ESCA | Apr 23, 2006, 16:06
John Quinn is Executive Vice President Worldwide Supply Chain Management for Warner Home Video (WHV) where he has worked since 1977, except for two years, 1986 to 1988, when he worked for Sound Warehouse, a music, video and games retailer as Director of Store Operations while earning his EMBA.
Quinn will be among the panelists during a June 21 Entertainment Supply Chain Academy (ESCA) session focusing on the DVD retail distribution operations of Hollywood movie studios. Quinn recently discussed with the ESCA newsletter how WHV’s supply chain has evolved over the years.
The global supply chain function was created at WHV four years ago with Quinn moving to lead the position from his previous responsibilities as SVP Sales for WHV. Included in his previous sales responsibilities was the launch and oversight of Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI), a key supply chain function. Quinn’s current responsibilities include worldwide supply chain and category management.
Quinn noted that the emphasis on supply chain management has grown by leaps and bounds as the video industry made the transition from a primarily VHS rental business model to a DVD sell-through model. “The sell-through model is more complex, with demand modeling, manufacturing, replenishment, invoicing and returns management processes either not required in rental or not as demanding versus sell through. Additionally, video demand is highly volatile, windows are much shorter and price points are lower, requiring a much more sophisticated approach to ensure a profitable response to consumer and customer demand. On top of that, WHV product is available in over 90 countries requiring the ability to simultaneously service them.”
To respond to the more demanding environment, WHV is in the process of implementing SAP’s ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) applications globally. SAP was chosen after a review of several qualified vendors and is implementing it with a primarily in-house team with significant experience in SAP implementations. A key benefit of a fully integrated system is that data is only entered into the system once and is instantly available to all system users in the supply chain from vendors through customers. The availability of accurate and timely information improves decision making and the ability to respond faster in the more complex environment WHV operates in. It will be rolled out in Canada later this year with the US following in 2007 and Europe in 2008.
Quinn will be among the panelists during a June 21 Entertainment Supply Chain Academy (ESCA) session focusing on the DVD retail distribution operations of Hollywood movie studios. Quinn recently discussed with the ESCA newsletter how WHV’s supply chain has evolved over the years.
The global supply chain function was created at WHV four years ago with Quinn moving to lead the position from his previous responsibilities as SVP Sales for WHV. Included in his previous sales responsibilities was the launch and oversight of Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI), a key supply chain function. Quinn’s current responsibilities include worldwide supply chain and category management.
Quinn noted that the emphasis on supply chain management has grown by leaps and bounds as the video industry made the transition from a primarily VHS rental business model to a DVD sell-through model. “The sell-through model is more complex, with demand modeling, manufacturing, replenishment, invoicing and returns management processes either not required in rental or not as demanding versus sell through. Additionally, video demand is highly volatile, windows are much shorter and price points are lower, requiring a much more sophisticated approach to ensure a profitable response to consumer and customer demand. On top of that, WHV product is available in over 90 countries requiring the ability to simultaneously service them.”
To respond to the more demanding environment, WHV is in the process of implementing SAP’s ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) applications globally. SAP was chosen after a review of several qualified vendors and is implementing it with a primarily in-house team with significant experience in SAP implementations. A key benefit of a fully integrated system is that data is only entered into the system once and is instantly available to all system users in the supply chain from vendors through customers. The availability of accurate and timely information improves decision making and the ability to respond faster in the more complex environment WHV operates in. It will be rolled out in Canada later this year with the US following in 2007 and Europe in 2008.