Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 10, 2025

In May 2025, one in seven home-purchase agreements fell through resulting in the cancellation of 56,000 purchase contracts. The concept was that managing trade-offs and optimizing the whole to drive business outcomes would improve value. The ripple effects are pervasive. The reason? Navigating Rocks, Dams, and Whirlpools.

Supply Chain Planning Software 195

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Software Waste Reduction 195

Supply Chain Shaman

DECEMBER 7, 2023

Today, I speak at the North American Manufacturing Association, Manufacturing Leadership Conference, in Nashville on the use of data to improve supply chain resilience. Interestingly, in Q3 2023, 38% of manufacturers, distributors and retailers missed their target for revenue guidance for the quarter. The result was restatement.

Supply Chain Design Software 395

Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Modeling Supply Chain Software 395

Supply Chain Shaman

NOVEMBER 21, 2022

” As I dipped my spoon into some scrumptious chestnut soup at a great restaurant, my companion asked, “With the advancements in optimization and self-learning, aren’t we close to having self-driving supply chains?” The perspective of a manufacturing leader is quite different than that of a business leader in logistics.

Supply Chain Planning Software 376

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Optimal Sourcing Modeling 376

Supply Chain Shaman

MAY 26, 2023

The basic frame of supply chain planning–functional taxonomies for optimization on a relational database–must be redesigned before supply chain leaders can reap the benefit of deep learning, neural networks, and evolving forms of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Or a unified data model across source, make, and deliver for planning?

Optimal Sourcing 369

Optimal Sourcing Modeling Supply and Demand Manufacturing Procurement 369

Supply Chain Shaman

DECEMBER 27, 2022

In the process, there is a fine line between marketing hype and overpromising, making buying difficult. On the website, there is no definition, but the implementations focus on a deeper optimization using traditional APS taxonomies in a Graph database. Yet, the models depict traditional supply chain software deployments.

Supply Chain Software 418

Supply Chain Software Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Strategy 418

Supply Chain Shaman

NOVEMBER 15, 2023

PWC’s Digital Trends in Supply Chain Survey reports that 83% of manufacturers say that supply chain technologies have not delivered the expected results. Let’s zoom to the bottom line: the results are less than optimal for all the monies spent and practices deployed. For this blog post, never mind the comparison.

Supply Chain Planning Software 418

Supply Chain Planning Software Optimal Sourcing Modeling Supply Chain Software 418

Logistics Viewpoints

MARCH 9, 2023

Commerce is global and regional at the same time, the world is getting smaller and more interconnected, and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) manufacturers operate in this build-anywhere and sell-anywhere market. The classical approach involves functional silos, sequential decisions, and Excel and people to render a plan executable.

Supply Chain Planning Software 282

Supply Chain Planning Software Modeling Forecasting Software Optimization Software 282

Supply Chain Shaman

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023

The issues are largely rooted in politics and the lack of clarity on supply chain excellence. The distribution models were never tested when implemented. As a result, after four years of the initial go-live, the team blindly used planning models, distorting the plan. Or planned orders to purchase orders?) The reason?

Supply and Demand 431

Supply and Demand Supply Chain Planning Software Modeling Demand Planning 431

Supply Chain Shaman

NOVEMBER 11, 2020

Today, supply chain excellence matters more than ever. Globally ten percent of jobs are in manufacturing, while 37% are associated with supply chain management. They are impatient that they know more about pizza’s status for lunch before their zoom meeting than the inbound shipment status for their critical manufacturing run.

Supply Chain Design Software 362

Supply Chain Design Software Procurement Solutions Manufacturing Procurement Supply Chain Planning Software 362

SYSPRO Smarter ERP

JANUARY 13, 2025

The food and beverage industry is a dynamic, ever-evolving sector in which manufacturers are continuously seeking ways to optimize production and reduce costs in the face of shifting consumer demand and preferences. Optimizing production is essential to addressing these challenges.

Optimization Software 52

Optimization Software Supply Chain Planning Software Manufacturing Procurement Beverage 52

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 28, 2021

The group needed a clear market signal on consumption patterns and the translation of demand with minimal latency to optimize price, mix, and schedule the factory to manage margin. Consumers constantly change the mix preferences in purchases. Somedays, the focus is on steaks or ribs and the next on the purchase of ground or cubed meat.

Supply Chain Planning Software 322

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Supply Chain Software 322

Supply Chain Shaman

JULY 23, 2023

Why is there a discontinuous line on the model?” This model reminds me of a snail. In each phase, companies refine the models until they find that the future is discontinuous. The enterprise-centric models, due to the lack of adaptability, cannot shift to use market data. This is not a lift and shift proposition.

Supply Chain Planning Software 369

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Planning Scenario Planning Modeling 369

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 14, 2014

But companies often have diverging incentives and interests from their supply chain partners, so when they independently strive to optimize their individual objectives, the expected result can be compromised. ”. ” Institute for Manufacturing, 2013. __. Contract manufacturers operate at low margins and lack resiliency.

