Puls8 Replan Case Study

Central Asian Bottler Reduces Planning Time from 5 Days to 30 Minutes with Puls8 Replan

Leading Beverage Producer Improves Product Availability, Reduces Inventory, and Increases Capacity Utilization

OverView

AnonCo (name withheld for confidentiality) is a leading bottler in Central Asia producing a wide portfolio of beverages for one of the world’s top global cola brands.

The company operates nine bottling lines, including a dedicated canning line and eight highly interchangeable production lines. With significant investment in modern manufacturing technology, AnonCo focuses on operational excellence, sustainable resource use, and delivering consistent quality to consumers.

However, as production complexity increased, the company’s Excel-based planning process could no longer support the speed and flexibility required to manage demand volatility and operational tradeoffs.

To modernize its planning capabilities and improve supply chain agility, AnonCo implemented Puls8 Replan.

The Challenge

Spreadsheet-Based Planning

Production planning relied heavily on large, manual Excel spreadsheets, creating inefficiencies and increasing the risk of data errors.

Demand changes required extensive manual adjustments:

  • Monthly demand updates took up to 5 days

  • Weekly changes required up to 3 days

This slow planning cycle forced the organization into rigid production schedules and limited responsiveness.

Limited Operational Flexibility

Without intelligent optimization tools, planners struggled to balance service levels, inventory, and production efficiency.

Critical planning variables such as:

  • Batch sizes

  • Inventory targets

  • Production sequencing

were difficult to manage within spreadsheets.

As a result, production runs often extended 5–7 days, reducing the ability to adjust to demand changes.

No Scenario Planning

Spreadsheet-based planning left little time for evaluating alternatives or assessing tradeoffs.

Planners lacked the ability to run what-if scenarios, limiting their ability to respond proactively to demand changes, supply disruptions, or equipment issues.

The Solution

Demand Chain AI implemented Puls8 Replan, deploying the solution across four bottling lines and the canning line.

Puls8 Replan is designed for the complexity of food and beverage manufacturing and models real-world production constraints such as:

  • Equipment capacity and production line limitations

  • Multi-stage manufacturing processes

  • Changeover sequencing rules

  • Inventory policies and demand priorities

Using intelligent optimization algorithms, Puls8 Replan generates production plans that balance service levels, inventory targets, and production efficiency.

The platform enables planners to run and compare multiple scenarios across the full planning horizon—supporting both short-term execution and long-term strategic planning.

Puls8 Replan integrates directly with the company’s ERP system and supports the S&OP planning process, providing a smarter planning layer without disrupting existing systems.

Implemention

Demand Chain AI deployed Puls8 Replan using its rapid implementation methodology, designed to minimize disruption and require minimal internal resources.

The implementation was completed in eight weeks and required only one FTE day per week from the customer team.

-term strategic planning.

Puls8 Replan integrates directly with the company’s ERP system and supports the S&OP planning process, providing a smarter planning layer without disrupting existing systems.

Key implementation steps included:

  • Review of existing Excel planning processes and inputs

  • Establishment of baseline operational metrics

  • Execution of multiple planning cycles and scenario analyses

  • Hands-on training for planners, users, and decision-makers

This structured rollout ensured rapid adoption while laying the foundation for long-term planning transformation.

Results

Within eight weeks, AnonCo achieved measurable improvements in supply chain performance, planning agility, and operational efficiency.

Key Outcomes

Planning Speed

Planning cycle reduced from 5 days to 30 minutes

Service & Inventory Improvements

5% improvement in product availability

23% reduction in finished goods inventory

Operational Efficiency

34% increase in capacity utilization

The improved planning capabilities also allowed the company to defer expansion of its canning line by one year, maximizing the use of existing assets and avoiding unnecessary capital investment.

Customer Perspective

The impact of Puls8 Replan was immediately visible across the organization.

A senior AnonCo leader noted:

“A very good tool for budgeting as it allows many different parameters to be taken into account.”

Planners also reported significantly improved responsiveness during operational disruptions.

“Replan can respond very quickly to a machine breakdown or a change in forecast.”

Business Impact

By replacing spreadsheet-based planning with intelligent algorithms and scenario modeling, AnonCo transformed its supply chain planning process.

The company now has the ability to evaluate tradeoffs, respond quickly to changes, and optimize production decisions across its bottling network.

The result is a more agile, efficient supply chain capable of supporting both operational growth and sustainability goals.

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