How Is Your Demand Planning Metabolism?

HOW IS YOUR DEMAND PLANNING METABOLISM? By Patrick Bower Increased competition, global sourcing, too many new products, and frequent price changes along with promotional activities have made the job of forecasting very difficult … bloated forecasts can lead to bad decisions because of limited capacity and missed opportunities … forecasters react to good news much faster than to bad news, causing upward bias in forecasts. S S everal months ago I went to my doctor for a checkup, and he told me I’d gained about four pounds over the past two years. Using a chart on the exam room wall, he explained that I was now 12 pounds heavier than the ideal body mass index for someone my height. He then proceeded to tell me about something called “metabolic syndrome.” As the doctor explained it, metabolic syndrome is triggered by excess—excess weight to be precise. He said the extra weight I was carrying could cause my body to have raised resistance to insulin, mismanaged good and bad cholesterol, increased hypertension, a fatty liver, and a damaged immune system and connective tissues in my joints—especially in my back. The message was clear—allowing one bodily component to slip ...