CASE STUDY

KFC: Demand forcasting to Maximize margins

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KFC, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. is a global Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) brand known for its finger lickin’ good fried chicken. Today KFC cooks bread and freshly prepare the famously delicious chicken by hand in more than 26,934 locations in over 146 countries and territories around the world.
At a Glance
Customer: KFC
Industry: Restaurant
Geography: Australia

Business Situation:  
Outdated demand forecasting processes resulted in lost sales and inefficient labor practices impacting profitability  

Solution:  
Fourth’s Demand Forecasting and Inventory Management Solution – MacromatiX

Fourth’s Business Intelligence and Data Streaming Solution – MacromatiX

Benefits:
Immediate – cost savings, access, control, speed, visibility

Intelligent– holistic, data sharing, actionable insights

Individualized–personalization, preferences, right time, right place
Fourth delivers demand forecasting with 95% accuracy to KFC.

CHALLENGE

One of the secrets behind KFC’s success, is its focus on implementing reliable demand forecasting and inventory management processes, which have not always been an easy task.

KFC recognized its rigid, top-down, time-consuming demand forecasting processes were inaccurate, resulting in lost sales and inefficient labor practices that impacted profitability.

Inaccurate forecasting often meant managers missed revenue targets. Forecasting too little led to running out of inventory or operating with insufficient staff, both of which reduced throughput. Whereas forecasting too much led to increased inventory waste or inefficient labor, affecting profitability.

"Having a forecast you can trust is the first step in successful management of labor cost, food cost, and product availability and freshness.”
– Matt Forsyth | APAC Restaurant Technology Partner, KFC

SOLUTION

KFC turned to Fourth to deliver low-touch demand forecasting with 95% accuracy to maximize revenue, optimize operations and reduce labor/waste costs at KFC. MacromatiX, a cloud-based solution with intuitive applications and powerful automation provides flexible reporting, and daily workflows to help managers optimize their operations, and productively plan and adapt to changes. This inventory management solution, with built-in intelligence, offers configurable business rules and data integrations to drive actionable insights for improving the accuracy of ordering, counting, receiving and more.

RESULT

More than ever, brands need to ensure that the business runs seamlessly and efficiently. Task automation, along with a user-friendly interface and access to relevant information, are all essential to make complex processes easy. To achieve this in the QSR industry, having a robust system that manages labor, inventory, and kitchen production are paramount.WithFourth’s MacromatiX solution, KFC now optimally manages inventory and accurately forecasts demand, with powerful task automation that enables managers to run operations efficiently. These forces combine to reduce waste-related financial losses, while ensuring profitability and ideal guest experiences

Accurate demand forecasting (down to 15-minute intervals) ensures fresh food - resulting in a satisfying experience for the customers. “Managers love how it frees up their time and makes it easy for our cooks to take control of production. “
– Matt Forsyth | APAC Restaurant Technology Partner, KFC