PIAA Corporation

The Challenge:

NAVIGATING FORECASTING COMPLEXITY IN A COSTLY, DEMANDING MARKET A CHALLENGE FOR PIAA

Accurately forecasting demand has always been a challenge for PIAA – as is the case for most companies that manage hundreds of parts and accessories. With most of its products produced externally and sold through multiple channels, even small planning errors could result in costly inventory imbalances. 

In the past, PIAA relied on a homegrown Microsoft Access-based tool to support demand planning, but it lacked visibility and structure. Forecasts were generated behind the scenes and shared with stakeholders manually. “People were not seeing the tool,” shared Loïc Damin, Supply Chain General Manager at PIAA. “I was giving them some figures and asking them questions like, ‘Does it make sense?’”

That approach was replaced by QAD Demand Planning on-premise under Valeo, but PIAA lost access to those shared systems after being acquired by Usami Koyu, explained Damin. As a result, the company needed to take full ownership of its planning process. 

Japan’s market dynamics add another layer of complexity to PIAA’s operations. “Land cost is high. Warehousing is expensive. Transportation costs are high and it’s a closed market,” continued Damin. It’s never ideal for companies to carry costly excess inventory, but this was especially true given PIAA’s unique situation. 

At the same time, customer expectations in Japan are exceptionally high, and consistency and accuracy are everything for supply chain visibility. Even though PIAA doesn’t sell directly to consumers, its retail and distribution partners are under constant pressure to deliver the best experience possible and PIAA needed to support them. Even minor issues, like a mislabeled package, can lead to returns, strained relationships or even lost business.

To remain competitive, PIAA needed a demand planning solution that could bring visibility, structure and speed to its operations.

The Solution:

QAD DEMAND PLANNING BRINGS STRUCTURE AND SPEED TO PIAA’S PLANNING PROCESS

PIAA implemented QAD DSCP in the cloud, enabling the company to build on its previous experience with QAD while moving to a modern, standalone solution that better supported its unique needs.

One of the biggest improvements involved eliminating manual workarounds that increased the risk of delays. “On the on-premise version, they had to paste the data… so sometimes they made a mistake pasting in the wrong period or the wrong row,” said Damin. “It made a mess.” With the cloud version, data can be updated more reliably and directly in the system.

QAD Professional Services provided tailored support throughout the implementation, including detailed workspace design and hands-on training for PIAA’s planners. “I was really worried before we started,” said MPS Analyst Mariko Aso. “But it was not as hard as I expected. And my team got used to it more quickly than I thought.”

The Benefits:

FASTER UPDATES AND BETTER FORECASTS ENABLE A STRONGER PLANNING CULTURE ACROSS PIAA

With QAD Demand Planning in the cloud, PIAA has cut down on lag time, improved forecast accuracy and brought greater alignment and visibility to its planning process. “QAD Demand Planning is helping us reduce the gap between forecast and reality,” shared Damin.

Data updates that once took days now happen in near real time. “Before it was taking one or two days, and now we are doing it in a few minutes,” stated Damin. As a result, forecasts are updated faster, modeled more easily and used more widely across the company. 

“Now we are looking at the forecast first,” Damin explained. “Before, we were just looking at inventory management – overstock, shortage… but we were not looking at the forecast.”

The shift has changed how demand planning is perceived within PIAA. Instead of being viewed as a behind-the-scenes function, it’s now a shared, collaborative activity that supports smarter decision-making across departments for a more resilient supply chain.

“There’s a lot more trust in the demand planning process now. People are more involved. It’s no longer just one person managing the numbers – it’s a team activity,” continued Damin.

The move to the cloud also brought new flexibility, allowing teams to access and use the system more easily from anywhere. “It’s much easier now to access the system, whether from home or the office. Before, it was much more limited,” shared Damin.

PIAA also worked with QAD Professional Services to ensure its planners in Japan are fully trained and autonomous, enabling the team to build their own workspaces, graphs and calculations without external support. 

By taking full ownership of its planning process with QAD Demand Planning, PIAA hasn’t just replaced a system. It’s gained the speed, accuracy and confidence needed to remain competitive in Japan’s dynamic market.

“This is just the beginning,” concluded Damin. “Now we can go further.”