Development of solutions and analytical tools with the aim of optimizing a pricing process on parts and accessories: case study at Brunwick Marine in EMEA

Abstract

Interest in Business Process Management has grown considerably in recent years. Companies are more and more concerned with improving business operations by, among other things, reducing costs or increasing customer satisfaction. In this perspective, Brunswick Marine in EMEA is seeking to optimize its parts and accessories pricing process. This report presents the results of a 4-month project aiming to provide tools and solutions with a view to improving the pricing process of the company's parts and accessories. This optimization aspires to use Business Intelligence solutions in order to automate data processing and tracking. Indeed, the lack of integration of analytic tools into the current process prevents the company from effectively reviewing prices. Also, it is essential to redefine the pricing process before its implementation in the new ERP, which will be active in a couple of years. The mission was carried out with a project management approach based on Lean Six Sigma's DMAIC method. The approach undertaken was, first of all, to analyze the as is pricing process and its context. Particular attention was paid to the expectations of stakeholders regarding the improvement of the system. Performance indicators have provided a measure of the current performance of the process on aspects such as price realization or time required to perform a price review. An in-depth root cause analysis of the problems was conducted using a Fishbone diagram. Based on these investigations, the timeline related to parts and accessories price reviews has been adjusted. Analytic tools have been introduced into the process to automate data processing. These tools have been implemented on Power BI, which proves the relevance of using Business Intelligence in process optimization. Other solutions such as a harmonization of the discount system or a new product subclassification have been proposed to enhance the operational business of the department.