Case Studies

A Food Processor’s Path to a Scalable TPM Platform

2 minute read

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: A food processor needed to modernize its Trade Promotion Management (TPM) processes and technology after outgrowing a legacy platform that relied heavily on manual work and spreadsheet-based workarounds. Catena Solutions led a comprehensive evaluation and selection engagement that helped the company pick BluePlanner as their TPM platform.

Project at a Glance:

• Requirement Categories Evaluated: Assessed business requirements spanning trade planning, trade management, deduction management, reporting, integrations, security, and administration
• 10 TPM Vendors Assessed: Narrowed the field through a structured, criteria-based evaluation process
• 300+ Evaluation Factors: Compared vendors through RFP responses, demonstrations, and structured scorecards
• BluePlanner Selected: Chosen as the company’s future-state TPM platform to support trade planning, trade execution, deductions, and reporting

The Challenge: How Can a Food Processor Modernize a Fragmented Trade Promotion Process?

The company recognized the need to modernize its Trade Promotion Management processes and technology. It was operating with a legacy TPM platform that supported only a portion of its trade promotion lifecycle and required manual processes and workarounds. Leadership wanted a solution that could meet current needs while providing a scalable foundation for future growth.

Key challenges included:

• Limited reporting and analytics capabilities
• Annual planning performed across multiple spreadsheets
• Significant manual effort to manage accruals and deductions
• Limited visibility into trade spend, revenue, and customer performance
• No integrated workflow for brokers, approvals, or funding requests
• Inability to effectively support indirect customer planning
• Limited promotional effectiveness and ROI measurement capabilities
• Heavy dependence on offline tools for planning and financial reporting
• Lack of role-based administration, guardrails, workflow automation, and system flexibility

The company needed independent TPM advisory support to lead a comprehensive software evaluation and selection process that was grounded in objective, business-driven criteria rather than vendor marketing.

The Solution: How Did Catena Lead a Structured TPM Evaluation & Selection Process?

Catena combined process assessment, future-state design, vendor evaluation, and implementation readiness planning for its TPM evaluation and selection process.

This included:

• Conducting stakeholder workshops across Executive Leadership, Sales, Finance, Demand Planning, Deductions, Strategy, and IT
• Assessing current-state trade promotion processes, technology limitations, and organizational workflows
• Documenting future-state TPM requirements and leading-practice capabilities
• Evaluating TPM-related business requirements across trade planning, trade management, deduction management, reporting, integrations, security, and administration
• Identifying and assessing potential TPM providers based on business fit
• Managing the RFP process, vendor demonstrations, and scorecard evaluations
• Facilitating vendor selection discussions and implementation planning activities
• Supporting solution implementation planning

The Benefit: How Did a Structured Selection Process Set Up the Company for Future Growth?

The company now has:

• BluePlanner selected as their new TPM tool
• A documented current-state TPM assessment
• A future-state TPM operating model
• A prioritized TPM requirements framework
• A completed vendor evaluation and selection process
• A scalable TPM platform strategy built around BluePlanner
• An implementation plan organized into multiple phases
• A roadmap to support future trade promotion transformation initiatives