TCS offered to help. We had already established a four-year track record with Cummins in the IT services area, but this new initiative – to revolutionize their supply chain – required an unprecedented level of partnership. The team began with analysis, finding that Cummins’ legacy systems created logjams and that businesses were using multiple, disparate systems. As a result, data availability and quality were not up to the just-in-time requirements of supply chain excellence.
The TCS-Cummins Supply Chain Program provides an end-to-end framework for Cummins to transform its supply chain. Under this umbrella program, individual plants are targeted for transformation, beginning with a business process assessment to discover opportunities for supply chain efficiency. Recommended improvements include re-engineering the supply chain process, training staff to achieve organizational change, and enabling advanced planning and process management through cutting-edge technology solutions.
So far, one plant has gone through the entire process, and four others have gone through the initial assessments, which have pointed out discrete opportunities to build a near term and longer term transformation roadmap.
Beyond providing the technology, TCS has partnered with Cummins to introduce the staff to the new system and processes through a rigorous change management and training program.
The solution is helping Cummins more accurately forecast demand for its products and services, and promotes more effective sales and operations planning as well. The one plant that has used the new framework has reduced product proliferation as preferred product options have minimized the need for multiple similar products.
The work of our consultants and systems specialists is helping Cummins – like its fine engines – to run more smoothly and efficiently.
Key Benefits
- Significant improvement in forecasting
- Noteworthy improvement in on-time deliveries
- Significant reduction in inventory