Advanced Demand Planning

Project managers have all faced the same challenge - effectively being able to develop a proper plan for demand. Demand planning has various attributes that are needed before successfully develop a plan. Necessary elements such as accurate forecasting and a reliable planning system are precursors to any successful demand planning effort - garbage in; garbage out. In the past, demand forecasting was considered more challenging due to the lack of technology that was available to planners in the regard.
With integrated planning systems and leaps in production advancements, what seemed like an impossibility has quickly become a reality of today. Demand planning has never been more readily attainable through advanced demand planning systems available today and which are being deployed in production facilities around the world. Advanced demand planning systems (APS) are able to efficiently optimize production and reduce inventory levels through accurate and reliable demand forecast that are broadcast throughout the entire supply chain.

Advances in Demand Planning

Demand is an extremely tricky component to supply chain, simply because it is ever-changing. Yes, we can assume what overall demand will be during whole seasons, in geographical regions, factoring in population shifts; but it is nearly impossible to be sure what the each precise day-to-day demand is going to be - or is it? Through up-to-minute data analysis and data from the past, advanced demand planning systems are able to efficiently develop an accurate plan for more swift demand changes, which can be enacted at a moment's notice, in an automated and near seamless manner. 

Implementing an advanced demand planning system is the first step in taking your supply chain to the next level. It has become vital in the regard of being one of the many components that will aid in overall production efficiency, which will allow for your operation to be able to add capacity that allows bandwidth for bringing in additional revenue and further reduction in production time. Other benefits of an advanced demand planning system include the following:

• Enhance Demand Flexibility
• Integrated System
• Increased Execution
• Strategic Resource Allocation
• Inventory Reduction
• Improved Delivery Times

Through various capabilities and benefits, advanced demand planning systems can put you above the competition and can efficiently optimize production within your manufacturing operation. Advanced demand planning systems can not function on their own, but are more likely to be successful with advanced planning and scheduling systems.

Advanced Planning and Scheduling for Better Demand Planning

Advanced planning and scheduling (APS) software is a robust extension of an ERP system such as SAP, and allows for a far more deeper insight into demand planning. Through presented up-to-the-minute data, an integrated ERP/APS system can accurately respond to forecasted demand. Together, the capabilities and benefits of an integrated solution capitalizes on the sum of parts and can greatly improve response to an ever-shifting demand.