IBM Chooses Baxter Planning for Service Supply Chain Transformation

SaaS Platform to Transform IBM's Service Parts Management, Unlocking Tens of Millions in Operational Cost Savings Annually

AUSTIN, Texas, April 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Baxter Planning, the leading provider of Service Parts Management technology, today announced a five-year agreement with IBM to deploy its Predictive Service Supply Chain solution to drive additional optimization throughout IBM's industry-leading global Service Supply Chain.

Baxter Planning's cloud-based solution will replace commercial and legacy IT systems enabling IBM to optimize, automate, and monitor their service parts inventory. This will empower IBM to dramatically reduce unnecessary inventory and logistics costs, while significantly improving customer service. Baxter's Predictive Service Supply Chain solution leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) to automate service parts planning, operations, logistics, analytics, and customer escalation management across all IBM field services worldwide. This strategic partnership between the two companies is built upon years of technology and best-practice collaboration and supports IBM's Predictive Planning vision.

To meet tight two-hour part delivery agreements with its customers, IBM currently manages over 350,000 parts and products valued at more than $300 million in active inventory strategically dispersed throughout 74 countries. Baxter's Predictive Service Supply Chain solution is expected to help IBM reduce service execution and inventory costs by tens of millions of U.S. dollars annually. IBM believes the solution will also help improve upon its already best-in-class customer net promoter score.

"Baxter's technology, expertise, and vision in automating and optimizing the entire Service Parts Management process became the clear choice for us," said Shannon Beecher, VP of Service Supply Chain at IBM, who oversees the Predictive Planning initiative and manages more than 450 IBM supply chain professionals globally. "The platform from Baxter Planning will help us better serve our customers, reach our sustainability goals, and increase our supply chain resiliency," she added.

"IBM is the global leader in driving innovation and business transformation in this area, and we are honored to be their partner in this strategic Service Supply Chain initiative," said Marten Gustafsson, Chief Revenue Officer of Baxter Planning, who partnered with IBM to formalize the long-term partnership. "Shannon and her team are leading the Service Supply Chain industry by putting their customers first and foremost. IBM fully understands how vital service field operations are to customer retention and business growth," he added. 

The Baxter Planning Predictive Service Supply Chain solution connects disparate workflows and teams with AI-enabled predictive insights that drive significant productivity gains, cost savings, and customer satisfaction. This new, predictive approach to inventory planning, demand forecasting, product lifecycle planning, operations workflow monitoring, reverse logistics, and customer escalation management unlocks significant new value for Service Supply Chain organizations.

About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs, and gain the competitive edge in their industries. More than 4,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications, and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently, and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions, and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity, and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information.

About Baxter Planning
Founded in 1993, Baxter Planning is the world leader in Service Parts Management technology.  Global customers such as IBM, Dell, Stanley Black & Decker, and Schneider Electric rely on Baxter's AI-driven software to better manage their Service Supply Chains. Building upon 30 years of experience, the company offers the most advanced and proven technology to reduce inventory, logistics, and operations costs; while also helping customers improve services revenue and better manage service outcomes. Customers using Baxter Planning software are currently managing $11 billion in inventory across 35,000 locations in 120 countries. Baxter Planning is a portfolio company of Polaris Partners, a private investment firm with offices in Boston, San Francisco, and New York. To learn more about Polaris, visit https://www.polarispartners.com/.
Visit www.baxterplanning.com for more information.

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