Aug 1, 2006 12:00 PM

Prescient, a provider of supply chain and advanced commerce systems for retailers and suppliers, is forming the first-ever Dairy Supply Chain Practice Group to focus on dairy's manufacturing and distribution challenges.

This group will be headed by Karen Sickles, Prescient's director of sales operations and product management. It will provide dairy industry suppliers with a new forum to share best practices and exchange ideas. The group will focus on distribution issues impacting the dairy industry, specifically the use of scan sales data for:

• Lowering out-of-stocks
• Demand-replenishing planning
• Reducing shrink
• Managing inventory
• Maintaining high service levels
• Scan-based trading

Each year, the group will hold a member meeting at Prescient's Annual Client Exchange (PACE) in Philadelphia PA. The conference will also feature a dedicated dairy track.Quarterly conference calls also will be held throughout the year.