Page 13 - Pancake Supply Chain Co-op, Inc. 2017 Annual Report
P. 13
BRAND PROGRAMS
The Brand Programs Management team is responsible for working with the Brand’s cross-functional
team to support new product development, testing, promotions, SKU transitions, and deletions. The collaboration begins
with the new product development process and ends with the implementation of promotions or menu changes. During new
product development, our Brand Programs team works with the IHOP Marketing and Culinary groups to identify and leverage
the appropriate suppliers in the item development process with the goal of providing transparency of cost drivers, supply
risks, and alternatives to help them make the most informed decisions going into test. Once in test, the team is responsible
for communicating expected demand to participating vendors and distributors, comparing sales to expected demand, and
reacting appropriately with either allocations or expediting to maintain continuity of supply for items that are doing better than
expected. At the conclusion of each test, the team manages the invoicing process to make sure vendors and distributors are
paid appropriately and timely. Once the Brand decides to move forward with a promotional or menu change, they provide a
forecast to the BPM team with the expected impact those changes will have to traffic and plate sales mix. The BPM team is
responsible for translating plate sales change into SKU change. We then work with the CSCS Procurement team to build out a
supply plan. The risks associated with that supply plan are specified in a document called an AIP. The AIP is signed by CSCS
and Brand leadership as well as the Co-op Board Chairman. That document designates liability and authorizes CSCS to act as
a purchasing agent for the event.
For every menu or promotional event supported, a detailed scorecard is completed that measures our performance. These
scorecards are reviewed with the CSCS Co-op Board of Directors. The key attributes measured are:
• Timely Forecast – Forecast delivered to CSCS complete and with appropriate lead time
• Timely Authorization of Inventory Purchase (AIP) – All appropriate signatures
• Forecast Integrity – Absolute value variance of weighted average sales versus forecast
• Product Availability – Products available for start-up and throughout promotional period
• Obsolescence / Cost – Dollar impact to Members and Brand
In 2017, CSCS restructured the BPM team to enhance productivity by consolidating the work team in Kansas City and
creating Brand specific liaison roles located in the Glendale office. Consolidation of the work team in Kansas City enables
them to work seamlessly with the Procurement, Logistics, and Data Analytics departments in real time, allowing for more
efficiency and consistency. The Brand specific liaisons work directly with the cross-functional teams in Glendale to streamline
the communication between each Brand and the work groups in Kansas City. They are the eyes, ears, and mouthpieces of
the CSCS team to each Brand. The BPM team continues to make improvements to technology, processes, and personnel to
ensure product availability for our Members as well as execute the changes being driven by the RPI initiative.
It was quite a busy year with our team restructures, the Brand’s relocation, as well as the multitude of promotions and
menu changes. Our team continues to make improvements in every area we touch to ensure we have product available for
our Members. We will continue to provide the “Exceeds Expectations” rating as proven by our scorecard and evaluate our
processes to ensure we are mitigating risk, diminishing outages and minimizing obsolete inventory.
11