News Release Details

Lippert Components and Kinaxis Named to Supply & Demand Chain Executive's SDCE 100 Top Supply Chain Projects for 2019

September 4, 2019

Lippert Components, in collaboration with Kinaxis, can concurrently see and connect people, processes, and data across its global supply chain

OTTAWA, Sept. 4, 2019 /CNW/ - Kinaxis® Inc. (TSX: KXS), the leader in empowering people to make confident supply chain decisions, and Lippert Components, Inc. (LCI®), a tier-one manufacturer and supplier of highly engineered components for the leisure and mobile transportation industries, have been named a recipient of Supply & Demand Chain Executive's SDCE 100 Award for 2019. Supply & Demand Chain Executive, the executive's user manual for successful supply and demand chain transformation, has recognized LCI and their partnership with Kinaxis, for their ability to plan with greater visibility, reduce material shortages, improve on-time delivery, and empower collaboration across multiple teams and geographies.

With more than 9,000 team members across 65 facilities around the world and completing more than 60 acquisitions in the past 15 years, LCI needed a supply chain solution that could provide statistical forecasting and consensus demand planning along with supply and scenario planning. The solution also needed to be fast, user-friendly, and agnostic to the enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform.

"We chose Kinaxis as they could provide us with a comprehensive and connected view of LCI's entire supply chain, which helped us achieve our goals of reducing decision latency and increasing collaboration throughout the organization," said Kristen LeBaron, Director of Supply Chain at LCI. "This meant instilling an elevated sense of urgency and accountability, viewing the business from the outside-in, and then understanding what the market wants to satisfy the future demand."

Collaborating with Kinaxis through a five-phased project approach, LCI now has a clear view of the company's demand and supply. Using the Kinaxis RapidResponse® platform and its unique concurrent planning technique, LCI increased monthly inventory turns, improved reporting processes, increased the number of ways in which the company can analyze supply chain information in support of faster, more confident decision-making, and helped team members improve work-life balance. The project also increased overall productivity, including reducing the monthly planning process from two weeks down to a couple of days.

"The concept of truly connecting all planning activities wouldn't have been possible without Kinaxis, its experienced and collaborative team, and the support of LCI's executive leadership and operational teams," stated LeBaron. "Kinaxis has given us the ability to see and connect hundreds of data points concurrently. Now we can quickly and easily build custom reports for any department, providing a holistic view of the entire global supply chain, which has enabled simpler, faster planning of demand, inventory, supply, and capacity. We often find ourselves saying, 'If you can think it, you can build it in RapidResponse.'"

The SDCE 100 is an annual list of 100 great supply chain projects. These projects can serve as a map for supply chain executives who are looking for new opportunities to drive improvement in their own operations. These projects show how supply chain solution and service providers help their customers and clients achieve supply chain excellence and prepare their supply chains for success.

"Every year our list of submissions for the SDCE 100 continues to grow as more companies rely on the expertise of supply management for innovative decision-making. Our winners raise the bar for what is achievable in the supply chain," said John R. Yuva, Editor for Supply & Demand Chain Executive. "With a variety of company sizes and industry sectors represented, our Top 100 are leading examples for how to approach and solve supply chain challenges. Congratulations to our 2019 winners and the projects that delivered greater operational efficiencies and bottom-line results across the supply chain."

"It is an honor to work with Lippert Components to help them move along their supply chain maturity and drive more confident decisions, better business results, and happier customers. We are proud to be recognized by Supply & Demand Chain Executive," said John Sicard, Chief Executive Officer, Kinaxis. "We look forward to continuing to help create positive, long-term outcomes for all of our customers."

Learn more about the Lippert Components project.

About Lippert Components®
From over 65 manufacturing and distribution facilities located throughout the United States and in Canada, Ireland, Italy, and the United Kingdom, Lippert Components, Inc. (LCI®), a subsidiary of LCI Industries (NYSE:LCII), supplies a broad array of components for the leading original equipment manufacturers of recreational vehicles; buses; trailers used to haul boats, livestock, equipment and other cargo; trucks; pontoon boats; trains; manufactured homes; and modular housing. LCI also supplies components to the related aftermarkets of these industries, primarily by selling to retail dealers, wholesale distributors and service centers.  LCI's products include steel chassis and chassis components; axles and suspension solutions; slide-out mechanisms and solutions; thermoformed bath, kitchen and other products; vinyl, aluminum and frameless windows; manual, electric and hydraulic stabilizer and leveling systems; furniture and mattresses; entry, luggage, patio and ramp doors; electric and manual entry steps; awnings and awning accessories; electronic components;  televisions and sound systems; navigation systems; backup cameras; appliances; and other accessories. Additional information about Lippert Components and its products can be found at www.lippertcomponents.com.

About Supply & Demand Chain Executive
Supply & Demand Chain Executive is the executive's user manual for successful supply and demand chain transformation, utilizing hard-hitting analysis, viewpoints and unbiased case studies to steer executives and supply management professionals through the complicated, yet critical, world of supply and demand chain enablement to gain competitive advantage. Visit us on the web at www.SDCExec.com.

About Kinaxis Inc.
Eliminating volatility in your supply chain is impossible, but managing it is not. Trusted by top brands, Kinaxis® gives people the confidence to know they are making the best supply chain planning decisions to maximize business performance. We solve complex business problems in easy-to-understand ways by combining human and machine intelligence to plan for any future, monitor risks and opportunities and respond at the pace of change. With the support of our community of supply chain experts and using our unique concurrent planning technique and single integrated planning platform, customers can realize higher revenue, lower costs and fewer risks. For more Kinaxis news, follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements include statements as to Kinaxis' growth opportunities and the potential benefits of, and demand for, Kinaxis' products and services. These statements are subject to certain assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including our view of the relative position of Kinaxis' products and services compared to competitive offerings in the industry. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. Kinaxis' actual results, performance, achievements and developments may differ materially from the results, performance, achievements or developments expressed or implied by such statements. Risk factors that may cause the actual results, performance, achievements or developments of Kinaxis to differ materially from the results, performance, achievements or developments expressed or implied by such statements can be found in the public documents filed by Kinaxis with Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Kinaxis assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by law.

SOURCE Kinaxis Inc.