In the keynote of its Supply Chain Executive Conference in Phoenix, Gartner cited automation, algorithms and the systematic use of real-time data as industry game changers. These are such huge focus areas because they are key to enabling a digital…
Artificial Intelligence machines – those being able to carry out tasks in a way that we would consider “smart” – now decipher unstructured text analytics in almost real time. They give us directions, make predictions on our purchase preferences, and…
Obviously, everyone measuring metrics should know precisely what question that metric is meant to answer, but that's (unfortunately) not always the case. It's important to check both inside and outside the department to make sure everyone fully understands what the…
Have you ever asked yourself demand planning questions like, "How should we focus resources on value add areas?" Or, "What forecast error measurements should I use, and how far in advance should we freeze forecasts?" You absolutely must modernize your…
Best practice in demand planning includes working with the sales department. Building strong relationships with your sales teams can offer significant advantages in your demand planning process. Salespeople can alert you to key issues, such as customers that are not…
Proper demand planners provide enormous benefits to an S&OP program. Moreover, the people taking on these roles require proper support from higher up management teams, otherwise, demand planners can't deliver at peak performance. In order to achieve significant competitive advantage in…
It is Back-to-School sale time. There are advertisements for the office superstores and the big box retailers. The goods that line the shelves, end aisle displays, and floor displays were ordered back in April and May. The goods were shipped…