The big name in cereal and snacks seeks to improve forecast accuracy through the adoption of a new tool that supplements traditional supply-chain planning processes with a broader range of information about actual customer demand.

As part of a program to cut costs and guarantee the lowest prices on the market, the big retailer seeks to boost its reliance on direct sourcing. But the change will require a major overhaul of its IT supply-chain infrastructure for dealing with key suppliers.

Do you really need a Tier 1 WMS? We asked ourselves this question recently and did a little research to confirm some thoughts that Commonwealth has had for a while on the subject. Companies that are undertaking a WMS selection project often assume out of the gate that they need a top-tier WMS system and limit their search to a handful of these providers. Make no mistake - many companies with complex distribution needs and high throughput requirements may require a new WMS from Tier-1 provider. However, for companies with only moderately complex distribution centers, our research showed that the mid-tier WMS providers have been hard at work in recent years, developing features and functionality that can fill these needs.