Sunny Delight closely tracks key performance indicators designed to deliver a "perfect order" that is delivered to the customer in the right quantity, on time and without damage, says Singletary, Atlanta site director.

At the same time the company keeps a close eye on costs, and 3PL partner Transplace plays an important role in both those goals. "With Transplace, we work on taking taking waste out of the supply chain so we can bring better value to our customers," says Singletary. For example, he says, if a customer's delivery profile requires shipping on Sunday, it may be possible to shift the delivery window to the next day or to get that shipment out on Friday. "Of course, we would first make sure that any change was aligned with corporate goals and not creating any conflicts internally or for the customer," he says. "Having very clear KPIs internally and externally ensures success."

The company also uses a sales and operations planning process to keep operations in alignment. "S&OP is an overarching process that enables us to make sure we meet promotions on time and that we have good communications throughout the planning process," he says.

At Sunny Delight, the supply chain is an important part of the S&OP process. "Having back and forth communications between the supply chain and other departments ensures that we are all together," he says. "People in the supply chain might think we need to ship a day early because of circumstances like a holiday or bad weather. Keeping clear communications is very important because information flow at the top determines material flow. Making sure we have very clear communications ensures that we put the focus where it needs to be - on the customer."

Lean processes also help Sunny Delight stay customer focused. "Lean is all about taking the waste out of each and every process so we can flow material as efficiently as possible and pass those savings on to customers," Singletary says.

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