Challenge
Ordering and replenishment decisions were being made with limited data discipline. Roughly 15% of the range carried severe stock distortions, with some items effectively representing years of excess inventory while freight cost and dealer dissatisfaction continued to rise.
CETA role
CETA rebuilt the order system around data-based automation, clearer demand logic, replenishment triggers, dead-stock reduction planning, freight review, and dealer-specific operating conditions.
Impact
The result was roughly 20% lower operating cost, approximately 55% higher efficiency, and a materially healthier inventory profile with lower freight pressure.
Operating context
The problem looked like inventory, but the underlying issue sat inside ordering behavior. Temporary buying patterns had been mistaken for long-term demand, which left some SKUs holding irrational stock positions while freight and service performance deteriorated.
What changed
CETA rebuilt the order system around real demand logic, replenishment triggers, and exception handling. That meant dead-stock reduction work, dealer-specific buying adjustments, and tighter freight structure decisions all had to move together rather than be solved one at a time.
Why the result mattered
The strongest gain was the return of operating control. Once the system no longer depended on manual interpretation of noisy demand signals, the business could carry healthier stock, serve dealers more intelligently, and defend cost more consistently under pressure.
Proof basis
- Inventory exposure and order-cycle analysis across the active catalog
- Dead-stock reduction tracking over the intervention year
- Operating-cost and efficiency comparison after system redesign