White Papers      Webinars  Search

Register for our newsletter:

We are delighted that we can celebrate the success of our customers with this award. Congratulations to all of the award winners,” said i2 Executive Vice President, Global Customer Operations and Chief Customer Officer Hiten Varia.

The annual Ken Sharma Award for Excellence recognizes companies and project teams involved in all major global industries. Hundreds of i2 customers are eligible to receive the award, named in memory of i2 co-founder Ken Sharma, one of the pioneers of supply chain management technology.

"We are always very impressed by Ken Sharma Award applicants and this year was no exception. As the business environment and subsequently the supply chain increase in complexity, companies continue to drive innovation and results through their work with i2," said Noha Tohamy, research director at AMR Research. "Ken was passionate about driving results to the world's toughest business challenges and this year's winners are a fitting tribute to his legacy."

Lenovo – Return on Investment

Lenovo, one of the world’s largest personal computing manufacturers, engaged i2 to help the company become more competitive and customer centric with an emphasis on customer experience on its web site. Working together with i2, the company has transformed its supply chain and other processes to handle configure-to-order for its customers through its various sales channels. The transformation has helped Lenovo reshape its web user experience landscape tangibly through rapid functional enhancements, site flow redesigns and providing added flexibility in the merchandising and promotions management processes across its eCommerce properties.

The company uses i2 solutions for its configure-to-order global web transformation project to provide the synchronization of its web channels with various functional groups within Lenovo, including manufacturing and logistics. This program has significantly improved the web experience for Lenovo's web customers, especially in the United States and Canada, while driving operational efficiency in its global eCommerce operations.

Panasonic – Supply Chain Innovation

Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company is a market technology leader with a wide range of product offerings. The company operates an extended supply chain with various suppliers for sub-assembly parts and is challenged by demand volatility, short product lifecycles and margin deterioration as new manufacturers and brands enter the marketplace. As a result, the company is faced with razor-thin margins for both the manufacturer and the retailer. In order to transform its supply chain, Panasonic engaged i2 to develop a solution that would help the company focus on the consumer, and more closely integrate marketing and the supply chain, to improve visibility from the factory to the retail shelf.

Panasonic reports that its project with i2 enabled the company to bring inventory distribution and sales velocity into alignment, and improve forecast accuracy and in-stock ratios for retailers who carry Panasonic products. Now, the company is able to position the right inventory, at the right place and at the right time, run more effective promotions, increase sales and efficiency and drive bottom line value.

Sprint – Supply Chain Depth and Breadth

Sprint is the third largest wireless operator in the U.S. and offers a comprehensive range of wireless and data communications services, and offers the freedom of mobility to consumers and businesses through its more than 1,300 retail locations, plus national third party retailers, direct channels and Web site. In its project with i2, the key driver was to enable the company to decrease inventory across the enterprise in order to reduce costs while maintaining or improving service levels and field sales operations.

Working together with i2, Sprint aimed to install a best-in-class logistics systems environment in order to improve associated business processes. i2 solutions for forecasting and planning enable Sprint to automate the generation of weekly statistical demand forecasts across all channels for its handsets and accessories products to help drive purchasing, replenishment, allocation, supply chain visibility and order fulfillment activities. The solutions also enable the company comprehensive reporting capabilities on specific metrics as well as supplier collaboration. The company reports it has reduced inventories at the enterprise and retail store level, while increasing service levels. Sprint has also reaped the benefits of increased forecast accuracy, improved inventory operations and fill rates as well as the ability to adapt quickly to changing business conditions and planning processes.