Background
In the heart of New England, Horizon Beverage excels as a premier alcohol distributor, uniting makers, retailers, and craft enthusiasts. With four generations at the helm, its dedicated team of 775 people serves both Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Horizon Beverage has a rich history that predates Prohibition in the US. After the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the company opened its doors and has grown to become a trusted link connecting beverage brands to retailers, bars, and restaurants in these vibrant regions.
Its founder, Morris Sims, believed in supporting the local community and conducting business with unwavering honor and integrity. These core values are woven throughout the company to this day, along with a tradition of innovation and finding unique solutions to industry challenges.
To meet the changing needs of its multi-state customer base, Horizon Beverage decided to find an inventory replenishment system that could help its growing team better support buying operations.
Client Challenge
The Horizon Beverage team is always on the lookout for cutting-edge solutions. It recognized its current replenishment solution was underperforming and was no longer able to receive upgrades. Support was also lacking from the provider, which left the company with additional efficiency challenges.
Horizon Beverage turned to Herlitz Inventory Management for help. Upon meeting with the Herlitz team and reviewing its HIMPACT® inventory management system, Horizon Beverage grew confident that it would meet its replenishment needs.
David Silva, Vice President of Purchasing & Logistics for Horizon Beverage stated, “We were familiar with Carl Herlitz from his work on another replenishment system. We trusted his extensive knowledge of the concepts and were confident that he would be the right partner. Once we saw the possibilities of HIMPACT® improving our business, we knew it had much more functionality compared to other vendors. We also found it to be more user-friendly.”
Once the decision to switch to HIMPACT® was finalized, the Herlitz team worked closely with the Horizon Beverage IT team to implement the system, which only took 6 months.
Results of HIMPACT®
HIMPACT® by Herlitz Inventory Management has been Horizon Beverage’s replenishment vendor for many years. The Horizon Beverage leadership has been pleased with how HIMPACT® has performed for its buying team. “Since the beginning of our partnership, we have felt that Carl and his team understood the deep intricacies of our business and our industry,” commented Silva.
Packed with features that buyers need, HIMPACT® has helped Horizon Beverage hit several business goals. “The daily history exceptions feature in HIMPACT® is very helpful because it enables us to quickly see when sales vary from the level we expected, allowing us to pivot accordingly,” added Silva. He continued, “We also like the truck split and sub-vendors features, as well as the ability to easily measure service levels. HIMPACT also makes it very simple to change and rebuild orders, which saves us time.”
In 2020, most industries were negatively impacted by the pandemic. Despite the disruptions, Horizon’s buyers were able to maintain healthy service levels by leveraging the power of HIMPACT®. “More recently, we have also utilized the system to significantly reduce inventory levels,” commented Silva.
Horizon Beverage has also enjoyed the ongoing support that the Herlitz team delivers. Silva mentioned, “The Herlitz team is very easy to work with. They respond quickly to questions and challenges. Help is handled by a team of experts that know our business and our buyers.”
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