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Effective Alignment of Demand Forecasting & Supply Planning

The "holy grail" of supply chain management is having an effective method for gathering and synchronizing market data with production output and/or inventory levels.  However, the realities of demand volatility and the inability to "plan the customer" conspire to pose significant challenges for many companies' demand forecasting and supply planning processes. This meeting focused on member companies' experiences with demand forecasting and planning, as well as their processes for aligning demand and supply. Kevin Smith of UWEBC member Kraft Foods described the company's approach to demand planning, and guest presenter Allan Kauth of Oliver Wight (originator of the S&OP process) shared best practices for aligning demand and supply using a sales and operations planning process.  A subsequent discussion focused on the experiences of member companies and the strategies they are pursuing to improve demand forecasting and integrate demand and supply plans using S&OP.