Global FMCG Leader Reduces Expiry Losses by 3% and Boosts Revenue with Intelligent Supply Chain Transformation

Client Overview

A world-renowned fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company with a turnover of €60 billion, offering a diverse portfolio of products across food, beverages, home care, personal care, and beauty sectors. The company operates in over 190 countries, serving billions of consumers daily.​

The Challenge

Inefficient Legacy Systems Leading to Stock Obsolescence

The company’s legacy supply chain infrastructure was increasingly misaligned with established business process requirements, including critical inventory practices such as First-In-First-Out (FIFO) and Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) during dispatch operations. This lack of process adherence led to operational inefficiencies, elevated error rates, and diminished fulfillment accuracy.

Compounding these challenges was limited end-to-end supply chain visibility, which contributed to significant stock obsolescence, expiry-related losses, and an inability to proactively manage inventory turnover. Without a robust supply chain management platform, real-time tracking of production processes was not feasible, resulting in incorrect or mismatched dispatches that impacted service reliability. Additionally, the absence of an integrated Warehouse Management System (WMS) introduced further bottlenecks, exacerbating inefficiencies and restricting the company’s ability to scale operations effectively.

Sutherland Solution

Modernizing Supply Chain Operations Through Intelligent Automation and Real-Time Visibility

Sutherland collaborated with the company to deploy a comprehensive strategy centered on intelligent automation:​

1. Deployment of the eSeal® Platform for End-to-End Visibility
   Sutherland introduced eSeal®, a market-leading digital supply chain platform, to provide real-time, granular visibility into inventory movement and live production processes. Hosted securely on AWS Cloud infrastructure, eSeal® enabled enhanced agility, reliability, and scalability, creating a resilient foundation for digitally managing supply chain activities across the enterprise.
   
2. Warehouse Layout Redesign for Digital Enablement
   To support the new digital supply chain model, Sutherland re-engineered the client’s warehouse layout, optimizing the physical space for efficient product tracking and seamless dispatch operations. The redesigned layout aligned with digital best practices, ensuring traceability of each product’s journey through the supply chain and facilitating faster, more accurate storage and dispatch workflows.
   
3. Enhanced Tracking and Scanning Processes
   Sutherland improved and standardized tracking and scanning procedures across warehouse operations to decrease dispatch errors and enforce strict adherence to FIFO (First-In-First-Out) and LIFO (Last-In-First-Out) inventory management principles. These enhancements dramatically improved dispatch reliability, reduced inventory losses, and enhanced overall supply chain accuracy and responsiveness.

By combining intelligent automation, digital visibility, and operational redesign, Sutherland enabled the client to eliminate bottlenecks, enforce inventory best practices, reduce stock losses, and build a scalable, future-ready supply chain ecosystem, positioning the company for sustained operational excellence and competitive advantage.

The Outcome

Driving Operational Efficiency, Financial Gains, and Supply Chain Resilience

The deployment of intelligent automation initiatives delivered significant operational and financial improvements for the company. Expiry-related losses were reduced by 3%, directly strengthening inventory management and reducing wastage. Revenue increased by 2.8%, fueled by improved dispatch accuracy, faster order fulfillment, and enhanced customer satisfaction.

In addition, working capital efficiency improved by 3.4%, reflecting stronger inventory turnover and optimized resource utilization. Enhanced tracking and scanning processes significantly decreased dispatch errors, reinforcing operational reliability and further solidifying the company’s reputation as a world-leading player in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector.