01 / The company
Who is Inference Chain?
Inference Chain is a United Kingdom-based RELEX Solutions implementation partner that deploys RELEX's supply chain planning platform across demand planning, inventory and replenishment, manufacturing planning, and space and assortment. Founded in 2026 by Valentin Kalis and headquartered at Independence House, Queen Street, Worcester, England, the company is registered at Companies House under number 17101336.
What makes it unusual is the scope of that focus. Inference Chain works exclusively with RELEX Solutions, not as one capability among many, but as the entire practice. Every accelerator, every playbook, and every consultant is tuned to a single platform rather than spread across a portfolio of competing vendors. The firm's tagline, “RELEX. But Faster.”, reflects that bet: a delivery model built around proprietary AI accelerators that compress standard implementation timelines without cutting corners on data quality or change management.
The company sits within the TCN Capital portfolio, an investment group that backs specialist consulting firms. TCN was founded by the team behind REPL Group, a supply chain consultancy that grew to 600 employees before Accenture acquired it in 2021. Inference Chain also operates alongside Inference Group, an AI-focused consulting practice led by Dr Richard Davis, giving the firm access to a broader network of enterprise technology and artificial intelligence expertise when engagements demand it.
Industries served
- Grocery & food retail
- Consumer goods
- Fashion
- Health & beauty
- Pharmaceuticals
- Manufacturing
With a particular focus on large and mid-sized businesses managing high SKU volumes and complex, multi-echelon supply chains.
02 / The approach
How Inference Chain delivers RELEX, and why the approach matters
Inference Chain implements RELEX Solutions across four core modules, each designed to address a specific layer of supply chain complexity.
Demand Planning
Probabilistic forecasting, promotional modelling, new product introduction forecasting, and forecast value measurement that identifies where human intervention genuinely improves predictions rather than adding noise.
Inventory and Replenishment
Automated ordering proposals, multi-echelon optimisation across distribution networks, service level differentiation by SKU value, and exception management workflows that surface only the decisions requiring human judgment.
Manufacturing Planning
Master production scheduling, distribution requirements planning, and scenario modelling that stress-tests plans before they reach the factory floor.
Space and Assortment
Store-level assortment localisation driven by demand signals, shelf and floor optimisation linked to forecasts, and category performance analysis that connects range decisions to replenishment outcomes.
Every engagement follows a four-stage methodology, one built to eliminate the dead time that makes most implementations drag.
Stage 01
Diagnose
A rapid assessment of data readiness, existing processes, and business drivers to set a realistic scope and timeline from day one.
Stage 02
Design
Solution architecture developed in parallel with data foundation work, so neither waits for the other.
Stage 03
Deliver
Platform configuration using AI accelerators, with senior consultants involved throughout rather than handed off to junior teams after kickoff.
Stage 04
Embed
Hypercare, structured knowledge transfer, and adoption support to ensure the client team runs the system independently after go-live.
The result, according to the firm's own benchmarks, is a 30–40% compression of standard RELEX implementation timelines; not by skipping steps, but by running the right ones simultaneously and automating the repetitive configuration work that typically consumes weeks of consultant hours.
03 / The founder
Valentin Kalis: the decade of delivery behind Inference Chain
- Role
- Founder & CEO, Inference Chain
- Experience
- 10+ years delivering enterprise supply chain software
- Sectors
- Retail · Grocery · Manufacturing · CPG · Energy
- Based
- United Kingdom
- Profile
Valentin Kalis is the founder and CEO of Inference Chain. He has spent more than 10 years delivering enterprise supply chain software for retailers, manufacturers, and energy companies across the United Kingdom and Europe; the kind of track record that, in consulting, you can only build by staying close to the work.
Before founding Inference Chain, Valentin held implementation and transformation roles at Accenture, where he led large-scale supply chain technology deployments. His client-side and consulting experience spans bp, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), Asda, Aldi UK, Greggs, Stellantis, and Coca-Cola, covering sectors from grocery retail and convenience to automotive manufacturing and energy. He is known for leading complex, multi-country transformations and for stepping into troubled programmes to stabilise delivery when timelines and confidence are at risk.
Selected client experience
- bp
- CCEP
- Asda
- Aldi UK
- Greggs
- Stellantis
- Coca-Cola
His approach combines strategic planning with hands-on technical execution. He architects the solution and stays involved through go-live rather than delegating to delivery teams after the initial design phase; a commitment that carries into Inference Chain, where every client engagement is led by Valentin directly.
