Demand Planning at Coca-Cola: What’s the Secret Formula? If only it were that simple to sell 1.7 billion servings of sugared water a day. But, like just about  every big corporation with a complex, global supply chain, Coca-Cola battles constantly to align its  various disciplines and their diverging priorities. “Plants want to run as much as possible. Sales wants to sell more. Marketing assumes huge  successes. Logistics and procurement are on their own. Finance is saying no to everything,” said  Rob Haddock, group director of planning with Coca-Cola Refreshments (CCR). Sound familiar? To be sure, The Coca-Cola Company has sought to streamline and simplify a supply chain that  historically was fragmented by its very nature, with production and bottling carried out by separate  entities. CCR was formed in 2010, when Coca-Cola acquired the North American business of CocaCola Enterprises, its largest bottler. The sales and operations side was branded as CCR, which also  took in the majority of The Coca-Cola Company’s U.S. and Canadian businesses. In the process, the company began paring back the number of bottling operations, both owned and  independent. The 353 ownerships that existed at the time of CCR’s formation have been gradually  reduced to 100 plants and 76 ownerships, Haddock told the San Francisco Roundtable of the Council  of Supply Chain Management Professionals, at a recent meeting of the group in the Bay Area. (There  were more than 1,000 bottling plants in 1960, Haddock noted. The formation of Coca-Cola  Enterprises in 1982 marked the beginning of the company's efforts to get that number down. Today, the Coca-Cola production and distribution network consists of 742 facilities, and more than  650 distribution centers. The company is still working to “clean up” the system so that individual  units have more contiguous territory, Haddock said. Complicating matters is the huge number of products that are sold under the banner of Coca-Cola  and its subsidiaries. “Coke” itself comes in multiple flavors, with and without caffeine and sugar.  But the entire line comprises some 3,500 products. And the company is hardly immune to the trend  of SKU proliferation. “It’s been total chaos since the introduction of Diet Coke in 1989,” Haddock  joked. Or was it a joke? Your report must include, the following: • The importance of forecasting to Coca-Cola; time horizon frequency of forecast efficiency and productivity of personnel. Argue which forecasting method and technique would be best suited to Coca-Cola, between: Quantitative forecasting or  Qualitative forecasting Analyse the value of collective planning, forecasting and replenishment (CPFR) in relation  to Coca-Cola Strategy and planning Demand and supply management. Execution Analysis.

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Demand Planning at Coca-Cola: What’s the Secret Formula?
If only it were that simple to sell 1.7 billion servings of sugared water a day. But, like just about 
every big corporation with a complex, global supply chain, Coca-Cola battles constantly to align its 
various disciplines and their diverging priorities.
“Plants want to run as much as possible. Sales wants to sell more. Marketing assumes huge 
successes. Logistics and procurement are on their own. Finance is saying no to everything,” said 
Rob Haddock, group director of planning with Coca-Cola Refreshments (CCR). Sound familiar?
To be sure, The Coca-Cola Company has sought to streamline and simplify a supply chain that 
historically was fragmented by its very nature, with production and bottling carried out by separate 
entities. CCR was formed in 2010, when Coca-Cola acquired the North American business of CocaCola Enterprises, its largest bottler. The sales and operations side was branded as CCR, which also 
took in the majority of The Coca-Cola Company’s U.S. and Canadian businesses.
In the process, the company began paring back the number of bottling operations, both owned and 
independent. The 353 ownerships that existed at the time of CCR’s formation have been gradually 
reduced to 100 plants and 76 ownerships, Haddock told the San Francisco Roundtable of the Council 
of Supply Chain Management Professionals, at a recent meeting of the group in the Bay Area. (There 
were more than 1,000 bottling plants in 1960, Haddock noted. The formation of Coca-Cola 
Enterprises in 1982 marked the beginning of the company's efforts to get that number down.

Today, the Coca-Cola production and distribution network consists of 742 facilities, and more than 
650 distribution centers. The company is still working to “clean up” the system so that individual 
units have more contiguous territory, Haddock said.
Complicating matters is the huge number of products that are sold under the banner of Coca-Cola 
and its subsidiaries. “Coke” itself comes in multiple flavors, with and without caffeine and sugar. 
But the entire line comprises some 3,500 products. And the company is hardly immune to the trend 
of SKU proliferation. “It’s been total chaos since the introduction of Diet Coke in 1989,” Haddock 
joked. Or was it a joke?

Your report must include, the following:
• The importance of forecasting to Coca-Cola;

time horizon
frequency of forecast
efficiency and productivity of personnel.

  • Argue which forecasting method and technique would be best suited to Coca-Cola, between:

Quantitative forecasting or  Qualitative forecasting


  • Analyse the value of collective planning, forecasting and replenishment (CPFR) in relation 
    to Coca-Cola

Strategy and planning

Demand and supply management.

Execution

Analysis.

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