Demand Solutions

MAY 26, 2020

COVID-19 came seemingly out of nowhere, and within a few months of us hearing about it in China, governments all over the world had locked down. Borders were closed, workplaces were shuttered, and travel was restricted to only the most necessary. As a result, supply chains all over the world took a hit. Shortages in raw materials and manufactured goods appeared.

Supply Chain Planning Software 133

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Demand Solutions

MARCH 9, 2020

2020 has been a wild year for supply chains all around. With all of the changes and global shocks, it’s important to pay attention to what’s going on in order to help prepare your business for the future. Here are some trends to pay attention to in 2020. Artificial Intelligence in Supply Chain Planning. Artificial intelligence has been a big buzzword in business circles for several years now, and it gets more powerful every day.

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Demand Solutions

MAY 13, 2020

COVID-19 has most of the world on lockdown. It’s not only our daily lives that have been disrupted—it’s also our businesses. Even many medical manufacturing companies are wondering how they can help. Just because you happen to make products that could be much in demand during this crisis doesn’t mean that production and distribution will simply take care of themselves.

Manufacturing Procurement 130

Manufacturing Procurement Groups Manufacturing Purchasing Skills 130

Demand Solutions

SEPTEMBER 4, 2013

Remember John Smith and Roy Green from my previous post, “ The Power of the Cloud ”? They run a small, up-and-coming, entirely fictional manufacturer called XYZ Corporation (I think they’re working on a new name, but their branding agency hasn’t gotten back to them). Well, XYZ has been live on Demand Solutions for a while, and things are going well.

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Demand Solutions

AUGUST 28, 2013

On the pages of this blog, I’ve previously called the cloud a revolution in SCM — and I meant what I said. The cloud is absolutely here to stay. I mentioned how cloud supply chain management solutions give you all the features of on-premises solutions, except they’re hosted remotely. And that’s true too. And I outlined the benefits of cloud SCM solutions.

Supply Chain Planning Software 100

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Demand Solutions

AUGUST 21, 2013

Have you heard about the new Wave 3 supply chain management solutions? Or are you mired in Wave 2? Or were you unaware that anybody measures supply chain technology in waves? I suspect that for most readers of this blog, supply chain management technology “is what it is.” That's understandable. The technology improves incrementally as vendors develop new features, add new modules, and work out bugs over the years.

Supply Chain Planning Software 100

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Demand Solutions

AUGUST 7, 2013

Remember when you didn’t care how long your lead time was, as long as it was consistent? It wouldn’t have been such a bad system, except that lead times are never consistent. So companies like yours began maintaining a safety stock, “just in case.” Of course, “just in case” costs you money in the form of larger inventory.

Just-in-Time 100

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Demand Solutions

OCTOBER 9, 2013

We're the curmudgeons who grouse in the shadows as the latest sales windfall is celebrated. While our colleagues gleefully exchange high fives to celebrate an unprecedented sale, we bury our heads in despair at the burden of fulfilling our customers’ hopes and our salesmen’s promises. All kidding aside, unforeseen spikes in demand are a fact of life for forecasters and planners.

Forecasting 100

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Demand Solutions

OCTOBER 3, 2013

You might think that a book about computers that was written before the Internet would have zero relevance today. Yet, not only does Guy Kawasaki’s 1988 book "The MacIntosh Way" possess a timeless charm, it also contains at least one nugget that cuts to the core of one of our current burning issues: what to make of Big Data. Says Kawasaki: "There is only enough data to cause paralysis -- never enough to make a perfect decision.".

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Demand Solutions

JUNE 26, 2013

There are now more things connected to the internet than people connected to the internet. In fact, according to a very engaging infographic provided by Cisco, there are more things connected to the internet than there are people on the earth. It has been this way since 2008. The infographic goes on to tell us that “These things are starting to talk to each other and develop their own intelligence.” This is true, of course – but the operative word here is “starting.”

Supply Chain Planning Software 100

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Demand Solutions

JULY 17, 2013

This "cloud thing" is more than just a cloud thing. Much more. I'd call it a revolution in the way applications are delivered. This revolution was bound to happen eventually. Some companies are tired of adding to their IT infrastructures, paying more and more each month to power and maintain them, and hiring additional IT headcount to work on them. Other companies are in startup mode and don't even want to go down the road of building out their infrastructure in the first place.

Supply Chain Design Software 100

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Demand Solutions

OCTOBER 30, 2013

The Old Farmer’s Almanac -- a new version of which is published each September -- provides a solid year’s worth of reliable, though safely vague, regional weather forecasts. Even more admirable than the accuracy of the Almanac’s forecasts is the disclaimer with which its predictions are tempered: “We believe nothing in the universe occurs haphazardly; there is a cause-and-effect pattern to all phenomena, including weather.

