Tweet Panel discussions are most interesting when the panelists represent similar disciplines across a variety of industries. At the recent IBF Conference in Scottsdale, each of the 4 panelists were asked about various aspects of the planning process within their respective organizations. The range of topics included the single forecast plan (the one number plan), execution of the…
Tweet Last week, we had a great first meeting of the Bangalore chapter of IBF, with learning sessions on S&OP process implementation and supply chain optimization. S&OP Process Implementation was led by Karthikeyan S who is S&OP Process Lead at Honeywell and played key role in the S&OP success at Honeywell. Kathik’s discussion was extremely…
Tweet At the IBF conference last month in Scottsdale Arizona, there were many interesting presentations and discussions regarding new product forecasting. While the organizations were discrete, ranging from children’s clothing to pharmaceuticals, the challenges remain quite similar. If accurate forecasting of new products is essential to a company’s growth and profitability, why is it so difficult?…
Tweet New product forecasting is the most challenging activity in demand planning. It is also the most rewarding. It is challenging because new products have no history to go by, and rewarding because a large of portion of sales come from them—one-fifth according to the latest survey by the Institute of Business Forecasting and Planning.…
Tweet S&OP is such a basic concept, yet so difficult to implement effectively across the globe. It’s hard enough trying to get one S&OP process created, but how do you go about creating a process that works together across time zones, language barriers and cultural differences? It’s a journey that takes time, patience and consistency.…
Tweet Chintan Shah of BIC Inc.’s supply chain operations recently led an IBF webinar for Asia on December 24, 2012 in which he outlined new models for driving sustainability programs at the company. Chintan has successfully implemented a S&OP process at BIC Canada with the purpose of eliminating human error and improving the supply chain…
Tweet As a Demand Planning Manager, a key responsibility is ensuring Sales has product to sell. Keeping inventory low to control capital and reduce out of date potential, limiting floor space to store inventory, and having good production practices to keep lines running efficiently and seasonality– all these present a fine line between success and…
Tweet Short answer: No. For the past month there has been a healthy discussion about forecast accuracy metrics on the Institute of Business Forecasting & Planning discussion group on LinkedIn. This was all prompted by the question, “How does one establish an acceptable target to measure against?” posed by Catherine Waudby, Volume Planning Specialist at…
Tweet We’re familiar with application of the scientific method in certain industries, such as Pharmaceuticals. When a new drug is introduced, we expect that its safety and efficacy has been demonstrated through appropriately controlled experiments. For example, to test a new cold remedy we would find 100 people with colds, randomly give half the new…
Tweet I am pleased to announce the completion of my new book, “Fundamentals of Demand Planning & Forecasting.” To me, this is the most comprehensive book written in the area of demand planning and forecasting, covering practically every topic which a demand planner needs to know. This book discusses not only the different models of…
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