Unilever Selects Terra Technologys Demand Sensing Solution

Terra Technology, a provider of demand sensing and inventory optimization solutions for consumer products companies, have announced that Unilever, one of the world's leading food, home and personal care product companies, has selected Terras Demand Sensing (DS) solution to improve customer service and supply chain efficiency.

Unilever anticipates decreasing forecast error by more than 25 percent and reducing inventories and costs from the US implementation. Roll-out is expected to be complete by August 2009.

Doug Sloan, Director, Supply Chain Operations for Unilever U.S., said, Unilever selected Terra Technologys Demand Sensing to gain supply chain visibility and improve manufacturing planning. In these volatile times, it is important to respond quickly to shifts in consumer preferences and control costs. Improving forecast accuracy enables Unilever to produce the right product mix, decrease costs and better serve our customers.

Terras Demand Sensing solution uses pattern recognition mathematics to decipher daily streams of data to determine which information is predictive of actual demand and to more accurately predict retailer requirements. Unilever US piloted the software in its Personal Care business for several months and reduced forecast error with more than 25 percent.

Robert F. Byrne, president and CEO of Terra Technology, said, Unilever has been able to build a strong and valued reputation as a consumer products leader by adopting best-in-class technologies to respond quickly and efficiently to changes in the consumer marketplace. By implementing Demand Sensing, Unilever will gain visibility into real-time shifts in consumer demand and will be able to respond quickly to market changes, saving significant costs as a result.