Forecasting 100

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Demand Solutions

NOVEMBER 13, 2013

Are you tired of seeing “business as usual” in supply chain management? Have you ever felt as if implementing your changes was like trying to steer an air craft carrier — in the Arctic? I know the feeling. And my message is this: Don’t give up. The industry needs your decisive leadership. Early in my career, I was head of inventory control for a large retail operation that ran as a co-op.

Supply Chain Design Software 100

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Demand Solutions

NOVEMBER 6, 2013

A personal survey of 200 randomly-selected companies confirmed that 161 of those companies operate on fiscal calendars that begin in January. It’s a safe assumption then that the majority of U.S. businesses can finally hear "Auld Lang Syne" playing faintly in the background as the seemingly endless process of constructing the annual budget nears its end.

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Demand Solutions

JULY 31, 2013

If I asked you to assess your overall business health right now, what would you say? I’m asking not as a guy sitting next to you on an airplane, who expects a sanitized answer and is really just killing time until the drink cart comes by. I’m asking as a keen observer of the industry — someone who thinks about this stuff 24/7. If you can’t answer my question. well, good luck to you.

Supply Chain Design Software 100

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Demand Solutions

APRIL 23, 2014

A time fence is a defined period in which the forecast should not be changed. An item's forecasting time fence often mirrors the item's planning or sourcing lead time. If it takes two months from when an item is ordered to when it's received into inventory, there's logic in not changing the forecast within that two-month period, since a change to the forecast will have no impact on the item's availability.

Forecasting 100

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Demand Solutions

JUNE 28, 2017

Got questions about sales and operations planning (S&OP)? We’ve got answers. And at the end of a recent webinar, we picked the brain of the “Father of S&OP,” Dick Ling. Here are some of the questions we got from the audience—and our answers. Who usually wants S&OP software? The people who want their companies to implement S&OP software are usually the ones in the trenches who have become frustrated by poor communication.

S&OP 100

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Demand Solutions

MARCH 27, 2020

It's common knowledge that your employees are your greatest asset. If that's true, that means corporate culture is critically important to your bottom line. So then, how are you shaping your company's culture to empower your employees? When trying to answer this question, many people think of company perks like benefits programs, flexible schedules, office lunch parties and open-door policies.

Atlanta 173

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Demand Solutions

MARCH 14, 2017

Ever been involved with launching a new manufacturing or distribution company? Or have you ever joined a small but growing company in one of these industry sectors? If so, you know what it’s like to work under pressure to contain costs. Smaller companies often see major business software platforms as overhead. So when they’re first starting out, they’ll ask their employees to make do with the basic applications that are already installed on their hard drives.

S&OP 133

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Demand Solutions

FEBRUARY 17, 2020

If your business relies on proper supply chain management systems, then you’re going to want help with your production planning. Production planning software is an excellent way to make your supply chain planning more efficient and effective. What is Production Planning Software? These software suites fall under the umbrella of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, and are used to help firms plan out the production part of their supply chain.

Supply Chain Planning Software 130

Supply Chain Planning Software Inventory Management Software Optimization Software Forecasting Software 130

Demand Solutions

FEBRUARY 11, 2020

Sales and operations planning, also known as S&OP, is a key business activity for production heavy firms. It integrates sales & marketing strategies with supply chain considerations, allowing for a more unified mission across multiple departments of the business. So how can your firm improve your sales and operations planning? This is a short guide on how to do so.

S&OP 190

S&OP Supply Chain Planning Software Forecasting Software Scenario Planning 190

Demand Solutions

FEBRUARY 7, 2020

Are your lead times too long? Are customers and retail partners complaining that you move too slow? If you believe your firm’s lead times could be shortened, then they probably can. With these seven simple steps, you can work to optimize your supply chain and make the process more streamlined. Choose Suppliers Closer to You. Many firms choose to source outside their home country in order to take advantage of lower labor costs.

Price Reduction 124

Price Reduction Cost Reduction Strategies Optimal Sourcing Supply Chain Planning 124

Demand Solutions

DECEMBER 12, 2016

I’ve previously shared my thoughts on the need for a shake-up in the supply chain management realm , and my assessment of what integrated business planning really consists of. All of this begs the question: Is integrated business planning really something separate from sales and operations planning (S&OP)? Or is IBP merely the latest evolution of S&OP?

S&OP 138

S&OP Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Planning Scenario Planning 138

Demand Solutions

FEBRUARY 21, 2019

If you manufacture or distribute products, it's safe to assume that you have a specified safety stock level— or at least we certainly hope you do. If you're on the fence about whether or not to hold safety stock, we recommend reading up on why it's critical to overcoming variability in your supply chain. At this point, you may be saying to yourself, "but carrying excess inventory is expensive!

