THIS YEAR’S MODEL:
GIST WINS CAST USER OF THE YEAR
Helping US pork producers understand the cost drivers behind their supply chain has won Gist Consulting Manager John Cowburn the prestigious title of CAST User of the Year, 2005.
Working on behalf of Gist’s UK-based partner, ABNA, the Agriculture Group of Associated British Foods, John used the supply chain modelling software package CAST, from specialist supplier Radical, in a particularly innovative way.
It was a complex challenge – in a year, over one million pigs, consuming 700,000 tons of feed, were being reared on a network of 130 farms in the Midwest of the United States. This resulted in around 100,000 potential routing combinations, with choices driven by the movement of feed and animals between the breeders, the feed mills, the farms and the abattoirs. John used CAST to optimise which farms should be used for rearing the livestock and from which breeders and feed mills they should be supplied, and in doing so identified logistical and purchasing savings of up to 15%.
ABNA was full of praise for John, and, as part of the award nomination, commented: “The initial analysis showed that there was little to be saved on logistics costs, but John was determined to dig deep and discover the real drivers for the business. Without that level of determination, we would not have been able to show the benefits of the strategic tool as we can today.”
Simon Heath of ABNA added “John’s modelling work has confirmed that the combination of ABNA, Gist and Radical’s CAST software provides real opportunities on an international scale to restructure and improve supply chains”.
Operations Director for Radical, Ewan French, commented: “John joins an impressive list of winners, starting with the Royal Mail in 1995. We continue to look for excellence and innovation in the use of our product, CAST, because we do not believe software is an end in itself. It is the application of the technology to solving problems and the value it adds to the business which is important.”
John is the eleventh winner of the CAST User of the Year award. First awarded in 1995, this award is open to CAST users around the world. This is the second time that the Gist team have been award recipients, having been recognised in 2000 for their work with a gases supply chain in South Africa Other previous winners have come from Australia, South Africa, South America, The Netherlands, the USA, and the UK.
- ends -
CAST
CAST is a supply chain modelling tool with global modelling capabilities used on a worldwide basis. Originally developed in 1989, CAST has been used by manufacturers, retailers, consultancies and third party logistics providers amongst others to produce mathematical models of supply chain networks. The software is used to optimise supply chain network configuration against both short and long term objectives.
Previous winners of CAST User of the Year Awards (UK-based unless specified):
1995 Royal Mail Midlands Division Network Review Team
1996 Lex Transfleet
1997 Sainsbury's Supermarkets and Royal Mail Cashco
1998 Exel (Europe) and TNT Logistics (Australia)
1999 Wincanton Logistics, LCP and The South African Breweries (South Africa)
2000 Gap (USA) and Gist
2001 Exel and Colgate-Palmolive (USA)
2002 Sainsbury's Supermarkets
2003 Tibbett & Britten (South Africa)
2004 Gradus Management Consultants (Brazil)
Radical
Formed in 1993, Radical Limited has established an enviable reputation in global strategic network modelling providing customers worldwide with supply chain modelling software, services and consultancy. Over recent years, Radical has grown into a truly international company with customers in Australia, South East Asia, India, Africa, across Europe, South America, Canada and the USA, supported by offices in the UK, Toronto, Chicago and Singapore. Radical is extending the scope of its services to meet its objective of becoming recognised as a leading provider of global supply chain modelling products and services.
ABNA
ABNA is one of the UK’s largest and most successful agri-food businesses with a range of successful brands, products and services backed up with continual investment in innovative products, services and technologies. From our base in the UK, our footprint is expanding in international markets from Europe to North America to China.
ABNA is focused on helping drive efficiency for cereal, dairy, pig and poultry producers and primary processors, food and drink manufacturers and retailers.
