Demand planners are coping with the growing complexity of consumer-goods supply chains. Most of all, they have to do a better job of getting the numbers right, says Robert F. Byrne, chief executive officer of Terra Technology.
"Predictive commerce" is a new concept that links customer demand data, planning and the execution of transportation. Pat Smith, general manager of ToolsGroup, tells how it was implemented at Costa Express, the U.K.'s fastest-growing coffee shop chain.
Granarolo, the leading Italian producer of dairy and milk products, was faced with the challenge of accurately forecasting demand for its highly perishable products – especially in the critical and difficult-to-manage area of promotions.
E2open Inc., a provider of cloud-based software for collaborative planning and execution across global trading networks, has entered into a strategic alliance with KPMG LLP, the U.S.-based audit, tax and advisory firm.
Tom Bacon, consultant with Revenue Optimization, discusses how supply chains can embrace the model of dynamic pricing that was pioneered by the airline industry.
Vicky Grillo, senior demand planning manager with CLIF Bar, relates the company's experience in launching a formal sales and operations planning process, and what was learned along the way.
