Technology | SupplyChainBrain

Technology: Page 1095

Should Forecasts Be Based on the Past?

Analyst Insight: CFOs today have a keen sense of the cost of volatility and uncertainty in terms of the link between cash/margins and the supply chain, yet they are largely in the dark when it comes to the quantitative techniques available to improve forecast accuracy, which tends to deteriorate as volatility increases. Major changes are being made in forecasting methods to address this volatility. - Sree Hameed, Vice President, ChainLink Research

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Go Back to the Basics for Future Success in Demand Planning, Forecasting

Analyst Insight: As new software and technologies gain market entry and alternative sources of information come into play for improving the process of demand planning and forecasting, it is vital that companies embrace this rampant invasion of methodologies and information with a focused, retrospective view of the basics"”to achieve a successful demand planning and forecasting strategy. A strategy that goes back to the basics can help companies ensure they apply universal and effective principles for success. - Jorge GarcÃa, TEC Senior BI and Data Management Analyst, Technology Evaluation Centers

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A Much More Holistic Approach Is Required in Forecasting & Demand Planning

Analyst Insight: Despite extensive writing from IDC Manufacturing Insights last year extolling the virtues of supply chain responsiveness "” and that in many cases investments in responsiveness might well be better served than investments in forecasting "” manufacturing supply chains continue to rate "making improvements in planning and forecasting" among their top investment priorities. Not that responsiveness isn't important, just that companies believe there is still more progress to be made in things like forecast accuracy. - Simon Ellis, Director, Supply Chain Strategies Practice, IDC Manufacturing Insights

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Smaller But More Frequent Retail Orders

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Leading Semiconductor Company Improves Ability to Respond to Volatility

Challenge: Companies that manufacture components for mobile devices operate in one of the most competitive and volatile industries. Their customers want feedback on the impact of changes quickly, but it often took two weeks to provide answers"”and the information wasn't always accurate.

Global Enterprise Reduces the Challenge of Undertaking "What-If" Scenario Analysis

Challenge: This Global enterprise had a variety of available-to-promise (ATP) and clear-to-build capabilities (CTB) capabilities. However, there was a need for the company to improve its level of analytics, reduce planning latency and increase the speed with which information can be processed and shared.

Premier Measurement Company Gaining E2E Supply Chain Visibility With Kinaxis

Challenge: Like other companies, outsourcing manufacturing operations is a key strategy for this company, which means it must navigate through volatility, while coordinating a virtual supply chain network comprised of multiple supplier and contract manufacturing (CM) partners.

Global Electronics Manufacturing Provider Achieves High Levels Agility With Kinaxis

Challenge: To operate effectively amid a volatile environment and across different end markets and various products segments, this Global Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Provider applies a customer focused supply chain strategy whereby every customer's supply chain solution is tailored to address that customer's unique requirements. This requires flexibility in both processes and the supporting systems.

Getting a Handle on Your Total Delivered Cost

Analyst Insight: It's no secret that companies in logistics-intensive industries are facing a variety of commercial and operational challenges. For example, consumer products and goods companies experience "margin squeeze," in which they pay more for commodity raw materials but typically are not able to pass along corresponding price increases to retail customers. High fuel prices, increasing wage rates in low-cost countries and concerns over supply chain disruption are causing manufacturers and retailers alike to rethink global sourcing strategies. - Ryan Godsil, Tony Ross, Alex Bajorinas and Jim Morton, all of Ernst & Young LLP

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How Do I know If I Have a Profitable Supply Chain?

Analyst Insight: The lack of understanding of the supply chain by the financial team is the third-highest obstacle in achieving supply chain performance. The supply chain is a complex system with increasing complexity. Many unknowing financial leaders try to manage it through Excel spreadsheets which is inadequate to truly understand the trade-offs. - Lora Cecere, Founder of Supply Chain Insights

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Factors to Consider When Determining If You Need an ERP System

To ERP, or not to ERP, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous ERP vendors, Or to take arms against a cloud of component solutions"¦

Sales Growth, Profit Margins Among Private U.S. Companies on Upward Swing, Report Finds

Nearly all employer firms in the U.S. are private (with listed companies representing less than 1 percent), so the performance of private manufacturers is a key barometer of the sector as a whole, according to a report from Sageworks, a provider of financial analysis solutions. In the six-month period ending in January 2013, private manufacturing companies were seeing 9.5 percent annual sales growth, up slightly from the six-month period ending in December 2012.

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