Manufacturing Procurement 345

Manufacturing Procurement Optimal Sourcing Procurement Analytics Modeling 345

Logistics Viewpoints

MARCH 1, 2021

Dr. Alexandros Skandalakis – the Director Global Manufacturing Capacity, Strategic Assets and Capital Expenditures at Philip Morris Products S.A. This was done at a stock keeping unit level and for the entire manufacturing supply chain. The tool was able to create a model going out multiple years. It was predictable.

Modeling 270

Modeling Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Optimal Sourcing 270

Supply Chain Shaman

SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

<Bear with me… > Here I share a nine-step process in an attempt to help companies unravel the process for buying supply chain planning software. They center on how to make a good decision in the purchase of supply chain planning solutions. Most have purchased software, but are dependent on Excel spreadsheets.

Supply Chain Planning Software 252

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Supply Chain Software 252

Supply Chain Shaman

FEBRUARY 1, 2024

Optimization engines to improve functional metric performance resulted in an exploding number of planners. Through the use of a NoSQL unified data model, the company is able to now move data within 15-minute increments improving the data flow for inventory availability to improve allocation and ATP processing. On average, it takes 2.8

Supply Chain Planning Software 392

Supply Chain Planning Software Optimal Sourcing Manufacturing Procurement Waste Reduction 392

Supply Chain Shaman

JANUARY 14, 2013

It was a story where people believed that functional excellence leads to supply chain superiority. The example that I give in the first post is the focus of manufacturing strategies to drive strong results to improve Return on Assets (ROA) that have actually caused a deterioration in operating margin. Don’t get me wrong.

Supply Chain Planning Software 260

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Optimal Sourcing Modeling 260

SCMDOJO

JANUARY 9, 2025

Think of them as apples and gearseach essential and effective on its own, yet when combined; they create a formidable mechanism for achieving procurement excellence. A 2023 Deloitte study revealed that companies using strategic sourcing models saw a 15% reduction in procurement costs.

Optimal Sourcing 98

Optimal Sourcing Manufacturing Procurement Procurement Solutions Negotiating Skills 98

Logility

DECEMBER 15, 2023

From harvest to hands, the food & beverage (F&B) industry leaves no room for guesswork, especially without supply chain optimization software. This reality is compelling F&B companies to rethink their strategies and approach to supply chain optimization and demand planning.

Optimal Sourcing 176

Optimal Sourcing Supply Chain Planning Software Optimization Software Supply Chain Software 176

Supply Chain Shaman

OCTOBER 29, 2014

The promise was the delivery of a decision support system that would allow the organization to optimize the relationships between cash, cost and customer service against the strategy. By purchasing planning and transactional systems for a common vendor, they had one throat to choke and they were familiar with the architectural elements.

Supply Chain Planning Software 379

Supply Chain Planning Software Modeling Demand Planning Software Optimization Software 379

Supply Chain Shaman

MARCH 3, 2013

It was called multi-enterprise inventory optimization. In the beginning, the inventory management solutions of LogicTools , Optiant and SmartOps pushed to take operations research to a new level through supply chain optimization. SmartOps was purchased by SAP. Today, I write the epitaph for this market. It is no more.

Supply Chain Planning Software 218

Supply Chain Planning Software Modeling Optimization Software SAP 218

BlueYonder

APRIL 24, 2025

Demand volatility and forecasting complexity The shift to cloud-based environments and the rise of XaaS models are significantly complicating demand forecasting. The quest for efficiency often leads manufacturers to adopt the “pearl chain” model. Instead, companies need agile and flexible supply chains.

Supply Chain Planning Software 89

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Modeling Agile and Lean Supply Chain 89

Supply Chain Shaman

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

Running optimizers frequently introduce noise and error into a complex system. and from a series of labor-intensive meetings that delay decisions to powerful insights for modeling.) In today’s processes, we move data into jails (relational databases) and then run optimizers. Adaptive Model Redefinition Through Learning.

Supply Chain Planning Software 417

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Modeling Supply and Demand 417

Supply Chain Shaman

MARCH 8, 2016

As an analyst in the supply chain market for 15 years, I have written many articles on best-of-breed technology companies purchased by a larger company. The Terra Technology investment is one of what we believe will be a series of purchases to build inter-enterprise cloud-based software platforms to redefine supply chain planning.

Supply Chain Planning Software 150

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Network Software Demand Planning Software Forecasting Software 150

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 20, 2014

However, what is clear from our recent study of 73 manufacturers using supply chain planning is that companies using best-of-breed solutions implement faster, achieve a quicker Return-on-Investment (ROI), and are more satisfied. The models are industry specific. Was it intentional? Or accidental? We will never know. I did not see it.

