SPSS - Customers

Del Monte Fresh Produce

Situation

Del Monte Fresh Produce is one of the world’s leading producers, marketers, and distributors of high-quality fresh and fresh-cut fruit and vegetables. The company is also a leading producer and distributor of prepared fruit and vegetables, juices, beverages, snacks, and desserts across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Challenge

In September 2003 Del Monte bought Del Monte Foods Europe, bringing the Del Monte brand under common ownership in Europe for the first time in decades. One of the key applications inherited in the takeover was the Baan Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system running on an IBM platform that was used to support Del Monte Foods operations in northern Europe.

Following the takeover, the requirement for analysis and reporting grew, as the European business was reorganized into more country-specific operations. While the ERP provided a solid tool for running the business, there was a gap that was best filled by a data warehouse solution for information analysis.

Solution

The company selected SPSS’ analytics solution to maximize the value of corporate data held in the ERP system. The technology supports the analytical needs of the business and enables users throughout the region to view and access customized reports, extending complex analysis capabilities throughout the business.

The software, which is used by employees across five countries, supports all areas of the business—from finance, marketing, and manufacturing to senior management and sales.

Sales and marketing use the solution to undertake detailed analyses in order to improve departmental efficiency. For example, the SPSS solution enables personnel to review sales figures across Europe, highlight any areas of concern, and take remedial action to get sales back on track. In addition, the software plays an important role in forecasting and product profitability analysis as well as new in product development.

The software also supports manufacturing and new product launches. For example, when Del Monte released a range of chilled juices under the “Juice Bar” label, the SPSS software enabled the company to manage and accurately forecast sales on a daily. With the short shelf life of the fresh product compared to the previous juice ranges, this ability is critical to ensure stock levels remain adequate to meet demand, but not excessive, which would result in waste.

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Results

One of the key benefits of the SPSS technology is that the quality of the data used for analysis has improved. All data in the system can be validated to ensure its accuracy, resulting in better-quality reporting and analysis. This directly impacts decision making across the business by giving senior management more accurate and detailed information on which to base strategic and tactical decisions.

After five years of deployment, user feedback at the company on SPSS has been overwhelmingly positive. The software is easy to use and can be used to "slice and dice" data and drill down into the detail to meet specific user reporting requirements no matter what the area of the business.