INSIGHT, Inc., a top international provider of planning solutions that power supply chain design for the world’s foremost companies, continues to see corporations attain mixed results from Merger and Acquisition (M&A) activities.

Consolidated, global supply chain design unlocks M&A value. In some cases management teams are not fully aware of the latest power of global supply chain planning tools that can analyze entire networks with rigor, accuracy, and what-if analyses. INSIGHT finds that few firms institute the same type of continuous improvement programs for worldwide supply chain planning as they do for finished goods quality. For maximum impact, supply chain planning must comprehensively evaluate the global supply chain to capitalize upon the dynamics of global markets. Failure to integrate supply chains to take advantage of synergy is one of the reasons noted for the difficulties seen in the Daimler-Chrysler deal. Most importantly, excellence in supply chain design delivers superior results for shareholders and customers.

“A significant portion of the value of an M&A deal must be unlocked through reconciliation of product lines and high-level redesign of a consolidated supply chain,” said Jeff Karrenbauer, president of INSIGHT. “SAILS 21 from INSIGHT optimizes the most complex, global logistics networks – minimizing costs, streamlining operations, reducing inventory levels, meeting demanding customer service levels, and containing supply chain vulnerability risk.”

The benefits of a comprehensive global supply chain design that supports the most competitive delivery service levels include: a design that extracts the most from worldwide operations, regional and product flexibility to capitalize upon changing markets, low cost for profitability and pricing leverage, and the advantages of evaluating many what-if scenarios. Continuous improvement, a hallmark of corporate quality, mandates frequent review of the global supply chain network to account for significant change in demand, demographics, economy, product mix, manufacturing capacity, distribution network, assets, and so on.

In addition, relationships with and the nature of suppliers are changing as large firms have spun off vertical sub-assembly manufacturing as part of rolling back verticalization. Since then, these second-tier, mega-suppliers across many industries continue to grow in size, influencing the success of logistics to the end manufacturer, taking an increasing role in managing lower tier suppliers, and sometimes concentrating supply risk.

Currently, international mergers and acquisitions are common, with revenue growth and/or cost reduction the clear targeted benefits. Yet, few management teams are willing to guarantee cost savings from consolidation. Also, evaluating the best divestiture option, from a component of merged operations, becomes more important as firms stay true to core capabilities and shed non- essential operations. Strategically, the benefits from merger or acquisition may be clear, but firms can get distracted, consumed by the acquisition or caught up in competitive bidding, failing to execute by charting the course to a single supply chain. Single, global supply chains originate with global supply chain planning and design. Simply adding resources, logistical or Information Technology assets, which speed or automate supply chains, fail to unlock the value of true, worldwide synergy. Rigorous supply chain design tools do the painstaking work of determining the right assets, manufacturing facilities, warehouse locations, inventory levels, and transportation routes.

INSIGHT’s flagship supply chain design software solution, SAILS 21(R), enables executives to achieve millions of dollars in savings by consistently improving the supply chain in accord with the changing dynamics of global trade, merger or acquisition, customer expectations, facilities issues, or tough corporate profitability goals. This software tool optimizes the benefits from merger or acquisition, identifying positive and negative assets, and offering alternative scenarios, given management’s strategic view.

About INSIGHT, Inc.
INSIGHT provides optimization-based supply chain planning and network design software and consulting services developed specifically to meet the dynamic business challenges of globalization, disruptions, and mergers/acquisitions prevalent in today’s business environment. Founded by supply chain and logistics experts in 1978 with the goal of using world-class technology to add intelligence to decision making, INSIGHT solves the supply chain management issues of the world’s foremost companies, including Abbott Laboratories, BASF, Clorox, ExxonMobil, Goodyear, GE, Kellogg, Nestle, PepsiCo, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, and Unilever.

SAILS, INSIGHT’s award-winning flagship product, can accurately represent a company’s current business practices, from raw materials sourcing to capacity planning through delivery to the end customer. The X-System(R), a proprietary optimization engine, powers a family of planning and scheduling solutions, from the design of a global supply chains to crew scheduling, troop deployments, inventory optimization, and transportation procurement. In addition, INSIGHT provides optimization components, partnering with third party software providers to deliver best-of-breed solutions. INSIGHT software and services help design optimal supply chain networks that minimize costs and free up capital, streamline operations, maximize profits, and increase customer service levels. For more information, please visit us on the Web at http://www.insight-mss.com/.