Hostess Enlists Accenture for Re-Launch
Hostess Brands, LLC teams with Accenture to design and implement a new operating model and business processes, and deliver end-to-end information technology (IT) transformation. The work helped Hostess Brands to successfully re-launch Twinkies, one of America’s most iconic products, and get them back on store shelves in less than three months. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Under the terms of the multi-year agreement signed in April 2013, Accenture designed, built, and implemented a new operating model, including a new distribution system and IT systems, across all aspects of the Hostess Brands enterprise, including the sales and marketing, merchandising, manufacturing, finance and order management functions. The speed of the implementation enabled Hostess Brands to get its products onto store shelves in time for the back-to-school shopping season, a crucial period for U.S. retailers and brands.
Dean Metropoulos, owner and CEO of Hostess Brands, says, “Accenture played an invaluable role in helping bring these much-loved products back onto store shelves and into the hands of U.S. consumers. The speed and precision of the delivery was crucial, so that our products were available for the back-to-school sales period. Within the first two weeks of reintroducing Twinkies to the shelf we had five times more Twinkies on the market than during the same period last year, and Accenture played its part in helping us make this the sweetest comeback in the history of ever.”
Accenture’s work to help rebuild Hostess Brands included the following initiatives:
• Design and implementation of end-to-end front- and back-office processes, including finance, procurement, sales, transportation management and distribution functions.
• Development of a new distribution system, moving from a direct store delivery (DSD) model to warehouse delivery, helping to improve efficiency and speed to market.
• Creation of a new data center, hosted on Accenture’s private cloud, to manage all business applications and support functions.
• Design, development and coordination of all IT infrastructure, such as shop floor automation and plant infrastructure, and including the set up of IT systems to support basic company functions such as email, help desk and telephone system.
• Building of a multi-year support model to manage all applications and processes.
• Systems support and training of all Hostess Brands’ employees.
• Software and hardware vendor and tool selection.
Under the terms of the contract, Accenture will also continue to manage all IT applications, infrastructure, and data center services on behalf of Hostess Brands.
Related Articles:
Flowers Foods Completes Hostess Acquisition
Hostess Selects Winning Bidder for Twinkies
Twinkies to Return to Store Shelves
Under the terms of the multi-year agreement signed in April 2013, Accenture designed, built, and implemented a new operating model, including a new distribution system and IT systems, across all aspects of the Hostess Brands enterprise, including the sales and marketing, merchandising, manufacturing, finance and order management functions. The speed of the implementation enabled Hostess Brands to get its products onto store shelves in time for the back-to-school shopping season, a crucial period for U.S. retailers and brands.
Dean Metropoulos, owner and CEO of Hostess Brands, says, “Accenture played an invaluable role in helping bring these much-loved products back onto store shelves and into the hands of U.S. consumers. The speed and precision of the delivery was crucial, so that our products were available for the back-to-school sales period. Within the first two weeks of reintroducing Twinkies to the shelf we had five times more Twinkies on the market than during the same period last year, and Accenture played its part in helping us make this the sweetest comeback in the history of ever.”
Accenture’s work to help rebuild Hostess Brands included the following initiatives:
• Design and implementation of end-to-end front- and back-office processes, including finance, procurement, sales, transportation management and distribution functions.
• Development of a new distribution system, moving from a direct store delivery (DSD) model to warehouse delivery, helping to improve efficiency and speed to market.
• Creation of a new data center, hosted on Accenture’s private cloud, to manage all business applications and support functions.
• Design, development and coordination of all IT infrastructure, such as shop floor automation and plant infrastructure, and including the set up of IT systems to support basic company functions such as email, help desk and telephone system.
• Building of a multi-year support model to manage all applications and processes.
• Systems support and training of all Hostess Brands’ employees.
• Software and hardware vendor and tool selection.
Under the terms of the contract, Accenture will also continue to manage all IT applications, infrastructure, and data center services on behalf of Hostess Brands.
Related Articles:
Flowers Foods Completes Hostess Acquisition
Hostess Selects Winning Bidder for Twinkies
Twinkies to Return to Store Shelves