Inventory blowouts aren’t a warehouse problem.
They’re a strategy problem.
When inventory issues persist, the problem isn’t stock – it’s what happens upstream.
In supply chain management, persistent inventory blowouts rarely involve the stock itself. They’re a red flag. A signal that something deeper isn’t working, such as poor visibility, reactive planning, or disconnected decision-making.
Those signals get louder when businesses scale rapidly, as Bondi Sands did.
Look Upstream, Not Downstream
When organisations ask, “Why is our inventory still out of control?” they often look in the wrong place. The core issues typically lie upstream:
- Manual, reactive demand planning processes
- Low forecast accuracy due to poor modelling
- Siloed systems and misaligned departments
- Data quality issues across ERP and spreadsheets
- A lack of scenario planning and risk visibility
Until these fundamentals are fixed, any inventory ‘solution’ is just window dressing.
The Bondi Sands Challenge
Bondi Sands, an Australian self-tanning brand, is distributed in over 45,000 stores worldwide, including physical stores in 14 countries and online stores in 95 countries.
Despite strong sales, they were held back by:
- Excel-driven forecasts and planning
- Lack of real-time visibility
- Frequent stockouts and planning gaps
- An overburdened ERP system with manual order flows
Recognising these challenges, Bondi Sands partnered with DMS to conduct a complete supply chain transformation.
How Bondi Sands Transformed Their Planning
Together with DMS, Bondi Sands implemented a digital supply chain platform focusing on demand, inventory, and supply optimisation. This enabled them to:
- Shift from manual to algorithm-driven forecasts
- Establish a single source of truth across the business
- Integrate multiple internal and external data streams
- Drive real-time KPIs and smarter, more responsive decision-making
- Optimise stock placement using multi-echelon inventory optimisation.
Real, Measurable Impact
The impact was immediate and measurable:
- 37% reduction in days of inventory in just 8 months
- Transparent, real-time inventory visibility
- Smarter supply decisions tied to margin and profitability
- Alignment between sales, finance, and operations
- Voted a top three vendor for shelf availability by a major retail partner
“We created a slick and seamless integrated worldwide network that works smarter, not harder.”
-GM Global Operations, Bondi Sands
Lessons for Supply Chain Leaders
Inventory issues are not isolated – they’re symptoms of bigger problems.
If you’re still chasing inventory issues, it’s time to shift the conversation from stock to strategy.
Start here:
Benchmark your current planning capability – Tools like the Supply Chain Maturity Score can help
Comprehensive supply chain maturity assessment – Designed for organisations seeking complete alignment across people, process, data, and technology. Reach out to start the conversation
Align cross-functional teams – Get sales, finance, and supply chain using the same assumptions
Focus on process and data before platform – Technology supports change, but it won’t drive it alone
Strategy Over Stock
Bondi Sands didn’t just cut inventory; they realigned their entire planning process to enable scalable, data-driven growth.
If you still treat inventory as the problem, it’s time to look upstream.
Their transformation, recognised with the 2023 ASCLA International Supply Chain Award, proves that real change starts with strategy – not stock counts.
The future of supply chain isn’t about reacting faster – it’s about seeing further.
What’s holding yours back?
