Alteryx > Case Studies > SaskTel's Transformation: From Manual Inventory Forecasting to Automated Analytics

SaskTel's Transformation: From Manual Inventory Forecasting to Automated Analytics

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Inventory Management Systems
Functional Applications - Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)

Applicable Industries

Life Sciences
Telecommunications

Applicable Functions

Procurement
Warehouse & Inventory Management

Use Cases

Demand Planning & Forecasting
Inventory Management

Services

Training

About The Customer

SaskTel is a telecommunications company based in Canada, serving 1.4 million customers. Founded in 1908, the company has a rich history of over 100 years and has adapted to the changing needs of its customers over time. SaskTel prides itself on connecting its customers to the people and places they care about, whether through new equipment or high-speed internet. The company operates across multiple departments, including Demand Planning, Finance, Operations, and Procurement. Since 2020, SaskTel has been leveraging analytics to tackle inventory and supply chain challenges, aiming to meet service install timelines and increase customer satisfaction.

The Challenge

SaskTel, a telecommunications company with over 100 years of experience, faced significant challenges in inventory forecasting. The company had been manually forecasting inventory, a process that was both time-consuming and inefficient. Byron Waugh, the Demand Planning and Forecasting Manager, had to manually extract data from SAP for each material number, analyze the history, and input the information into a spreadsheet. This process was not only tedious but also unsustainable given the 3,300+ active material numbers that SaskTel used. The company also faced supply chain issues due to the pandemic, with material lead times extending to 2.5-3 years. Previously, SaskTel would only order materials a few months in advance, leading to frequent rush orders and additional costs.

The Solution

SaskTel turned to Alteryx, an analytics platform, to address its inventory forecasting challenges. After just five weeks of training, Byron was able to build a highly accurate forecasting report using Alteryx. This report has been crucial in managing the extended material lead times during the pandemic. SaskTel now forecasts a minimum of five years to ensure they have the necessary materials when needed. The company has also been working to automate these processes with the help of a business analyst. In addition, SaskTel has started ordering everything they need for the next two years in advance to mitigate supply chain issues. The company is also building reports and dashboards internally, saving both time and money that would have been spent on hiring consultants.

Operational Impact

The implementation of Alteryx has brought about significant operational improvements at SaskTel. The company has been able to streamline its inventory forecasting process, making it more efficient and accurate. This has helped SaskTel to better manage its supply chain, especially during the pandemic when material lead times have been extended. The ability to forecast five years in advance ensures that SaskTel has the materials they need when they need them. Furthermore, the company has been able to reduce the number of rush orders and associated costs by ordering materials for the next two years in advance. The internal creation of reports and dashboards has also improved timelines for both buyers and customers, enhancing overall customer satisfaction.

Quantitative Benefit

The inventory forecasting process was reduced from 1 year to just 3 minutes
SaskTel saved over $250,000 by building reports in-house
The company aims to reduce the number of purchase orders from 30 to 4 per year for each active material number