Lainie: This week, our guest is Sean Presley, Senior Supply Chain Advisor at 8th & Walton. We’re discussing ASPEN and the best ways to utilize it during holiday closures.
Lainie: What are the most critical Aspen system updates suppliers should be implementing before the holiday season to ensure seamless operations during peak demand and planned closures?
Sean: It’s important to remember that Walmart switched from the old system to Aspen. Previously, you had to enter closure dates every three months, by quarter. Now, it’s up to suppliers to enter those closure dates in Aspen themselves.
Some key things to keep in mind are making sure you put those dates in before your lead time, so the system has enough time to account for the closure. Many suppliers want to close for an entire week, but when they do, they might lose some sales because the system will try to buy to cover the gap.
From what we’ve seen over the last several years, even suppliers who have the settings correct sometimes still leave potential sales on the table during closures. Another critical aspect is making sure Aspen is fully set up for your needs. Sometimes suppliers rely on whatever was previously in the system, but you really want to tailor the system to benefit your business. Setting up Aspen to order on the best days for your needs and getting the system dialed in is essential.
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Lainie: How can suppliers best utilize Aspen to manage inventory and fulfillment timelines when accounting for warehouse and distribution center holiday closures?
Sean: This goes hand-in-hand with what I just mentioned. You need to set your parameters ahead of time—before your lead time. The next step is to go back into the system after your settings are saved and review those key dates. Aspen can shift those dates, so it’s important to ensure everything is accounted for correctly. This way, you’ll know exactly when your critical order dates fall, enabling you to plan inventory and fulfillment effectively.
Lainie: Thank you so much for joining us, Sean.
Sean: Thank you.
