At the same time, it had to factor in parameters such as manufacturing and transit lead times. Including manufacturing and transportation, the average lead time is about 120 days. While not the primary reason for StarTech.com’s vendor selection, it does in uence it, Wenger says. Predictive modeling enables StarTech.com to keep ahead of changes far enough in advance that management can take action. For instance, it helps management place inventory in areas where they’re con dent the market is headed, and to identify how technology is likely to evolve. The recent supply chain upheavals have made predictive modeling even more essential. Companies that don’t anticipate potential changes and how they might respond are already behind, Wenger says. In contrast, organizations that can look ahead and prepare often enjoy an advantage over their competitors, he adds. LEVERAGING AI John Galt—the name is drawn from Ayn Rand’s novel, Atlas Shrugged — provides an end-to-end supply chain planning solution. The Atlas Planning Platform leverages arti cial intelligence (AI) planning capabilities and machine learning to help organizations dismantle business silos, boost visibility, and optimize demand planning, inventory management, and supply chain performance. Arti cial intelligence capabilities such as causal modeling link demand drivers to outcomes. Together, these can boost the speed and quality of decision-making.
its Hong Kong warehouse, which has since moved to Tokyo, it was venturing into a new part of the world. Company leadership needed to manage and plan inventory through its channel deployment model, ensuring it was placing the right inventory in the right amounts in the areas where opportunity existed, and where it would be likely to grow. Optimizing Growth THE CHALLENGES StarTech.com needed to improve supply chain visibility and ensure continued, accurate product availability across its network of distribution sites, even as the company grew. THE SOLUTION Implement the Atlas Planning System from John Galt Solutions. RESULTS The ability to more quickly and easily conduct what-if scenario planning. Order fulfillment now regularly hits about 95%. NEXT STEPS Continue to partner with John Galt to ensure eective inventory positioning that enables StarTech.com to capture sales without holding excess products.
StarTech.com’s multi-faceted distribution approach makes its goal of ensuring its products are available when and where they’re needed more challenging. The company operates out of four facilities, which are located in the United States, Canada, the UK, and Japan. It deploys primarily through a channel-based strategy, working with partners that have large footprints in different countries. The partners help facilitate StarTech.com’s 24-hour product availability to its end customers, the IT professionals. Along with many small- and mid-sized businesses, customers also include Fortune 500 enterprises. “Our market intelligence tells us nearly 90% of the Fortune 500 have a StarTech.com product in use,” Wenger says. SUPPLY CHAIN PLANNING EVOLVES As StarTech.com grew and its supply chain became more complex, it needed a planning system that could keep pace. The solution had to be able to manage its go-to- market strategy of working with different partners in different countries, help it navigate geopolitical and other events, and enable it to remain ahead of advancing technology cycles. “Our system had to evolve and be nimble enough to adapt to quickly changing market conditions,” McQuade says. The Atlas solution from John Galt helps StarTech.com meet tight delivery timelines by identifying the optimal inventory level for each SKU, at each location. For example, when StarTech.com launched
John Galt’s Atlas Planning solution accounts for varying lead times to ensure StarTech.com’s connectivity accessory products reach customers quickly and accurately.
70 Inbound Logistics • April 2025
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