The starting point: the forecast did the math, purchasing ignored it
At a wholesaler with four companies, order planning ran on an established piece of software. The problem: the forecasts were regularly off, and no one could trace how the order suggestions came about.
The result: overstock on some items, shortages on others. Purchasing worked in parallel with their own spreadsheets, because they no longer trusted their own software.
The core problem was not technical. It was a transparency problem: the logic behind the suggestions stayed invisible.
The challenge
What was needed was not another black-box system, but a transparent solution that shows why it suggests what it suggests:
- Forecasts with no traceability
- Four companies, no shared rhythm
- An approval process that was missing entirely
On top of that: integration with two ERP systems, coordinated ordering cycles across four companies, and an approval workflow that involves management without slowing the process down.
About the project: trust through transparency
The customer had known the problem for years. The forecasting software was running, but no one trusted it. Purchasing worked in parallel with their own spreadsheets, management had no clear overview, and stock levels fluctuated more than necessary.
vensas brought no new black box, but the opposite: every order suggestion justifies itself. For the first time, buyers can see how a suggestion is reached, and can comment on or adjust it with their expertise.
The approval workflow was especially effective: management keeps the final say without checking every item individually. The collaboration was shaped by one shared goal — not simply to replace a piece of software, but to restore trust in the company's own planning.
