Suntory Global Spirits Improves Transportation Spend Forecasts Through Breakthrough Partnership

In 2020, Suntory Global Spirits, formally Beam Suntory, partnered with Breakthrough and implemented the Fuel Recovery program. As a Breakthrough client, Suntory Global Spirits has access to Breakthrough’s market-based fuel reimbursements, transportation fuel forecasting, and deep market knowledge.

Mike Durkin, senior director North America logistics & warehousing, shares, “They are upfront, honest, and transparent. [Breakthrough’s] data backs everything that we portray and do which provides the value we are looking for. It has helped us out tremendously from a budgeting and forecasting standpoint.”

Accurate Forecasting Enables Educated Decision-Making

With Breakthrough, Suntory Global Spirits has greater insights into its transportation network strategy. With access to their data in one platform, they can understand their fuel spend today, and what they can expect in the future – up to 24 months with Breakthrough’s forecast. Suntory Global Spirits has been able to operate within budget because of Breakthrough’s impressive level of precision and accuracy, “The predictability helps us out especially in the market we are in today, whether fuel, capacity, or rates.”

Separating linehaul rates from fuel enables Suntory Global Spirits to negotiate rates based on service and capacity, instead of the company’s personal connection with the carrier. By removing fuel from the contract or spot rate, fuel can be calculated on the time, price, tax, and geography of each individual shipment, eliminating ambiguity in their carrier partnerships.

In each situation, Suntory Global Spirits looks to data to form its strategies to meet the intricacies of the complex supply chain, and Breakthrough serves as its reliable knowledge source.