FMI and ReposiTrak Inc. jointly announced that FMI is endorsing ReposiTrak’s OOS Management Solution to address the grocery industry’s long-term and growing problem of out-of-stocks. FMI brings together a wide range of members across the value chain — from retailers who sell to consumers, to producers who supply the food, as well as the wide-variety of companies providing critical services — to amplify the collective work of the industry. ReposiTrak is the industry leader in solutions for out-of-stock reduction, sourcing, food safety and risk management for the retail supply chain. FMI, which also partners with ReposiTrak to help implement their traceability compliance programs, is supporting the use of the ReposiTrak OOS Management Solution to help members reduce out-of-stocks by using proven technology and proprietary algorithms that identify out-of-stocks at the store, SKU and route level. The ReposiTrak expert team also works with retailers and suppliers to take actions that address the factors leading to persistent out-of-stocks. The age-old problem of out-of-stocks has become more acute for the grocery industry as food retailers struggle to find the right tradeoff between inventory and service levels. Finding the correct balance for retailers has become more critical now in an omnichannel environment where transparency is key. The Supply Chain Benchmarking study revealed that 57% of order fill rates are below their target. To correct that problem and avoid out-of-stocks, food retailers need to able to work with their suppliers more closely, collaborating with vendors on up-to-date information on store inventory balances and sales trends. Some 70% of vendors using the ReposiTrak solution realized an average out-of-stocks reduction of 46%, working with a dozen retailers across 12,000 stores, involving a mix of categories including dairy, bakery, grocery and general merchandise. The ReposiTrak Solution Platform drives growth and supports all supply and demand chain activities for retailers, manufacturers, and their trading partners, consisting of three product families; Compliance & Risk Management, Supply Chain Solutions, and MarketPlace Sourcing and B2B Commerce. Delivered via one technology platform, all the applications are mutually reinforcing and work synergistically to create value and positive impact across the entire enterprise.