lack of available products. In competitive retail, every second counts, and an abandoned cart can mean a lost sale. For retail and industry, the DRP revamp reflects our commitment to delivering solutions that truly address each client’s specific needs, whether in retail or industry. With the new customizable package levels and journeys, we ensure more flexibility and efficiency in supply chain management,” says Dionaldo Passos, director of Neogrid’s Supply Chain business unit.
What is DRP?
Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP) is an advanced solution used by retailers and manufacturers to plan and control where, when, and how much of each product should be shipped throughout the supply chain. This helps avoid both excess inventory, which can tie up capital unnecessarily, and stockouts, which can lead to lost sales and dissatisfied customers. With DRP, companies can ensure products are available to consumers without incurring overproduction or excessive storage costs, optimizing cash flow and improving customer satisfaction.