Supply Chain Planning Software 366

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Planning Scenario Planning Supply and Demand 366

RFgen

DECEMBER 4, 2024

As companies across industries have discovered, a well-optimized supply chain can drive significant improvements throughout their operations. In the automotive sector, manufacturers are simultaneously reducing inventory costs and delivery times. Technology integration: Leveraging digital tools to enhance visibility and decision-making.

Sourcing Strategies 96

Sourcing Strategies Waste Reduction Inventory Reduction Expense Reduction 96

ivalua

JUNE 29, 2020

It is also helping to bridge the supply chain management gap that has traditionally existed between healthcare providers and other industries such as manufacturing. Being a glass half full kind of person, there is a giant opportunity ahead to improve and optimize. The Path to Supply Chain Excellence. Share on Twitter.

Supply Chain Planning Software 219

Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Software Agile and Lean Supply Chain Optimal Sourcing 219

My Office Apps

JANUARY 16, 2024

Start Your Year with Cloud-Based ERP: The Ultimate Guide to Operational Excellence Begin your year on a transformative note by embracing the power of Cloud-Based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. Cost-Efficiency: Operates on a subscription model, reducing upfront costs and handling maintenance, updates, and security.

Eliminating Excel in Purchasing 105

Eliminating Excel in Purchasing Optimal Sourcing Manufacturing Procurement Procurement Analytics 105

Supply Chain Insights

JANUARY 18, 2018

Here are my predictions for 2018: Supply Chain Excellence as We Know It Is Redefined. Supply chain excellence definitions evolve as companies explore the Art of the Possible. New models evolve based on the Art of the Possible. E-commerce Shifts to Solution-Based Business Models. Confluence of Technologies.

Prescriptive Analytics Software 197

Prescriptive Analytics Software Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Predictive Analytics Software 197

Supply Chain Shaman

JUNE 29, 2014

With the purchase of i2 by JDA, and Logictools by IBM, manufacturing companies serious about network design started looking for a company, with a well-established community, that was more serious about network design. This analysis needed to be completed monthly and fed to newer forms of inventory optimization technologies.

Supply Chain Design Software 268

Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Design Network Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software 268

Kinaxis

OCTOBER 20, 2014

by John Westerveld Over the years, working for and with numerous manufacturing companies, I’ve seen many supply chain practices that cost companies money. Reason #4 Making key decisions by modelling the supply chain in Excel. I lost track of how many carrots we had and ended up buying more when we really didn’t need any.

Supply Chain Planning Software 257

Supply Chain Planning Software Inventory Reduction Modeling Cost Reduction Strategies 257

Supply Chain Shaman

FEBRUARY 27, 2020

In 2015, I worked with a manufacturer of men’s underwear. (My Older men buy less underwear than younger males and their packaging was not as attractive to the female shopper buying for the family. The manufacturer had an infestation problem. Historically, the design of the data model drove software market positioning.

Analytics Software 269

Analytics Software Supply Chain Planning Software Supply Chain Design Software Optimal Sourcing 269

Supply Chain Shaman

OCTOBER 7, 2012

These can be shift in the channel, issues in manufacturing, increasing variability in transportation, or a shift in commodity prices. Flexible Manufacturing Scheduling Practices: The design of manufacturing processes to flex with market fluctuations. Ten years ago, the supply chain had two buffers: manufacturing and inventory.

Supply Chain Design Software 231

Supply Chain Design Software Supply Chain Planning Software Optimal Sourcing Inventory Reduction 231

Logility

DECEMBER 28, 2020

How can manufacturers manage disruption and improve productivity? By using advanced analytics for manufacturing, to understand the valuable information concealed within the data they already have! Therefore, manufacturers must continually look for new ways to improve the productivity and profitability of their operations.

Manufacturing Procurement 130

Manufacturing Procurement Optimal Sourcing Manufacturing Analytics Software 130

Logistics Viewpoints

MARCH 27, 2023

Organizations then convert those demand forecasts to the associated quantities of raw materials to purchase, goods to be manufactured, or finished products to ship. Demand forecasting should be tightly integrated to an inventory optimization application. Demand models need to be continuously updated. This sounds obvious.

Forecasting 271

Forecasting Forecasting Software Modeling Optimal Sourcing 271

Logility

DECEMBER 29, 2020

How can manufacturers manage disruption and improve productivity? By using advanced analytics for manufacturing, to understand the valuable information concealed within the data they already have! Therefore, manufacturers must continually look for new ways to improve the productivity and profitability of their operations.

Manufacturing Procurement 130

Manufacturing Procurement Optimal Sourcing Analytics Software Supply Chain Planning Software 130

GlobalTranz

FEBRUARY 2, 2015

In a VMI model, part of the equation is the inbound & outbound flow of the inventory. Distributors will inbound to a manufacturer the inventory needed and transportation management, especially inbound freight management, efficiency is paramount to an effective vendor managed inventory model. No Purchase Orders were used.

Vendor Strategies 120

Vendor Strategies Inventory Reduction Modeling Software Modeling 120