Consumer Products, Retail and Food and Beverage

Industry Overview

Fast Forward works with consumer brands, retailers, and food and beverage companies that depend on synchronized supply chains, accurate demand signals, and high-volume fulfillment. We help these organizations build the integrated planning and execution capabilities needed to stay competitive in a fast-moving market.

Key Challenges

•    Disconnected planning, procurement, and fulfillment systems creating margin leakage

•    Retail compliance complexity including IS-Retail configuration and EDI integration

•    Demand volatility and seasonal peaks outpacing legacy planning capabilities

•    Food safety and traceability requirements demanding end-to-end batch visibility

•    Rapid SKU proliferation straining master data and financial reporting accuracy

How Fast Forward Solves it

•    SAP S/4HANA and IS-Retail / S/4HANA for Retail implementation

•    Integrated demand and supply planning using SAP IBP

•    Batch traceability and expiry date management for food safety compliance

•    Trade promotion management and financial settlement configuration

•    Master data consolidation and product lifecycle management

Relevant SAP Solutions

•    SAP S/4HANA Retail / IS-Retail

•    SAP IBP for Demand & Supply Planning

•    SAP EWM / TM (Transportation Management)

•    SAP Batch Management

•    SAP CAR (Customer Activity Repository)

•    SAP Ariba for Procurement

Business Outcomes

•    Improved on-shelf availability and fill rates through better demand alignment

•    Reduced waste and spoilage via real-time batch and expiry visibility

•    Faster financial close driven by accurate trade settlement and deductions

•    Scalable fulfillment operations supporting omnichannel and retail growth

•    Stronger supplier collaboration through integrated procurement workflows

Why Fast Forward

Consumer products and retail environments move fast. Fast Forward brings both the SAP depth and the operational understanding to keep pace. We have supported brands through IS-Retail implementations, demand planning transformations, and food safety compliance programs, delivering solutions that hold up under real-world volume and complexity.