STADA Pharma CZ – Modern sales and inventory planning in a single version of truth – Case Study
STADA Pharma CZ is the Czech subsidiary of the international pharmaceutical group STADA Arzneimittel AG, which operates in more than 120 countries and focuses on over-the-counter (OTC) products, generics, and specialty pharmaceuticals. The Czech branch maintains its commercial headquarters in Prague and a production facility in Třinec.
With an expanding product portfolio and an increasingly complex structure of sales channels, Excel-based planning began to reach its limits. Consequently, the company sought a modern planning solution that would enable efficient management of sales, inventory, and financial performance.
Requirements
Sales planning and forecasting were originally conducted using numerous excel spreadsheets, which were difficult to coordinate across the organization. The objective of the project was to establish a centralized planning environment that enables:
- sales planning at the individual product (SKU) level with aggregation capabilities,
- approval workflows based on the product structure,
- regular forecasting and tracking of planning cycle milestones,
- reporting on plan fulfillment across various product hierarchies,
- secure data sharing based on user roles,
- integration of sales planning with inventory levels and procurement planning.
Solution
Sophia Solutions designed and implemented a centralized planning solution built on a unified data repository, ensuring a single version of truth across the entire organization. Planning is conducted through standardized input forms, where users enter data specifically for their assigned products and sales channels. Simultaneously, the system provides real-time visibility into how any changes impact both financial and non-financial KPIs.
A key component of the solution is the procurement planning module. By leveraging the demand plan and current inventory levels, the system automatically generates suggested purchase orders for a rolling 36-month horizon, which can be further refined through manual adjustments. Actuals and master data are automatically imported from the data warehouse, while the resulting planning outputs can be seamlessly exported to STADA Group’s global systems. The project is powered by IBM Planning Analytics Cloud technology.
Benefits
The implementation has delivered a significant increase in the efficiency of both planning and control processes.
Faster Planning Cycle
Automation of data imports and planning workflows has substantially reduced the time required to prepare annual plans and regular forecasts.
Greater Transparency and Reduced Error Rates
The centralized model eliminates the risks associated with manual adjustments in excel spreadsheets.
More Efficient Inventory Management
The procurement planning module helps optimize inventory volumes while simultaneously ensuring product availability.
Enhanced Control and Reporting
Analytical reports allow both controllers and management to continuously monitor plan fulfillment and respond promptly to changes.
Key Project Outcomes
- Unified planning environment with a single version of truth.
- Automation of planning processes and data imports from the data warehouse.
- Shortened planning cycles and minimized error rates.
- Improved management of inventory levels and the financial value of stock.
