How do you ensure that Mr. Ramesh in Kanyakumari gets his Lifebuoy soap and Mrs.

Kulkarni in Jammu gets to know how Bru coffee tastes even before she has bought it?
Well, you need to have a cutting edge distribution network in place.

Hindustan Unilever's distribution network is recognised as one of its key strengths. Its
focus is not only to enable easy access to our brands, but also to touch consumers
with a three-way convergence - of product availability, brand communication, and
higher levels of brand experience.

HUL's products, manufactured across the country, are distributed through a network
of about 7,000 redistribution stockists covering about one million retail outlets. The
distribution network directly covers the entire urban population.

The general trade comprises grocery stores, chemists, wholesale, kiosks and general
stores. Hindustan Unilever services each with a tailor-made mix of services. The
emphasis is equally on using stores for direct contact with consumers, as much as is
possible through in-store facilitators.

At the supermarkets: Self-service stores and supermarkets are fast emerging in

metros and large towns. To service modern retailing outlets in the metros, HUL has
set up a full-scale sales organisation, exclusively for this channel. The business
system delivers excellent customer service, while driving growth for the company
and the store. At the same time, innovative marketing initiatives are taken to provide
consumers with experience of our brands at the store itself, through product tests
and in-store sampling.

In the villages: HUL has also revamped its sales organisation in the rural markets to
fully meet the emerging needs and increased purchasing power of the rural
population. The company has brought all markets with populations of below 50,000
under one rural sales organisation. The team comprises an exclusive sales force and
exclusive redistribution stockists, under the charge of dedicated managers. The team
focuses on building superior availability, while enabling brand building in the deepest
interiors. HUL's distribution network in rural India already directly covers about
50,000 villages, reaching about 250 million consumers, through about 6000 sub-
stockists.

Harnessing Information Technology: An IT-powered system has been

implemented to supply stocks to redistribution stockists on a continuous
replenishment basis. The objective is to catalyse HUL's growth by ensuring that the
right product is available at the right place in right quantities, in the most cost-
effective manner. For this, stockists have been connected with the company through
an Internet-based network, called RSNet, for online interaction on orders, despatches,
information sharing and monitoring. RS Net covers about 80% of the company's
turnover. Today, the sales system gets to know every day what HUL stockists have
sold to almost a million outlets across the country. RS Net is part of Project Leap,
HUL's end-to-end supply chain, which also includes a back-end system connecting
suppliers, all company sites and stretching right upto stockists.

Hindustan Unilever, which once pioneered distribution in India, is today reinventing

distribution - creating new channels, and redefining the way current channels are
serviced. In the process it is converging product availability, with brand
communication and brand experience.

In the end it could be said that HUL's SCM is one of the best in the world and it is
quite difficult for any company to challenge it. In India if we see, we will find that LUX
is available everywhere and it is through this SCM only that HUL is able to do that.

Supply chain
From sourcing raw materials to delivering the end product, our technologically
advanced supply chain underpins our growth, providing service excellence at
competitive costs.

Customer Service – Front end

Understanding customer needs.

The main purpose of this area is to understand customer needs and work together to solve
joint logistical challenges such as on shelf availability. Roles include order management,
working at the interface between warehousing and transportation, and ensuring the right
products arrive in the right place at the right time.

Customer Service – Plan

Unique individuals.

Our Planners are unique individuals who use great analytical and interpersonal skills to
help bring innovations to market. Working with all business functions, they are key to our
sales and operations planning process. Demand planning uses models as well as market
knowledge to determine potential sales. Using this data, supply planning ensures factories
are able to meet these sales on time in the most cost effective way.
Supply management

Intelligent sourcing.

This is about optimising the cost and quality of what we buy and how we buy it.
Intelligent sourcing of raw materials, packaging and non-production items helps reduce
costs and make our business more effective. The team explores new ways of working
with suppliers and plays an important role in technology innovation.

Manufacturing

Output and costs.

Our manufacturing record is one of the most envied in the world, with many of our
facilities considered the best in their country. You’ll help factories improve efficiencies
and adapt to the changing needs of customers and consumers. As a manager, you might
be responsible for a team’s quality, output and costs. In engineering, you could be
designing and building high-speed production lines.

Career progression
As one of the world's largest consumer goods companies, the scale and importance
of our supply chain operation offers many fascinating career paths.

Access all areas

As your career progresses, you’ll have opportunities to work within the full spectrum of
disciplines, roles and areas. You'll gain exposure at global, regional and local levels
across a broad range of categories, markets and technologies. You'll take on different
responsibilities that allow you to directly impact business performance. And through
world-class professional learning programmes, you’ll develop the expertise necessary to
become highly effective in your specialisation.

Qualities & skills

You're exceptionally organised with a hands-on approach and excellent IT skills. You're
good at managing people, projects, information and change. You have an entrepreneurial
mind when it comes to innovation and cost saving. You also have the ability to create
strong links with individuals from a variety of different cultures and backgrounds.