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Planning & Forecasting
'Bridge the Gaps That Fracture Sales and Operations Planning'
"Breaching internal walls within a commercial enterprise and bringing the sides together takes more than a paper commitment to removing corporate silos. Companies must understand the perceptual differences that separate sales, marketing and operations, and how these disparate outlooks play out in key decision-making forums such as sales & operations planning (S&OP)."
So writes author Ken Cottrill, in Bridge the Gaps that Fracture Sales and Operations Planning, an article in the current number of MIT's Supply Chain Strategy publication.
http://www.mitsupplychainstrategy.com
Descartes Finalizes Takeover of Logistics Solutions Vendor Cube Route
The Descartes Systems Group Inc., which calls itself an on-demand logistics software-as-a-service (SaaS) specialist, completed its acquisition of certain assets of Cube Route Inc. Among the logistics management solutions offered by Cube Route are effective planning, routing, sequencing and optimizing of delivery routes, real-time driver and vehicle tracking, and delivery route analysis.
Offered on a pay-as-you-go subscription basis, Cube Route's solution for last mile logistics is used by distribution-sensitive organizations to lower operating costs, improve customer service and reduce operational complexity.
"Cube Route and Descartes each focus on providing superior on-demand logistics management solutions to help customers improve productivity while reducing costs in their delivery operations," says Arthur Mesher, Descartes CEO. "We believe that the combination of Cube Route's on-demand delivery model and technology, together with our experience in delivering high-quality delivery management solutions over our Global Logistics Network, presents a compelling solution that is complementary to our leading route planning and execution solutions."
http://www.descartes.com
http://www.cuberoute.com
Convenience Store Retailer Teams with Catalyst International
Wawa Inc., a convenience store retailer with more than 550 locations in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, has given its planning efforts a boost by partnering with Catalyst International to implement a complete wireless data collection solution, utilizing SAPConsole, across its entire store network.
Wawa, an SAP for Retail client, wanted to leverage its existing SAP investment and migrate from a legacy store inventory solution, which limited visibility and control, to a native SAP-based solution which would provide real-time connectivity to its core SAP system. It selected Catalyst of Milwaukee based on its extensive experience within the SAP Logistics Execution marketplace.
Wawa now has access to key operational metrics that will enable more than 16,000 Wawa associates across five states to make more informed decisions around inventory, item replenishment and order fulfillment.
The handheld solution included over a dozen wireless-enabled transactions tailored for Wawa from Catalyst's library of transaction templates. The initial installation was completed in September.
"We are appreciative of the opportunity to help Wawa leverage its SAP investment and achieve its goals of increasing visibility and control within their supply chain," said Michael Eleftheriou, president and CEO of Catalyst. "We look forward to partnering with Wawa in the near future as they continue to roll out the solution and to support them in their continued efforts in optimizing their supply chain."
http://www.catalystinternational.com
Tile Products Maker Implements ARIS Forecasting Solution
Florim USA, a domestic manufacturer of porcelain tile products for residential and commercial installations, has selected IDS Scheer's ARIS SmartPath for Durable Goods, a bundled solution of mySAP All-in-One enterprise software, ARIS-based industry specific reference models, and consulting services. The solution addresses industry-specific processes such as forecasting and demand management in a consumer goods environment, product development, sales opportunity tracking, and reporting functionality. In addition, Florim selected the market-leading ARIS Platform to continuously design, analyze, optimize and document its enterprise business processes.
"Prior to IDS Scheer and SAP, we were experiencing inefficiencies with our previous system which offered limited functionality in terms of reporting, customization and support," says Mike Rohnert, president and CEO, Florim USA. "We selected IDS Scheer based on its domain expertise in our industry and its track record for delivering successful SAP deployments with ARIS SmartPath. In addition, our counterparts from The Florim Group of Italy have realized much success from its mySAP ERP system. It also was very complementary for us to use IDS Scheer's ARIS Platform to help us model, analyze and improve business processes throughout our organization.""We are offering a mid-market durable goods company such as Florim an ERP foundation with mySAP, enhancing it with our consulting services and driving process excellence with our ARIS Platform," says Mathias Kirchmer, CEO of IDS Scheer for the Americas. "We are pleased to add Florim to our expanding roster of durable goods customers."
http://www.ids-scheer.com
P&G Rolls Out Terra Technology's Forecasting Solution
The Procter & Gamble Company has chosen Terra Technology's Real-Time Forecasting solution to improve customer value, increase supply chain stability and improve inventory management. Procter & Gamble is live on RTF in Europe and plans to roll the software out globally over the next two years. P&G has been able to reduce short-term forecast error by over 30 percent and anticipates more than a 10 percent reduction in inventory, according to Terra.
Dick Clark, associate director, demand planning for Procter & Gamble, says: "Procter & Gamble selected Terra Technology's Real-Time Forecasting as part of our Supply Visibility Program to improve short-term forecast accuracy, cutting inventory and increasing cash flow. RTF adds a new level of demand visibility in the near term, helping us predict changes in demand efficiently and cost-effectively. This will enable cutting inventory by more than 10 percent and significantly reducing costs in a number of areas."
Real-Time Forecasting monitors daily demand signals and uses pattern recognition to generate a significantly more accurate forecast. Because the forecast responds to what is happening right now rather than just historical trends, forecast error is typically reduced by 50 percent, the developer says. This decreases inventory by as much as 20 percent without compromising service levels.
Robert F. Byrne, president and CEO of Terra Technology, said, "Procter & Gamble is a global supply chain leader who is adept at leveraging technological advances to its benefit. By implementing Real-Time Forecasting, P&G is not only improving its customers' experience but also significantly increasing the company's cash flow at the same time."
http://www.terratechnology.com
U.S. Navy Turns to MCA Solutions for Service Planning, Optimization
MCA Solutions and CACI International Inc. report a successful conclusion to the first phase of the Naval Logistics Readiness Research Center (NLRRC) initiative. This initial phase--designed to solve the complex planning problems of the military service supply chain--shows clear and measurable results through the use of MCA's Service Planning and Optimization product. SPO is a so-called commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) solution.
As part of the NLRRC efforts, launched in January 2005, MCA and CACI have worked to leverage MCA's COTS software to meet the U.S. Navy's Multi-Indenture, Multi-Echelon Readiness-Based Sparing (MIME RBS) requirements.
MCA's software replicated the Navy's October 2004 aviation spare parts provisioning for the U.S.S. Eisenhower, which demonstrated MCA's ability to achieve the same readiness goals with at least five percent less inventory. MCA officials say the developer then proved its scalability by building a model of the entire Naval aviation fleet, which includes nearly 3,000 aircraft, more than 100,000 parts and 300 different type/model/series availability targets.
MCA and CACI already have begun the second phase of the NLRRC initiative, which focuses on three key goals:
1. Helping the Navy synchronize its supply chain with its strategic RBS inventory planning requirements using MCA's tactical planning capabilities.
2. Documenting how MCA's software can effectively manage the Navy's maritime inventory planning requirements.
3. Identifying the inventory savings associated with moving repair capabilities from depot facilities to intermediate-level facilities, in support of the Navy's Fleet Readiness Center initiative.
The NLRRC was developed to identify opportunities for leveraging enterprise-wide COTS solutions to reduce costs and improve productivity. MCA and CACI continue to work with the Navy, applying best practices in IT integration, advanced technology and the latest academic theory, to provide the Navy with effective recommendations for improving RBS and overall supply chain efficiencies.
CACI International Inc provides IT and network solutions to defense, intelligence and other government sectors.
http://www.mcasolutions.com
http://www.caci.com.
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