RELEX implementations take too long. Not because the platform is difficult, but because most consultancies spread their teams across multiple vendors.
The founding thesis was straightforward: RELEX implementations take too long. Not because the platform is difficult, but because most consultancies spread their teams across multiple vendors and treat each project as a generic ERP deployment. A partner that focuses exclusively on RELEX, staffs senior people from day one, and uses AI tooling to automate repetitive configuration can compress timelines by 30–40% without sacrificing quality. That conviction became a company.
04 / The network
The network behind Inference Chain: TCN Capital and Inference Group
Inference Chain is backed by TCN Capital, an investment and operational support group for specialist consulting firms.
- REPL GroupBuilt from a startup by the team that went on to found TCN Capital
- 600 peopleGrown into a supply chain consultancy of 600 employees
- Accenture, 2021Acquired by Accenture. The same team then founded TCN Capital
Chris, Thomas, Neil, and Kyle founded TCN; they built REPL Group from a startup into a 600-person supply chain consultancy before Accenture acquired the business in 2021. For Inference Chain, that heritage translates into capital, centralised back-office operations – finance, HR, legal, recruitment, marketing, and IT – strategic advisory, and access to a peer network of portfolio companies that have scaled similar practices.
How the portfolio fits together
Investor & operating group
TCN Capital
This company
Inference Chain
RELEX implementation. Founder & CEO: Valentin Kalis
Sister company
Inference Group
AI strategy and consulting. Led by Dr Richard Davis
Also in the portfolio
4 more firms
Fimiliar, ModusForce, FrontlineXP, Embelo
Inference Group, led by Dr Richard Davis, is a sister company within the TCN Capital portfolio. It focuses on AI strategy and consulting, giving Inference Chain access to dedicated AI expertise beyond its internal accelerators. The two firms share a common investor and collaborate where AI and supply chain planning intersect, particularly in areas like demand sensing, automated exception handling, and predictive analytics.
Other firms in the TCN Capital portfolio include Fimiliar (branding and growth), ModusForce, FrontlineXP, and Embelo, creating a broader ecosystem of specialist consulting businesses that can support Inference Chain's clients across adjacent disciplines when needed.
05 / FAQs
Frequently asked questions
What is Inference Chain?
Inference Chain is a UK-based RELEX Solutions implementation partner founded in 2026 by Valentin Kalis. The company specialises exclusively in deploying RELEX's supply chain planning platform across demand planning, inventory and replenishment, manufacturing planning, and space and assortment modules. It is registered at Companies House (number 17101336) and headquartered in Worcester, England.
Who is Valentin Kalis?
Valentin Kalis is the founder and CEO of Inference Chain. He has more than 10 years of experience delivering enterprise supply chain software, with previous roles at Accenture and implementation projects for bp, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), Asda, Aldi UK, Greggs, Stellantis, and Coca-Cola. He leads every Inference Chain client engagement directly.
Is Inference Chain an official RELEX partner?
Yes. Inference Chain is a dedicated RELEX Solutions implementation partner. The firm works exclusively with the RELEX platform, meaning its entire methodology, team, and AI accelerators are built specifically for RELEX deployments rather than adapted from a multi-vendor consulting practice.
Where is Inference Chain based?
Inference Chain is headquartered at Independence House, Queen Street, Worcester, Worcestershire, England, WR1 2PL. The company serves clients across the United Kingdom and Europe.
What industries does Inference Chain work with?
Inference Chain implements RELEX Solutions for grocery and food retailers, consumer goods companies, fashion brands, health and beauty firms, pharmaceutical businesses, and manufacturers, particularly those managing high SKU volumes and multi-echelon supply chains.
Who backs Inference Chain?
Inference Chain is part of the TCN Capital portfolio. TCN Capital was founded by the leadership team behind REPL Group, a supply chain consultancy that grew to 600 employees before Accenture acquired it in 2021. Inference Group, an AI consulting firm led by Dr Richard Davis, is a sister company within the same portfolio.
How does Inference Chain speed up RELEX implementations?
Inference Chain uses proprietary AI accelerators to automate repetitive configuration work, a four-stage methodology (Diagnose, Design, Deliver, Embed) that runs data preparation in parallel with solution design, and a policy of staffing senior consultants throughout the engagement rather than handing off to junior teams after kickoff. The firm estimates this approach compresses standard timelines by 30–40%.