EUROPE become excess or obsolete inventory . With more than 10,000 saleable SKU ’ s it is easy to understand the pressure that this may put on operations . Those products will have consumed capacity and materials that could otherwise have been used for other products that we do need at that moment . These may be products that weren ’ t in the forecast which become a firefight and expediting chase . This bullwhip or noise isn ’ t limited just to our internal supply chain . It is clearly visible in our extended supply through to our suppliers .

“ A strategy based around simply being “ better ” at forecasting was simply not going to be viable in the long term . Working harder with our traditional MRP processes and tools would not be enough . We had taken almost all the low hanging fruits already .” With 40 lube oil blending , base oil and grease manufacturing plants , Shell

Lubricants fills over 2mn bottles a day , and undertakes 30mn deliveries a year to direct customers and distributors .

Lynch ’ s role to drive Shell Lubricants ’ long-term strategy and subsequent roadmap for its global supply chain planning , spanning business processes , systems and organisation

huge numbers ,” he adds .

design , is therefore one that cannot be underestimated .

“ We ’ re also supporting the marine business , as well as 10,000 ocean-going vessels that carry Shell lubricants at any time . So , just in terms of scaling that , they ’ re just

DEMAND-DRIVEN PLANNING In 2015 , Lynch sought to look at the advantages of demand-driven planning , which would seek to sidestep such pressures routinely seen within traditional forecast driven methods and enhance Shell Lubricants ’ supply chain capabilities .

www . energydigital . com 13