The supply chain planning expert Slimstock is now supporting the Worldshop of Miles & More GmbH with its Slim4 solution. This includes the online shop worldshop.eu, ten stores across Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Berlin, and Vienna airports, as well as two exclusive employee stores.
As part of a comprehensive digital transformation project led by Lufthansa Retail, the company – which has over 25 years of experience in retail – aims to future-proof its entire supply chain from suppliers to sales channels with the help of Slimstock. Specifically, the goal is to significantly increase transparency and efficiency in planning processes while optimising supply chain dynamics.
By providing precise demand forecasts and logistics-driven assortment recommendations, the company will better align its offerings with customer needs while enhancing transparency and planning security across procurement, logistics, and sales operations.
Challenges
Before introducing Slim4, the Lufthansa subsidiary faced multiple challenges, including time-consuming, manual planning processes. To enhance the planning functionality of its ERP system, Miles & More GmbH conducted extensive market research and ultimately chose Slimstock’s advanced planning and scheduling software.
Key decision factors included the seamless integration into the IT architecture, support for new processes, Slim4’s user-friendly and intuitive interface, and its compatibility with the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ERP system. Additionally, Slimstock’s extensive experience and proven track record in supply chain optimisation, demonstrated in successful projects for industry peers such as Kappé at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and Lagardère Travel Retail in Belgium, played a crucial role in the decision.
Implementation
The initial phase of implementation focuses on service-driven inventory planning at the central warehouse, ensuring accurate demand forecasting for initial supplier purchases and optimised inventory management. The software is being gradually introduced by the central planning team, before extending to the automation and central management of all airport store replenishment processes.
Following this, the company will complete the rollout of its Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process. A key part of this initiative is the demand review tool, which supports monthly rolling sales and assortment planning within the S&OP module. This enables better monitoring and management of past data and forecasted demand across both e-commerce and physical stores, allowing for more proactive and dynamic inventory and procurement strategies. Additionally, the demand review within the S&OP module will enhance strategic assortment and supplier control for individual product categories while also generating automated, business-rule-based stock allocation recommendations for stores.
“We are confident that Slimstock is the ideal software partner for our needs. With Slim4, we can significantly improve efficiency, planning reliability, and transparency across our inventory and supply chain processes. Even now, shortly after go-live, we can already see the added value this solution will bring,” says Enrico Muth, Supply Chain Manager at Miles & More GmbH.