The new technology platform rollout comes soon after the announcement of a R1.7bn investment at its Ladysmith
manufacturing plant that includes new plant equipment and machinery to increase passenger car tyre
production capabilities, efficiencies and product offering to further support the Original Equipment (OE)
market.
Warren May, Director of Corporate Planning at Sumitomo Rubber South Africa, says: "The tyre manufacturing
industry is a dynamic and constantly evolving space, and SRSA is committed to offering the market quality,
safety-tested tyres manufactured for local conditions. In order to do this, we require strategic partners to
support us in our vision with expert data-led guidance. We are excited that Slimstock, an AI-powered
inventory management platform company, will support us on this journey, ensuring that the multi-billion
investment we’ve made into our plant, is supported by a robust back-end system that helps us become
resilient to market changes, and optimises our planning.”
Slimstock
The Netherlands-based software development company provides the virtual infrastructure to create a more
efficient, resilient and sustainable supply chain.
SRSA will adopt Slimstock's award-winning supply chain planning platform, Slim4, across its operations in
South Africa.
Slim4's advanced forecasting and multi-echelon planning capabilities will provide the SRSA planning team
with the granular SKU-level demand insights required to achieve the optimal balance of inventory.
Additionally, it will bring greater operational efficiency to users' day-to-day lives, and the ability to
respond more quickly and effectively to supply chain disruption.
"At Slimstock, we remain committed to empowering businesses to make better and faster decisions. We are
thrilled to support Sumitomo Rubber SA on this transformative journey, and we look forward to forging a
long-lasting partnership," says Milton Lawson, Sales Director at Slimstock.
Supply chain volatility
The new platform will help create a single source of truth for supply chain data, allowing the business to
mature its Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process and support more effective decision-making.
“With a more sophisticated demand and supply chain planning solution, we will have the capacity to
effectively navigate the increasing levels of supply chain volatility, and retain our ability to offer a
standard of service unparalleled within the automotive industry,” says May.