Forecasting 189

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Demand Solutions

JUNE 12, 2013

Does the world really need another supply chain blog? If it’s just another blog, probably not. But if the blog is filled with tips for helping companies lower their costs as they power our national economy, then we say yes. And so we’re announcing the launch of the Demand Solutions blog. This is not something we’re doing because we just read an article saying that you’re nothing if you don’t have a blog.

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Demand Solutions

JULY 24, 2013

Ask most supply chain professionals if they use any sort of supply chain workflow, and they’ll probably answer, “Oh, sure. Our solution lets us send emails out to anyone in the system from right within the interface!” Well, OK. That’s better than nothing. It’s certainly faster and easier than pulling up Lotus Notes or Outlook and writing an email.

Supply Chain Design Software 100

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Demand Solutions

NOVEMBER 5, 2018

Managing a supply chain is not easy, although the job description is seemingly straightforward: Ensure that the right products are available at the right location at the right time. Sounds easy, right? That's because you haven't considered the factors that constantly get in the way — factors such as inaccurate forecasts, transportation delays, and inclement weather.

Forecasting 192

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Demand Solutions

JUNE 26, 2015

“In times of change, when experimentation tends to be rampant and results are still far from conclusive, one source of guidance can be to look at the companies who are succeeding, and discover what they are doing differently.” Does this passage sum up your mindset as you strive to optimize your supply chain and improve your business results?

Survey 100

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Demand Solutions

DECEMBER 16, 2014

The brand new Demand Solutions e-book: 42 Principles of Forecasting provides practical and actionable tips for how any company can improve its forecasting process. This article is an extended version of one of those principles: “#7 “Reward Accuracy.” I used to work in a dairy, a 99-year-old family-run business that manufactured ice cream in every flavor imaginable and every package size that our customers would take.

Forecasting 100

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Demand Solutions

OCTOBER 14, 2015

Here at Demand Solutions, we’re big fans of Lora Cecere’s work on her blog, Supply Chain Shaman. Lora deserves every bit of the credit she gets for being an honest commentator on today’s leading supply chain planning solutions and strategies. And so when Lora wrote earlier this year about the evolution of supply chain planning systems and the corresponding impact on user satisfaction, we sat up and listened.

Supply Chain Planning Software 100

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Demand Solutions

FEBRUARY 4, 2016

I have the opportunity to travel the world with my job, and this has provided me with firsthand experience of the challenges facing many or our customers and prospects. I don’t know about you, but I’m not feeling great about the global economy right now. For starters, plummeting oil prices may be a good thing for you and me at the pump, but they’re terrible for the many nations in which the economy pretty much revolves around oil exports.

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Demand Solutions

APRIL 19, 2016

When you buy a new piece of furniture online, how long do you normally wait for delivery? I am not talking about one with custom fabric or a special order. I’m guessing you’d be pretty thrilled to see your furniture arrive in less than one week. But you probably wouldn’t complain too much if it took somewhere between one and two weeks.

Supply Chain Planning Software 100

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Demand Solutions

SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Want to reduce your inventory? Well, you’ve got customer service levels to think about first. And the best inventory reductions are done in a targeted, highly strategic fashion—not blindly and across-the-board. But all things being equal, your answer to my question is surely “yes.” In fact, practically any supply chain professional—not to mention, CFO—would jump at the chance to reduce their inventory.

Inventory Reduction 100

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Demand Solutions

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

In my last blog post , I mentioned that I’d be sharing five steps you can take to start reducing your inventory as soon as this week. As promised, today’s post will continue the series. If you read my first post and took my advice, you’ve already set a goal for inventory reduction. That wasn’t so hard, was it? So, what comes next?

Inventory Reduction 100

Inventory Reduction Inventory Customer Service Forecasting 100

Demand Solutions

DECEMBER 15, 2015

You’ve probably read a lot lately about how to squeeze every bit of value out of your supply chain. The key principles, best practices, and insider’s secrets are all around us. So, for me to actually recommend another article for you, I’d have to be totally convinced that it was something you could apply to your strategy right away.

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Demand Solutions

SEPTEMBER 28, 2016

Where were we? I’ve already shared the first two steps you can take to reduce inventory: set a goal , and develop a safety stock strategy. My third tip will relate to forecast accuracy—always a hot topic of discussion. You’re not going to make any lasting headway on inventory reduction unless you can get your sales forecasts under control.

Inventory Reduction 100

Inventory Reduction Forecasting Inventory Forecasting Software 100

Demand Solutions

OCTOBER 7, 2016

First of all, thank you for reading these articles. We’ve already covered a lot of ground on the topic of inventory reduction. I’ve explained the importance of setting a goal , fine-tuning your safety stock strategy , and reducing your high-side forecast bias. For my next tip, we’ll shift our focus from the strategic to the physical.

Inventory Reduction 100

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